Acne.org Products
Good or Excellent Response
44%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Moderate Response
82%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Side Effects
Medium-High
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist or plastic surgeon? Make an appointment to get this procedure done. Don't have a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find a dermatologist or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to find a plastic surgeon.
Used Ablative Fractional Lasers? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
March 3, 2009
Cons:
NOT for dark skin. Expect to not look presentable for almost a week. Don't take anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin, advil, motrin, steriods, etc.before or after.No help for headache! Try to stay indoors, moisturize,sunblock, do not scratch.
Very happy w/ 1st treatment. Think my face different than most. I'm 39, hardly ever in sun. Tons blotchy freckles,some green + some Rosacea. Pores so large, small amounts makeup look caked. Cheeks w/white-puffy scars+cottage-cheese skin texture, no clue?(Had mild/mod acne,BUTusually NOT that area) After 1 treat: 4 days dry/swollen/itchy.Looked like Miss Piggy or the Mumps) Daily small puss filled pimples, mostly on chin, popped, neosporin applied. (Think were future pimples on the way) Day 5, rubbed about half of the freckles off w/ dead skin ! White puffy scars look half as noticable. Day 6, cottage-cheese skin almost looks normal and smooth! Don't have any eye wrinkles... so, no info there. 4 forehead wrinkles & laugh lines about the same.Hoping next 3 treatments will help + , remove the remaining freckles + totally fix cottage cheese area. VERY HAPPY -
BUT: no life all week - feel run-down, tired. 4 days skin looked scary, super itchy. $2600 sale price 4 treatmen
September 11, 2008
Pros:
The swelling was only 2 or 3 days.
Cons:
It hurts very bad, I now have spots that were not there before, no changes in scars except they look worse
The doctor (reputable) did not say there were any cons and the nurse said individuals need 4 treatments and should see results the 3rd or 4th treatment. When I finsihed the 3rd I saw nothing and she said probably not till 6 weeks after the 4th. Still nothing. I went for the final visit after finishing the laser and the doctor said he saw some improvement on the computer image and that I would most likely need 4 more treatments. I felt my money was stolen the first time and they wanted more to weigh down their pocketbooks. I am single, work very hard for my money and this was a waste!!!!
July 17, 2008
Pros:
looks good one week after only, then when you heal, you look much worse
Cons:
several days downtime, damaged skin, new pores where they never used to be, indented flesh, valleys in your face
I wish i had never had Fraxel! i paid $900. the doctor said that it would remove dark spots on my cheeks and it would make the pores on my cheeks look just like the pristine skin on the sides of my face. i thought what he means was that the pores on my cheeks would go away and look like pristine skin, but just the opposite happened!!
the dark spots are still there, but it looks like a section of flesh has been removed over the dark spots and healed indented like that. i think she overdid it. Now where the dark spots were is now an obvious indentation of flesh.
and worse yet, my pores are still there, but my prevoiusly beautiful, clear, pristine skin i used to have on the rest of my face looks like there are small pores all over the place! it is like my face is now riddled with tiny little holes all over!
This has been four months since my treatment, and I am so depressed over what i allowed this doctor to do to me. I just ask people to please not rush into this.
August 8, 2009
Pros:
Massive improvement in scarring, pigment, and breakouts. Self esteem is no longer non-existent.
Cons:
Very uncomfortable, Down time, Improvement does take time.
Fraxel was recommened to me by a friends dad, who works as a laser technician. Because he gives me a huge discount (1 and a half treatments for $500) and is someone I trust, I decided to try it out. I'll be honest, at first I felt robbed of $500. I kept thinking that I would see improvements within the first couple of months and I was let down; furthermore, I had noticed a lingering burn from the laser that resembled a BAD foundation line along my jawline; I decided that I wouldn't go forward with more treatments. Over the course of 6-8 months my skin MASSIVELY improved. The discoloration vanished with time, my icepick scars softened, and my breakouts substantially decreased. It's been a year and a half since my treatment, and I have reached a plateau of improvement, I will be going back for another treatment. Do not go every 2 months, do not go every 5 months. Wait it out for as long as you possibly can, because this method will be saving me about $1,500.
October 27, 2008
Pros:
Mild pain, little down time, worth the money.
Cons:
None so far.
I just had my first Fraxel treatment 5 days ago. The first 2 days my face was swollen, and I peeled for 2 days. And after 4 days you couldn't tell that I had anything done. It is a great treatment. I have already began to see results. I had moderate acne scarring. And the results are fantastic. My skin is tighter, softer to the touch, and my scars are starting to fade.
Love the Fraxel!!
February 1, 2008
Pros:
I've had 3 treatments for fairly severe acne scarring. The last was 2 1/2 months ago. I'd tried C02 laser & saw minimal improvement. The Fraxel did the job--my skin is so much better! I'd planned to do 4 but don't know if I really need another
Cons:
It's painful but certainly bearable, and I was very red for a day or two, but it's well worth the results.
Find a dermatologist who specializes in Fraxel (my doctor only does Fraxel at the practice she shares with another dermatologist). After you've had your treatments, I recommend going in for occasional hydroxy peels, which tighten the pores and help prevent further breakouts. I am in my mid-50's and have struggled with this all my life. It is awesome!
January 28, 2009
Pros:
Smoother skin, smaller pores, people have noticed! :)
Cons:
Swollen for 2-3 days after treatment, red face like a bad sunburn, skin peels and flakes for about 4-5 days...but not really bad like a chemical peel
I LOVE fraxel...and I plan to go back to get my neck done next. I have had 6 treatments on my face for moderate acne scarring. The swelling is worth the end result. Ice packs will definitely help with swelling and I used neosporin for the flakiness...because it got a little raw around my mouth an chin after a few days...I would put the neosporin on at night. It is expensive but worth it.
October 14, 2008
Pros:
little down time
Cons:
painful, expensive, minimal results
I haven't seen hardly any results. I have acne scars on my cheeks and I've had the full-ablative co2 before. I concider myself very realistic but I'm really disappointed in fraxel. I was told the outcome after 4 treatments would equate to the co2 results(which I already had once so I knew what to expect) and the cost was pretty much the same( around 4K). Honestly I can't see any improvement and I actually think my scars look worse. I can now see scars where I didn' t before, and my poor size hasn't changed. My forehead wrinkles are still there with no change either. I've had all four treatments and I see no change. I wish I would have spent my money on another co2. At least I wouldn't have felt any pain( fraxel is EXTREMELY painful) and I would have the results I want. It would have been worth the longer downtime.
July 14, 2008
Pros:
my skin looked good 7 days after treatment till about 30 days after treatment.
Cons:
5 days of downtime. My face was swollen like a balloon and looked severely burned. red face turned brown color the next few days. A month after treatment, scars were visible again. Worse, my natural smooth skin now has tiny pits all over.
I had some pores on my cheeks with a few acne scars and scar from mole removal. The rest of my face was beautiful and porcelein smooth. The Dr. told me the cheek pores would look smooth after Fraxel, and the acne scars would go away. After Fraxel, the scars are still visible, the pores are unchanged, but my previously smooth skin is damaged! i look like i have little pock marks all over where my beautiful pristine skin used to be. I am damaged and depressed over this!
June 21, 2008
Pros:
Can't think of any at the moment
Cons:
Hurts, does not work, is expensive, can leave your skin red (for a year and more!). Pigmentation problems, sensitive skin, appearance of new spots that leave new scars.
I had 4 treatments before I had to stop. My skin got so sensitive that I had to stop using my regular acne treatment lotions etc. Still can't use anything too strong and it's been a year since the treatments!
I now have pigmentation problems and an extremely sensitive skin. After the treatments my face was as bad as it was when I was a teenager, with lots of new spots that left new scars (AND I did not get rid of the old ones with fraxel either!). The color of my face is still darker than my neck (which wasn't treated). I hoped that fraxel would help my scar issues, but I just wasted my money and now my face looks even worse. With many people praising this treatment, I just want to warn everyone, that side-effects like this can happen to you too. The doctor who treated me was reputable and knew what he was doing... it's just that the treatment doesn't work as well as we all would want it to. Good for anyone who finds fraxel to be ok. For me it was waste of money and worse.
Pros:
It's only been a week, very happy so far! I didn't take any anti-inflammatory meds on purpose. Swollen for 4 days, every AM eyes swollen shut, but that resolved after drinking and a few hours up.