I have struggled with acne for at least the past 10 years. Cystic and constant. At least 10 pimples at all times. Deep under the skin and mostly on my cheeks. I am a 27 year old white female with a fair complexion. I have done every topical (prescription & OTC), oral antibiotics, & Accutane twice. The only thing that has ever worked for me is Spironolactone, a hormone antibiotic pill - I take 50mgs in the morning & 100mg at night. It has changed my life. I also use a prescription sulfur face wash. I have not broken out (literally at all, nothing) in about a year, so I decided it was time to treat my scars. They made me severely insecure. I have both pitted & rolling scars. At first, I tried temporary filler to fill the scars but that did nothing. - - - - - - - I am doing a package of 4 Fraxel 1550 laser treatments (done using the Fraxel Dual machine). The Fraxel 1550 is a non-ablative laser, which means less downtime and leaves you with no open wounds. The Fraxel 1927 (also done w the Fraxel Dual machine - get it, Fraxel dual, it can do both the 1927 and 1550) is an ablative laser with major downtime & open wounds. It is great for pigmentation issues, whereas the 1550 does best with resurfacing. I did a ton of research because the package of 4 was $4,000. I wanted to make sure I was spending my money well. The Fraxel 1550 made more sense for my lifestyle and symptoms. - - - - - - I spaced out each of the 4 laser treatments a month apart. I asked my doctor to use the strongest setting & do the maximum number of passes (aka, how many time he goes over the same spots). I am having my 4th laser treatment tomorrow. I have my laser treatments on a Wednesday, and then work from home on Thursday & Friday. The first day you are just a little red. Second day you are so beyond swollen - my face looked like a big red square and my eyes were so so puffed closed/being pulled in weird positions. Third day you are still very swollen, but not as swollen. Forth day your skin starts to slightly harden to a sandpaper-y feel. Same for the 5th day, & your skin crusts off to smoother skin underneath. The 6th day (the following Monday) I went back to work. I was able to put makeup on, but had to take it off mid-day and reapply because it got very cake-y looking and looked like it was sitting on top of my skin. Very obvious. I never make plans for that Monday evening, I just go home after work, take my makeup off and slather on moisturizer. MOISTURIZER is KEY during recovery. From day one I never let my skin get dry - I always kept my face wet with moisturizer. This is key to the healing process. I did not break out from the Fraxel, though because I was paranoid that I would I had a 7 oral antibiotic called Solodyn. - - - - - - - The pain is pretty severe, but the treatment is very quick - max 10 mins. I sat with a numbing cream for an hour, was given a percoset, a valium, and 4 tylenol an hour before the treatment. I was also given laughing gas during the treatment. And it totally totally toooottally still hurt prettttty badly. Once the laser goes off, your face is incredibly hot like you have the worse sunburn you could possibly imagine. I sit with a sheet mask and an ice pack mask for about 10 minutes and the hotness subsides. - - - - - - As far as results, it does take at least 3 months for results from the first laser treatment to show. So, I should be seeing results from my first laser treatment right now. My skin 100% is brighter and more even-toned. My less severe scars have diminished, but the worse scars have a long way to go. I am going to do 2 more treatments (for a total of 6) because if I've gone this far, I might as well go all the way. I believe that I will get the results I am looking for with the 6 treatments. I am very very very particular and a perfectionist when it comes to my skin. I will update here with more results. - - - - - - - - Also, skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum is a life changer. It is pricey but 100000% worth it. I am hooked for life. I bought it almost 4 months ago and am only about three-quarters of a way through. Makes u glow under ur makeup.

I'm a white 52 year old woman. I have had acne scaring since I was 13. In my twenties and thirties I would get that once a month dreaded whopper of a zit prior to my period leaving yet another deep pitted scar almost each month. Do the math on that one! I had my first and only child at 37 it was only then that the acne finally stopped. Mine must have been very hormonal in nature. I have done some modeling and local TV and was always very self conscious about the appearance of my face. Five years ago never having any surgery or cosmetic procedure I decided to do something I had always dreamed of doing - improve the texture of my face. I had it done by a very renowned Chicago Plastic Surgeon. After a consultation he advised me this was the only way to go for my deep scarring. I asked about dermabrasion and CO2 but he said those were old and not really used anymore and this was the way to go. The procedure was relatively new and I was told that the laser was The Doc's "new baby"! That should have been my first hint. Nothing like being a guinea pig for your very first cosmetic procedure! I felt for many of you who described the procedure as being very painful. My guess it you may not have a high pain threshold and thiner skin. Fortunately for me I literally have thick skin and a very high tolerance for pain. The procedure itself was not painful, it was the few hours after. Imagine your worst sunburn on and amplify that by 5. I think people thought I was crazy as I drove home in Chicago with all the windows down in the middle of January, but the cool, crisp air was refreshing and a distraction from the pain. Hint bring some Ibuprofen with you and take it before you leave the office. It will help with the swelling and the pain once the numbing cream wears off. Also make sure you have ice packs or the equivalent waiting at home and be diligent about icing every 20 minutes or so. I'm not going to lie my face looked like I had been in a minor fire. Since I responded so well due to my thicker skin, they went on a higher lever during my first treatment. I had it done on a Wednesday and by Friday was able to go to dinner and a movie with what looked like a minor sunburn. Pealing was very minor and much like the other gals it was brown in color. I found Aquaphor (found at your local drugstore) helpful in preventing infection and keeping the skin moist post lasar to be most helpful. Prior to my fist vist they took a photo of me as they wanted to use me in their marketing materials for a before and after results photo and I agreed to this. After 5 treatments over a span of 6 months I saw improvement of about 25%, which now years later have all but disappeared and most of the deeper scars are all back. Also, oddly I had never had broken capillaries, and they started to appear around the thinner areas of my face right after the first treatment. When I mentioned this, they admitted that sometimes this laser can do that. They suggested that I could have another type of laser treatment to get rid of those! Unreal huh? For about the first year I felt it was much improved, but I'm not sure if that was the Fraxel or the Botox and Restylane I was talked into during one of my subsequent visits. In retrospect, when these new procedures come out the Doctors are very excited about them, but the truth is they really don't know what the long term outcome will be for the majority of the patients. Five years later if I were to do it over again for me and my types of scaring, I would and should have had a more invasive procedure like dermabrasion followed by a strong chemical peel. In fact at a conference about a year later I met another Plastic Surgeon, with whom I consulted with. He was shocked by the other doctors choice for my particular scarring. Another hint- always get a second opinion! Oh yeah... remember the "before" picture they took and wanted to take the after? Guess what? They never asked to take the "after picture" for the practices' marketing collateral. I will let you guess why...Remember what I said about being a guinea pig! Seriously, I think for very minor scarring this may work, but for moderate to severe... not so much folks.

I am a 27 year old female and I had my first fraxel restore laser treatment in July 2012 for moderate/severe acne scarring. As for the treatment itself: It hurt. Nothing terrible, but it was certainly very uncomfortable. Healing was rough. I spent two days very red and very swollen. By the time work came around on Monday, I was able to put on make up but I certainly didn't look great. I was still red, a little swollen, and by then, peeling had begun. It was a rough work week. I then spent a long time being unhappy with my fraxel results. I am sure no one else noticed my face looking bad, but the skin just didn't seem as healthy as it once had, my scars did not seem improved, and my skin was red. For awhile I even had obvious lines near my eyes where you could see the path the doctor moved the laser. Lately though, nearly four months later, my skin is no longer red, seems healthy, and I do notice some improvement with scars! Not a lot, but some. I believe doing the 3 remaining treatments will leave me noticeable improvement in my skin. This has not been an easy or enjoyable process for me (and it's nowhere near over!), but I think by the end it will be worth it. I just hope the improvements will be worth $3,000.

I'm writing quickly (and thus poorly) here, but want to leave some info to help others since I read these boards myself years ago before having my tx. First, I'm reviewing fraxel restore (not repair). these are significantly different treatments and many of the reviews I'm seeing here don't distiguish clearly. I'm a veteran, I guess. Had 4 treatments about 5 years ago. Saw true improvements after 3rd. My scarring is generally mild and shallow with the exception of 3-4 deeper icepick type scars. Fraxel made most shallow newer scars disappear totally, although I did not see much improvement on shape/depth of older ice pick scars beside improved pigment--but that in itself made them look much less deep because they had a purplish color prior to tx. Pores looked smaller and my skin just has a generally healthier look. I was able to go without makeup much of the time post fraxel. I see some people reporting that they suffered fat loss and decreased elasticity a few years post treatment. I don't want to discount their experiences, but I will say that I recently was tempted to think I was experiencing the same things except that I am seeing the same changes in areas that were never treated (i.e. you skin changes as you age regardless of laser treatment). I had only apples of cheeks and a small spot on my forehead treated, so I can see that the same changes are happening on other parts of my face. I'm in my thirties so I guess I should expect some changes, but I have also seen many friends who never had fraxel but started to age in their 20s. I do wonder how many of these side effects can be attributed to the natural aging process. Having said that, I did have spot treatments with a CO2 a long time ago (before the fraxel days), and I did see a difference in the texture of those ares vs untreated skin. Treated skin had a waxy almost "too smooth" look which was actually fixed by the fraxel. Am out of characters . . .

This is my first Fraxel treatment and today is my fourth day. So far, so good. The procedure was definitely not painless, so make sure you apply the numbing cream ALL over your face all the way to the hairline and above your lips. My esthetician recommended that I apply another layer 30 minutes after I apply the first one, so I will follow her advice next time for sure! The pain is tolerable, like a bunch of rubber bands slapping your face, but hopefully the results will be worth it. Right after my procedure, my face looked like I got a sunburn. Nothing too bad, but I felt weird walking back to my car like that. I felt like everyone was staring at me, hehe. After the first day, my skin was no longer red and it just became a bit swollen and had a healthy glow. My friend who knows nothing about skin even commented on its glow. I have had acne for about 12 years, from age 12 to 24 (I'm 26 now). Toward the later years, I began having cystic acne that left scars all over my face. The only part that escaped scarring was my forehead. The worst parts of my face are my temples, which have all types of ice pick and rolling scars. I feel like I've been battling acne for all my life, so I really wanted to do something about it. About 5 years ago, I had 4 treatments of photodynamic therapy. I think THINK it helped my skin, but it also left my face a few shades darker than the rest of my body. The PDT helped my acne a little, but nothing drastic and I don't know if it was worth the $1000+. I'm hoping Fraxel will be worth the money though. I'll post pictures and I'll also post updates as the days go on and when I get my next treatment.

The first time I got this, it didn't hurt as bad and it definately cleared up my skin. However, I was left with enlarged pores and tiny pock marks in my skin. But again, it looked better than when I had the acne scars. Fast forward a year later and my scars have returned with a vengeance. I have it done again, only this time it's more painful and I am left with tiny brown scratches on my face. I also have some hyperpigmentation and bruising near my chin. It's only been 3 days though, so I can't say if again my results are satisfactory, but they were the last time I got it done.

Again...I am very optimistic. I am glad I went through the procedure, at this point. My face is starting to itch, so I know the healing process is well on its way. I will be sure to log back on in about a week to give an update.

Acne scars are debilitating. I'm finally glad there is a treatment that offers me a chance to put the scars of my youth behind me. I know I'll have some work to do build my self confidence, but having a face I can like will sure help me achieve that end.

This really works. Even though most websites talk of treatments lasting only for 6 or 7 times, my doctor has advised me I can get it done as many times as I would like. The only bad part is that it is so expensive. $900 each treatment. But I would pay whatever it costed to have the results I am seeing. Make sure your doctor is using a high enough setting if you are using fraxel for acne scars to get the best results. My doctor used the 3rd highest setting at my last treatment. It's only a days worth of discomfort, for a lifetime worth of results. I am very thankful I found out about Fraxel.

My skin is much smoother and continues to improve in collagen as per the scientifically proven results. My pores and acne scars are lessened considerably, ~ a good 60 % improvement. I have not had any permanent negative reactions or skin changes. The minimal down time after each procedure and then improvements. I follow ALL directions, wear hats, wear Mexoryl sunblock by La-roche Posay. I have had wonderful results, but it did take until after the 3rd treatment to see big changes. I prefer to do these procedures when the Sun is furthest from my location. Since I'm in L.A., I steer clear of these procedures during mid- Spring through Summer, only to do them starting in November- March. After the 4th procedure my skin made another leap in smoothness, pore size, the bumps and pits from acne scaring are lessened. I'm eager to do my 5th come November and see what results will surface. Skin care budget is in lasers now rather than expensive skin creams. I'm using Sh