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 2, 2016
Bad results and didn't meet my expectations
I've had fraxel laser five days ago, the results didn't meet my expectations, this is a light peel and my skin didn't go red at all. The consultant wants me to spend more money to have more treatments when i'm struggling financially. I could've achieved better results at home with tca peel. This is like 5%tca peel. I'm not pleased with the results and think consultants delibrately do this so you have more sessions. I wish i could get a refund and go somewhere else.
January 28, 2012
Cons:
can't go out for at least 4 days
doesn't work after the first time
very expensive
The first time i did fraxel restore i was so excited because after a week it seemed like i had a 60 percent improvement but in reality it was mainly swelling. Two weeks later it was only about a 25% improvement. I went back a month later for my second fraxel restore, it did nothing. I was told i should spreed the treatments futher apart. I waited 3 months again nothing. 6 months again nothing. another 3 months NOTHING! I only saw improvement my first time and I have to admit I'm at least happy for the 25% improvement...so I geuss the bottom line is do it once and then stop. BTW I also went to a highend place. I also tried Juvederm which did nothing at all.
May 5, 2011
Pros:
lightened my freckles, gave a more youthful appearance
Cons:
does not work on acne scarring
I am a 24 yr old white female. I had 4 sessions of fraxel restore at $500 each (gradual intensity). A few years ago I did accutane and it really cleared up my face, however, I still have rolling acne scars on my cheeks. I decided to try the fraxel restore. The pain was pretty bad but bearable and it only took the doctor about 15 minutes to complete the procedure (I only got my cheeks done). My cheeks are puffy and red and little to no discomfort is felt after the procedure. They stay red for about 4-5 days and in that time my skin looks and feels great!! However, a couple weeks later and it looks exactly the same. I am pretty frustrated. My doctor thinks I should have two more sessions but I am not convinced. Thinking about trying the fraxel repair but after reading some of the reviews on here, yikes!! Bottom Line: I would not recommend the fraxel restore for acne scarring
February 22, 2011
Pros:
None
Cons:
completely ineffective for Acne Scars
Hi Guys,
I have a lot of scars on my face some are small, some deep. I can confidentially say I have almost every type of acne scar on my face and my scarring is severe. Also, I am a Indian from India and have Brown skin color. I read the post from anonymous from Washington here and felt a little confident about this treatment even though everyone else says only Repair would work for Acne Scars, but still I got FRAXEL RESTORE done. Anonymous from Washington is right in a way it looks like the treatment has worked on the fourth day but 2 weeks later your face looks exactly like it was before without any changes. I had taken note of the lightest scars on my face to see if this treatment made nay change on any of them and the answer is absolutely no. It made no changes to any part of my face. I have taken photos of my face using iPhone from different angles before and after the treatment and believe me there is no difference. I know they recommend 5 treatments but I was expecting to see some change even if it was 5% but sadly it is 0% change. I am not trying to discourage you but it is the truth this treatment is just not effective for Acne Scars. For those of you are Caucasians you are lucky that you can get FRAXEL REPAIR done which I have heard can be effective for Acne Scars but only after 4 Treatments yes even for REPAIR (ablative CO2) you can need 4 treatments. Bottom line this treatment is completely and absolutely a waste of money. The doctor only recommended I go with it to see how my skin reacts to it. Now that he knows it has healed well we may proceed with REPAIR. I wish you all good luck and hope only people who have had this particular treatment FRAXEL RESTORE post their comments here.
December 6, 2009
Pros:
none
Cons:
High cost, painful treatment, unpleasant recovery, did not improve my pores or scars, and left little pin-prick sized holes all over my face
After 3 courses of Accutane over a decade ago, I had 2 Fraxel restore treatments at the highest intensity. One month after the second treatment, I notice tiny pits all over my skin where the lasers were, which gives it a bumpy texture. My pores have shrunk minimally, but my scars almost seem deeper after the treatments. I've noticed that my skin heals much more slowly after the Accutane treatments. My guess is that because of the drugs I've taken in the past, my skin does not respond to Fraxel laser trauma by healing itself. It just gets further damaged. I'm going to visit my doctor before having a third treatment, because I read someone else's review stating that Fraxel after multiple Accutane courses also left them with damage.
October 25, 2009
Pros:
Almost no improvement
Cons:
Treatment is very painful
and expensive @ $700 per
Had (3) Fraxel II treatments over the course of 3 months to address rolling acne scars. After the first treatment I was really excited because I'd thought that all of my scars had disappeared over night, but after 3 days when all of the swelling had gone down I realized that all the improvement was just due to swelling. I went back for 2 more treatments expecting improvement and getting none. From reading messages on this board it seems that perhaps Fraxel alone is not the right treatment for rolling scars and maybe I should have tried subcision first. The place I went to did not even mention subcision.
I will try that next.
October 3, 2009
Pros:
NONE was worse after
Cons:
NONE
My doctor was a board certified w/good rep. He was very professional when i first went in but when he saw the results he changed. Practically threw me out of the office. Before surgery he said he could take care of any problems that came [link removed]plete turnaround after.So many doctors didn't want to touch me.Sent me to other doctors.Found out he used the highest level on me & wreck my skin. I've had fraxel 2 x's, about 5 ipl, perfecta 2x's & affirm at least 4x's& still getting more. Had to get a filler for some that were too deep.Still don't go out without 1 or 2 hrs of prep time & so much anxiety every day looking at it. I found a silicone patch that seems to smooth them out a bit.Old marks were nothing compared to the problems I have now. The new doctor said he wouldn't try co2 or any laser to take off my top layer now. Skin is too thin now, has 2 b built up from underneth. At least I got my money back from complaining so much but spending so much more fixing.
March 23, 2009
Pros:
The skin felt a little smoother but no visible changes after the first treatment.
Cons:
painful but can be tolerated...the thing i find the most annoying is the brown crusty layer left on my face after the trearment
swollen for 1.5 days - red for 1 day...brown for a long time. My face does not shed dry skin easily - i feel like i have a mask of brown crust on my face which won't come off. I cannot scrub my face as it is not recommended - i hope this goes away soon...its been 5 days since my 2nd fraxel treatment.
would i recommend it? that's really undecided...
any help on getting rid of the crust wud be appreciated!
January 25, 2009
Pros:
nothing really.
Cons:
had 8 treatments done for 7000. 5 for smooth and small pores last 3 was fraxel.been 3 months and no result. Skin is sensitive and burns after medication, more acne appear and more scares. My skin is worst and it wasn't that bad to start with.
if your gonna do fraxel make sure your doctor is sure it's going to work and what to expect after. Don't do it if you know it's manageable. I regret doing it now because i'm left with more scares and uneven skin tone.
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!
Pros:
20 to 25 percent improvement