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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September 2, 2014
Fraxel co2 treatment
I am 29th and have been suffering from acne since i was 10. My face is left with ice-picked scarring and uneven skin tone. I have just had my third fraxel co2 done yesterday. I had my second fraxel done six months ago. The skin consultant decided that he could go try a more aggressive approach as my skin seems to be tolerating the laser well, e.g. no pigmentation problem issue as yet. My face looks really red and swollen at the moment and my face goes redder as the hours passes by. I am using Vaseline at the moment to keep the skin hydrated and provide an ideal environment for the skin to repair/renew. It is important that i clean my face with ph5.5 product or cetaphil as i have oily skin and by the end of the day, i could see blister/new pimples forming. If it is not cleanse throughly, the pores would be blocked and instead of new skin forming, i would get breakout on the treated part of the face. I was given aciclovir and flucloxacillin for my past 2 visit; not sure why i wasn't given this time and i had just realised the fact so can't query with the consultant. I will update you with my post treatment for the next few weeks. I would like to post the picture after the treatment so that you could have a look and know what to expect but unfortunately i don't think we are allowed to post picture on this site. I'll try my best to update my skin condition with everyone and hopefully you find my sharing useful.
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December 1, 2012

Pros:

it can improve scars

Cons:

may leave permanent scars (little dot tracks)
may cause long term, possibly permanent damage to pores if you don't have clear skin at time of treatment
will alter your skin, so that if you get breakouts afterwards you will get nasty (boxcar type) scars almost every time and these will be permanent
If you don't heal well, you may notice loss of facial fat/ collagen (?) - you definitely don't want that.

i had two pro fractional treatments. the first one went well, I was really happy with the results on near my temple where i had the most scarring (boxcar), shallow, less than 1 mm. I thought that I would do this 1x/ year to rebuild collagen and as anti aging precaution as well as a scar treatment - last time the doc was much more aggressive only this time i have track marks, my formerly healthy skin has permanent track marks and almost every big pimple leaves a bad indented scar probably because my collagen structure was altered. I had some breakouts when I did the treatment because the dermatologist said it was just slight, no problem - well - it was IMO more than slight and my advice to you is don't do it unless your skin is clear. also don't do it unless you plan for your skin to continue to be clear. In hindsight I regret going an almost uniform depth on my whole face including the perfect skin. I would say if possible only treat the areas that really require it and don't have a treatment that is too aggressive. Since i now have WAY MORE SCARS than before over more of my face, I'll probably do another laser treatment at some point - however I will prefer to only treat the scars, as lightly as possible and only when my skin is totally under control. Right now I'm still trying to get pregnant and I have PCOS which causes mild to moderate hormonal acne all the time so I can only use AHA and BHA - nothing else so... hence I have to tolerate these breakouts which are scarring my face..........I would not subject pretty nice, healthy skin to this treatment. It will stress that skin. It stands to reason, after pro fractional your face will be all bloody. I think also that age might matter. Probably younger skin with lots of collagen and or fat and that heals really well does better with this.
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August 25, 2012

Pros:

Improved skin texture in the short term and over the long term

Cons:

May break you out badly, expensive ($900 per treatment)

After doing pixels for almost a year and seeing no results, I chose to get a fraxel. I got my first fraxel and it hurt like hell, about 1.5 times worse than pixel. However following the initial 3-4 days where my face was quite red, my skin did start to look better in that scars appeared less deep (however this was mainly the result of swelling). Following 2 weeks, I did notice that my skin seemed a little better, but the results were minimal. I chose to get another fraxel a month after the first one and this was the worst mistake I made. Apparently they cranked up the setting and went quite a bit deeper. Immediately following, there was nothing out of the ordinary compared to the first one. However, in the following week to 2 weeks I started to break out really bad like never before. And then beyond that it just kept getting worse and worse, breaking out in places I had never broken out before and it was destroying me. At the time I had no idea what was causing it, but in hindsight I believe it was the laser stimulating the sebaceous glands. Finally 2 months later of disastrous suffering, I started taking omega 3's primrose evening oil, and flax seed oil to get a good balance of 3,6,9 fatty acids and zinc which seemed to help. And then I also started taking b5 supplements which I had taken in my teen years 10 years earlier and I remember they were one of the few things that worked for me. I've also recently started coolTouch treatments although I have low expectations for this. I just need to do something treat the acne and scarring and I think coolTouch may be a good option if I do it many times. Because of the damage fraxel did, it's not really an option at this point. I do think that it stimulates collagen production and can correct scars after multiple treatments, but for me at this point its not worth the risk. Maybe again in the future I can do it and layer it with antibiotics and b5, once the CoolTouch allegedly shrinks my se
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May 11, 2012

Pros:

I only did a test patch!

Some evening out of texture.

Cons:

I only did a test patch!
Redness lasted way too long was horribly itchy, caused acne the week post. I am noticing loss of fat and elasticity. I really believe the longer term effect is that it thins your skin. It has been about 9 months since I did a test patch.

If the doctor doesn't let you do a test patch, RUN. They charged me $100 for this and it was worth it for me to investigate. I am not sold on getting my whole face done yet because of the apparent loss of elasticity. It is VERY itchy an uncomfortable.
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August 15, 2011

Pros:

More even, smoother skin

Cons:

Down time is about one week, stayed slight pink until my next fraxel treatment.

I have just received my 3rd fraxel and have 1 more to go. I am happy so far but I am concerned reading some the bad reviews. Some had problems after 1 or 2 years following fraxel stating that the damage will start to show looking worse than before. Can those who had fraxel after several years and are happy with the results, please share their experience? That wouuld be encouraging to know in the long run things can be ok. Did your skin look worse than before fraxel?
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February 23, 2011

Pros:

I cant say

Cons:

I cant say

hi everyone, I am posting this comment here because most you havent done this particular treatment Fraxel REPAIR and are rating it based on older laser treatments or rumours. I know there is a girl who had a bad experience with Fraxel Repair and has posted pictures of hers after the sutrgery because she did not make any charges agaibnst the doctor or the technician who performed the treatment we will never find out what was the cause of her face getting burned. IT could be bad maintenance of the machine, inexperienced technician or just a bad accident. However the bottom line is do not rate this treatment based on what you Think or Believe. It is easy for people to say don;t risk your skin in getting this treatment but when people describe your face as bird sh*t you would try everything you can. Again dont rate this treatment if you havent gotten it. Also, this is not Fraxel RESTORE this is FRAXEL REPAIR. If you are here reading reviews for Fraxel Repair then look at how much people here paid for it Fraxel Repair generally costs around $2500 - $4000 per treatment and from everyone who has actually gotten it, it seems to be the only thing that works for severe acne scarring. I have tried Fraxel Restore and it doesnt work at all, I am dark skinned Man and am planning to get Fraxel REPAIR done. I will let you guys know how it turns out. AGAIN, don't judge this treatment based on other lasers they are not the same. You only confuse people.
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October 22, 2009

Pros:

Overall skin tone is better.

Cons:

At least a week downtime -4 weeks after 2 treatments scars are still visible but better.

My complexion is olive (Hispanic), so finding someone who has experience with people of color is essential. Pain is tolerable but everyone's threshold for pain differs. I'm not unhappy but anxious to see final results. My third treatment is scheduled for tomorrow 10/22/09 and for me the worst part is being stuck at home for 3 to 5 days. I'm not ashamed to say I do have to use a make up (purchased at local drug store) to hide discoloration for at least a week.. I'll keep you updated. I do not want to use this treatment 4/5 times. I'm done!! The verdict is still out.
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August 31, 2009

Pros:

Had the procedure three days ago - performed by a plastic surgeon which was important to me. Can only list cons right now.

Cons:

Wow - my face is so broken out I can hardly believe it.

Every blackhead I have seems to have opened into a pustule type pimple. Still - I think that is good because it is clearing out deep blackheads that I have never been able to get rid of. Still - I had the procedure Friday and planned to be back in the office today (Monday) but these pimples just keep appearing. The redness is pretty bad too but I can minimize pretty well with mineral makeup. My face was extremely swollen the day after but has improved daily - cheeks still a little chipmunky today but probably not noticeable to anyone but me.
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June 17, 2009

Pros:

The Horror stories didn't apply to me.
• Worked surpringly well after just one treatment (but still require more.) I'm sure if I had 3-4, I'd have clear skin and an empty bank account.
• Flaking and peeling were gone after the 5th day.

Cons:

• The price. Three treatments for $1895 CAD? I could buy a nice Fender with that.
• The pain! See below.

This treatment is NOT for people with ACTIVE ACNE. Jamming the rolling laser into your face will no doubt cause more blockages and worsen existing paps/pusts. My acne has cleared up for the most part, (Panoxyl Aquagel 5% + Differin XP) but scars remain from my teen years (new ones fade with Differin XP). I walked into Bellair Laser and said, "Nine years is too damn long for these scars. Give me everything you got." The Price: Ouch. Too much. Plain and simple. The Pain: I'm the Master of Aches: Chronic migraines and I refuse freezing when I get my teeth drilled. Fraxel? That's a stinging pain. Either I'm weak to stinging pain, or Fraxel is actually Cerberus kissing your face. When they were doing my forehead I was an inch away from saying, "I need a break." The Aftercare: Fraxel had a schedule. Day 1: White burn marks. Day 2: Brown grains. Day 3: Tiny flakes peeling. Day 4: Grains came out. Day 5: All clear.
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June 10, 2009

Pros:

Only a few days of downtime, texture and pigmentation improvements already after just one treatment, pain is tolerable

Cons:

Expensive, somewhat painful (but tolerable with meds and local anesthetic, in my opinion), swelling, downtime means not going out at all for a few days.

I'm getting a series of three Fraxel treatments for acne scarring (sloped, soft, but deep scars -- not pockmarks) and rosacea. Performed by an RN, but the doctor is always involved and often present. Staff is courteous and kind. RN who performed procedure gave me her personal cell # in case I had any problems. Just had my second procedure, which was more aggressive than the first. Took 2 doses each of percoset and valium. It was painful, but tolerable. I notified the RN whenever I needed a break. Two weeks after the 1st procedure, I could see dramatic improvement in my rosacea and pigmentation. Advice: Be sure to ask lots of questions and that your expectations are realistic. Choose a place that makes you feel comfortable with a staff that can answer your questions. Make sure you are a good candidate for this -- your skin should be fair or light, and you absolutely must follow their pre-and post- procedure instructions. I'll post more after my 3rd treatment.
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Finding a Doctor

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:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website