Ablative Fractional Lasers
Results
Side Effects

Ablative fractional lasers shine an intense beam of light at the skin in a dot-matrix (imagine tiny polka dots) pattern. The light completely...

Ablative fractional lasers shine an intense beam of light at the skin in a dot-matrix (imagine tiny polka dots) pattern. The light completely removes (ablates) the epidermis in this dot-matrix pattern, leaving some of the skin intact. It also stimulates the underlying dermis to produce more collagen and elastin over time. Ablative fractional lasers attempt to approximate the efficacy of ablative lasers while not completely removing the entire surface of the skin, thus reducing side effects.

This procedure is normally repeated 3 times in 1-month intervals, and you should see gradual results with each session. And after your last session, your skin should continue to improve.

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4
22.4%
3
20.6%
2
8.4%
1
31.8%

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July 8, 2008

Pros:

helped reduce hyperpigmentation... had a very aggressive treatment.

Cons:

am experiencing the "breakout from hell" right now. :( started 4 days after treatment... a week later, my entire chin, below my mouth, around my mouth & underneath my nose area are completely filled with acne. :( mainly cystic...

had i know this was one of the potential side effects... i would NOT have had fraxel done. chances are i may end up w/ more scarring from this horrible breakout. everyone responds differently, i guess. hope you all have far better results & luck than i have. :)
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July 6, 2008

Pros:

Shallow rolling scars somewhat improved but still present. Overall complexion looks nice and even minus superficial scarring.

Cons:

Face swelled up very bad after "aggressive" treatments. Took about two weeks to fully recover.

It's a lot of money for sort of results. It's been about six to eight months since I had my last of three treatments and my skin does continue to improve but I have also been treating it with mild at-home 12.5% TCA peels (which are amazing for the price)!!! My skin is improving slowly and steadily however and I am confident that after a few more chemical peels my scarring will be erased. Lasers are a good start but from what I have seen and heard they need to be followed with other treatments such as chemical peels. My scarring when I started was rated mild by my dermatologist.
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June 23, 2008

Pros:

I think mircolaser peel helped me a lot because I noticed my ance scars r less a lot after first treatment and healing my skin in four weeks. I just had second treatment last two days ago. I will have to wait to notice it in four weeks. I might won't

Cons:

I know it's experive and I hate swelling, itchy and sore for a few days but its worth it!

I pay the payment about $500 three times for three treatments
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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.
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June 11, 2008

Pros:

almost 98% of my scars were gone, it was like i was given a new face. absolutely loved it

Cons:

Hurt, a lot. Took about a solid week to completely recover. MY face is still a little redder than the rest of my body now. Also, after a few weeks I was breaking out again.

If I could do it every month, I would. I've done 5 treatments. each one was 750. and i got the 5th for free. still makes it far too expensive to keep doing.
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June 2, 2008

Pros:

My scars were mostly on the cheeks and temples, mostly rolling with a few ice pick. I can see a big difference. My settings were high and I did take pain medicines. I was told the final result will not be seen for 6 months. Very encouraged.

Cons:

I had redness and swelling for 2 days, puffy eyes for 3-4 days. I had a lot of heat in my face for about 1 hour after the treatment. Flaking was bad the 3rd day but then skin was great. Lots of moisturizer used.

My MD has a lady RN that does packages( 3 treatments for 3300) and does a lot of the acne scar patients. She seems to be very knowledgeable about the treatments and also how it works to do what it is suppose to do. I have 2 more scheduled and look forward to them. I recommend it to all my friends, even those that dont have scars, as the literature says it helps with texture,fine lines and pigmentation.
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May 6, 2008

Pros:

Not much, might work but it will take few procedures

Cons:

Expensive, your face gonna look horrible for couple weeks (Forget the work or going out) and gonna be red for few months, almost no improvement

I got my skin resurfaced with an Active FX laser about a year ago. I thought that it will heal in 10 days, but it took way longer. There's almost no improvement in my skin and I wouldn't risk to do that again just because that it takes soooo long to heal and I don't want to have a red face again for few months. And it's very painful.
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May 4, 2008

Pros:

Your apparence improves 10 fold

Cons:

Downtime, itch, dry skin.

On my first 2 treatments I followed the instructions for after care to the T....alas! expensive after care did not work, on my third one I was itching so bad I could not take it anymore and went to the pharmacy and bought a cheap remedy...I was able to go thru the 5 treatments after that......trick? olive oil for the dry skin (over and over after treatment and for the next 3 days; I went Fridays and resumed work on Monday nearly normal) take an antihistamine immediately after treatments.......cool your skin with either cold compresses or just a bag of frozen peas wrapped on a thin film..and keep the olive oil on and on........the antihistamine and ice will keep the swelling to a reasonable look, if you must, do it again the next 2 days.
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April 29, 2008

Pros:

Can't think of any right now.

Cons:

Had the first fraxel treatment 12 days ago. Face was swollen beyond recognition for 5-6 days, with constant burning sensation. Eyes were nearly shut, and have now developed a film over the right one, along with paraylsis to the left of my mouth.

This is a much more invasive treatment than I was prepared for. The pain was extreme, particularly on the forehead area, and if my results are any indication, there is some danger to be associated with this. I would recommend doing alot of research not only on the treatment itself, but also on the person's training in doing so. I regret this terribly, and currently have no idea whether my current situation is permanent or not.
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April 29, 2008

Pros:

My skin is smoother and has better appearance especially the pores. No improvement on acne scars after 1 treatment. You cannot get any sun prior to or after the procedure to prevent "bronzing"

Cons:

I had crazy swelling and trememndous redness day 1 and two. Ice packs and sleep upright a must or your eyes will be really swollen. Took an ativan prior. I was almost presentable in 3 days. Fine shedding of skin was tolerable and small breakouts

I will continue with the procedures although it appears I've paid a much higher cost than most of the folks posting. $1200 per treatment for just my face. I may shop around although I trust this major medical center doc.
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The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

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