Pigmentation complications after Fraxel laser

I had 3 fraxel restores done so far within the past 4-5 mths. I dont have very severe acne scars but it's bad enough. I'm not sure if the procedures are helping much at all. however there are some improvements but not as much as i'd hope/anticipate. I think i recover relatively quick. I do see dots on my face but they go away completely after about 5-6 days. When I apply toner with a cotton pad and wipe my skin, i'll see those dots coming off.

Hi, I got my first Fraxel around a week ago. Can you pls tell after how many days pigmentation start appearing. I am really worried as I am asian.

ive just had the fraxel lazer procedure done today. I signed up for 3 sessions for $1600, I will see how things go. I am of south indian decent with pretty dark skin tone. I have a bad case of hyper pigmentation on my right side of my face due to post surgery trauma a few years back. I was told the spot would get darker post lazer then get better a few days to weeks later. I was given hydroquinone 4% solution so i'll be using that as well. If this doesn't work then I will be filing a complaint with the BBB no questions asked.

I've commented on this site before about having fraxel laser done to treat existing pre cancer spots . My doctor said aren't you tired of coming in to the office all the time getting one or two of these frozen off , this process will do an over all treatment to take care of these areas and giving your skin a healthy glow and smoothness. Well, after going through the TORTURE of 3 treatments, i did have a healthy glow, which eventually and quickly went away. Then i got a squamous cell carcinoma on the side of my nose that i had to have surgery for. It was the worst cancer I'd ever had and it was in my opinion caused by the laser. I also had the laser procedure done on my neck and upper chest all at the same time. This was years ago, by the way. I was left with some ugly red and white blotches on my throat area and the dr. said it happens sometimes, but it will go away. Well, it is so bad now, that it has spread and it itches all the time and sometimes it hurts to even touch it and now it seems to be spreading up over the jaw line. I wish I could go back in time and had never listened to my dr. By the way they used to have brochures about fraxel laser out in the waiting room, now they are no where in sight! Oh, did I mention the laser also destroyed the hair on my eyebrows. They never grew back after I had it done and i have to draw them on. My advice to all of you looking to have this done, get the $$$$$$$ back that you have to pay in advance and run like hell. Not once since I had this done, have I ever heard anyone else say that did it to get rid of pre cancers. I was dooped!

I went to A&E NYS Surgery in Syracuse NY and was butchered by this process. I went in with very minor acne scars and now have several huge (the size of nickels and a quarter) wine-colored spots on my face where the profractional treatment was, plus dozens of uneven bumps over the formerly tiny acne pock. Another scar that was 1/16th of an inch wide is now a 3/4 inch wide by four inch long purple "stamp." It has been months since the treatment and there are no signs of fading. I must agree with the other comments that this practice is quite questionable, especially in the hands of operators with questionable qualifications. I got a terrible infection and the "doctor" there (not a real medical doctor but a D.O., which should have set off alarm bells) gave me advice that several other M.D.s told me was preposterous and highly faulty "medical" advice. The infection ended up being staph, which can actually kill a person. Live and learn, folks. Do not take the risk. You will be far better off just accepting these minor imperfections as the scars of a life well lived.

Bella Luna

Ask your Derm for medical studies on the success of Fraxel. Also ask for long term studies. Make sure you consider the number of patients and parameters. I don't think the findings support great success. The operator is important as well as the science behind the device.

Hello. I am thinking about getting fraxel done formy acne scars, but after reading this, I am no longer sure. Are there any successful stories?

Stay on the 4% or even go higher, you should improvement. Best wishes!!

I am Asian & had my first Fraxel done on 12/16/2011. My doctor pre-treated me with hydroquinone 4% for 1week. Unfortunately my skin didn't respond well to the treatment. On day 3, my face was so swollen, I had to be on steroid for 6 days & I had the worst case of fever blister breakout that I had to be on antiviral medication. I went to see my doc who admitted that he was using stronger laser on my face (oh great). I have mild acne scarring & brown spots on the side of my cheeks. So far 20 days have passed & my face is one shade darker than my neck color. My friend told me that he didn't see any improvement on my face. I don't think I wanted to go back for my second treatment because I'm really concerned about the risks involved; especially because I am Asian & am at higher risk for discoloration. I certainly would not want to see my face with different colors!!! I am sure there are successful stories but in my situation, it didn't go well ...

Hai...

Next week will be my 8th time on Fraxel laser, well, nothing much i can say about it, not good BUT not that bad either... My doctor suggested me this laser treatment after i complained about my oily face and my pigmentation but up until now i didn't see any reasult.....

It's normal to have a BLACK dots after 3 days of treatment, it will slowly go away...

I'm going to different specialist and try some other laser treatment after next week, will keep you posted on the outcome....

Type in VI peel under search & you will find more info about it. I tried to post a link here but I was not allowed to do so here Good luck with all of us Fraxel victims....

How it your skin today? Did you get textural problems as well?

Any heat based treatment has the potential to activate melanin production. Here's the why and how of post treatment pigmentation.

Your ancestry makes a HUGE difference in how susceptible you may be to what is called "post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation" or PIH. If you have family backgrounds which include South American, Southern European, Asian, Middle Eastern, or American Indian, you are at risk of PIH. Your practitioner should ask - if not, bring it up yourself and if you don't get good answers, go elsewhere.

Part of the mechanism that makes lasers work to produce new collagen is inflammation. It's a bit of a catch-22. You need the inflammation to incite collagen production but the inflammation can trigger excess melanin in response.

The BEST route for anyone with darker skin tones in their family background is to pre-treat with melanin suppressors. Hydroquinone is a widely used melanin inhibitor.

Many physicians will pretreat for a number of weeks if your skin is at high risk, then post treat with continued melanin suppression products afterward. Even then, you may experience unwanted pigmentation and you may find it could take several months to clear up the problem.

It is critically important that you protect your skin pre and post treatment with sun block - and physical blocks with titanium dioxide are the best as they protect immediately. Some medications increase your susceptibility to PIH, so please discuss all medications and supplements you are taking or have taken recent to the procedure.

There is never a guarantee that you will not experience some level of transient PIH following laser treatment. Technology has improved, but there is no perfect system as yet.

Weigh the benefits and risks, choose a practice with lots of experience treating patients of multiple ethnic backgrounds, discuss pre-treatment options and follow all the post treatment instructions.

If you are a sun worshiper or spend much time outside for your work, you may want to explore other options besides laser.

I had fraxel repair in March and my cheeks still had wrinkles on side of face, dr redid cheeks (and charged more too)and now I think they have been burnt. they are blackish red and show the trail of the laser. I am sick about it (two months out) anyone have any suggestions for me?

Heather it depends on how bad your skin is... Some people have prevented or seen improvment with Aldara it's a skin cancer cream an immune stimulator of sorts.. It cause the immune system to attack unhealthy cells look at the website.... It may also help your body dispose of the debri fraxil leaves in your skin and doesn't remove... Talk about free radicals..geez What are they thinking and why do we fall for it..

i did 3 fraxel and it got worse . and the doctor got the nerve to say that i look better.BS.it leave a deep dark pigment like a burn mark. so i did the vi peel frm a different place and my skin really look better now. that stupid doctor and staff keep on making an excuse lucky at that time i don't have a lawyer.so i was my own dermatologist.

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm