Acne.org Products
Good or Excellent Response
46%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Moderate Response
81%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Side Effects
Low-Medium
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 Non-ablative Fractional Lasers? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
December 5, 2007
Cons:
it is a little expensive
i have had to deal with acne scars for the first time in my life and as much makeup i used to put on, nothing would cover them. The Fraxel Laser was an answer to my prayers, because just when i had given up hope for any improvement i heard of the laser. It really is amazing i have had 3 treatments and i am so satisfied!
August 3, 2007
Pros:
Seeing my scars on my cheek slowly dissapearing.I love it! 2 more 2 go!
Cons:
Still having minor breakouts after treatment on my chin area that has created slight scarring.
So far had a total of 3 treatments and from what the doc has said u start to see real results after about the 3rd treatment, but I disagree because iv see them since the beginning, and again results are going to vary each time but ur results will be dependent on how high of a frequency ur doc willing to go. I always tell my doc to go as high as she can because i know and she knows thats how we will achieve the best results. Though u might be a little extra swollen the next day, the pain is worth the results!
May 20, 2009
Pros:
evened out skin tone, scars appear lighter, not as deep.
Cons:
painful and expensive
there is no miracle cure for scarring. The Dr. told me I would see about 50-70% improvement. I think that is what I got. Go to a good Dr. with a lot of experience. Mine was great. I had 3 treatments and may do a couple more. They build upon each other so you must be patient. You are not going to have 1 or 2 treatments, come home, look in the mirror and all the scars are gone. They do say the collegen will continue to rebuild 6 months after the treatment. It is painful but when you think of the results, it's worth it.
April 24, 2007
Pros:
Made a minor improvement in the slightest of acne scars.
Cons:
Had no effect on deep scars of skin imperfections. Some areas healed worse making them almost appear deeper. Didn't even remove a fine wrinkle I have.
I had 5 fraxel laser treatments with experienced doctors, and had the laser intensity eventually go to the maximum level. This was done at a laser treatment center-so they're the pros. It looked good the next day, but after the slight swelling goes down until there is absolutely no swelling at all (which takes about 2-3 weeks), then you will see that there is almost no improvement. I had about 30 close-up pictures taken by doctors before and after, and you can't tell the difference. My face still has all of the scars and imperfections and slight wrinkle, but for the very minor scars, you can almost see a slight improvement for some. BIG WASTE OF MONEY and it gets your hopes up for nothing.
November 7, 2013
Palomar laser
Pros:
smoother skin
filling in pick scars slowly
Cons:
takes time
I finished Accutane in April of this year, it worked good, was on for 5 months. Then this September I asked my derm about my facial scarring and redness, and she suggested Palomar laser. So I did 2 treatments 4 weeks apart, I had breakouts after both treatments, thought it was from laser but im not sure anymore, because I am still breaking out on places where I did not even get the laser done, my next appointment is next Friday, and I don't know what to do, the 2 treatments have filled in my pick scars pretty good, but still could use more treatments, but these breakouts... im debating if I should just ask to go on Accutane again? suggestions? opinions? I can also provide pictures if needed.
Thanks
September 11, 2008
Pros:
well i had several issues such as acne scaring, seb derm, rosacea going into the treatments. i did 3 treatments with both the pulse dye laser and fraxel. the chronic irritation to my skin has definetly subsided and overall texture has improved.
Cons:
unfortunately i was reviewing some pictures of myself that were taken outdoors with plenty of sunlight and guess what i noticed when i zoomed it on the photos?...holes in my face that "were not" there before i had laser treatment.
it has been 6 months since my intial treatment and i was satisfied overall until i saw these recent photos. i was skeptical about getting laser done because the technology is relatively new and most doc's, and other practioners had mentioned any negativitiy about the results. this concerned me but i still went through with it out of desperation.
i don't what to say. i mean most people probably don't even notice these tiny holes but my god, i wish they would have said this was a potential side effect.
September 10, 2008
Pros:
none
Cons:
as some others have said, I had a terrible cyctic acne breakout that lasted two full horrible months!! Also ended up with broken capillaires where the tech was too agressive near by eye areas
Did not reduec any scarring, but ended up with lots of new scars from terrible post op break out. Noone wrarned me this could happen, but when I called to tell them, they said "oh yeah people have been having problems with that" and gabe me an antibiotic (which did not work) THis laser is not worth the money and you could end up with worse scarring problems BEWARE!
November 30, 2006
Pros:
Over 50% improvement in all types of acne scars in a single treatment.
Cons:
One week of down time
I have been treating acne scars for 28 years with every treatment that has become available. A new technique that I call "tangential laser rsurfacing" using a erbium/carbon dioxide laser (Derma-K) laser in combination with a blending TCA peel on the non scarred areas of the face, consistently gives excellent improvement in all types of acne scars. Much less painful than fraxel or traditional laser resurfacing and much more improvement in a single treatment. Depressed scars are treated with Silikon 1000 (a permanent scar filler) or Perlane one month after the peel.
April 10, 2008
Pros:
Fraxel- 1 week, 1 day
My pores are much smaller and the scars on my cheeks less noticeable.
Cons:
They said "no down time". If you don't mind looking like a clown that may be true. I had it done on a Tuesday and by Friday, I had to call into work ugly.
$1000 per treatment... so it was expensive. It was very painful but quickly forgotten if you have good results. My most immediate concern was the scars on my cheek but my pores being a lot smaller was a nice bonus as well as wrinkles being diminished. The aloe cort cream they gave me did not agree with my skin at all. Aloe vera straight off the plant helped a lot more and stopped the burning.
November 21, 2007
Pros:
None
Cons:
Fraxel made my skin far worse. I now have scars on my cheeks where they were once smooth but sun pigmented. My skin looks terrible and ruined. It is depressing.
Fraxel can damage your skin as it did mine. I went in hoping to refresh and improve my sun pigmentation and instead left with pitted uneven skin. This has been a nightmare and I wish there was more honesty around the side effects.
Pros:
leaves skin glowing, tightens pores, and brings lots of confidence!