Pigmentation complications after Fraxel laser

i have a problem with the fraxel laser.. E everytime i go for the treament my treated area get leave a pigment. it my 3 one now but the doctor say come in for another one, the nurse told me that i would see the affect on the 4 treament.. I have a tan complexion. and i don't really know that i should get another treament since i see no result of getting rid of the hyperpigmention.

I had one session of fraxel last year and although it got rid of my acne and acne scars my skin tone has become quite patchy. I have some red patches around my cheek area and broken capillaries around my nose. Is this due to fraxel?

i also did this fraxel in order to get rid of my acne. my doctor said that i should avoid sun. but the redness or darkness will fade away as the brown or black scalp caused after laser fall off... but im also getting worried if it will, because till now it hasn't even subsided....!!! has anyones gone away till now?

This laser is RADIATION in the visible light range.....When split up and scattered no different/worse than UV Like 1000s of days in the sun... Why do you think they changed wavelengths with the Fraxel Repair....? We have all the same effects of sun or Radiation damage... Don't let your doctor tell you different.... Don't you think it's odd so many are worse after fraxel and have the same symptoms problems....? How many of you were told it is related to something else or this hasn't happened to anyone else? These laser and medical device companies are out of control....Every doctor and person needs to file an adverse event with the FDA Until they have enough they will keep refering it back to The doctor and state prescribing. Big Money = Big Lies

What is the 'iv Peel' that you said you had that removed the hyperpigmentation?

pls. Tell me more about "vi peel", I need to get rid of these hyperpigment on my cheeks(it is really bad... Never be like this before laser).

Had the same problem with Fraxel. One treatment. Much worse melasma. And on top of that small holes are still visible after 2 months. Skin is shiny, damaged and doc said it was normal. Rubbish. Don't touch these lasers however tempting it may be. You will regret it. Unfortunately i read awalks comments too late.

WPetrosine Yes it is BS and I get an email everyday...Email me private...I have been talking with someone at the FDA...It's important that you file the report... I have 4 terrible news stories about fraxel the laser malfunctions and the misleading advertising..They went undercover in one story to epose what we are told!!!! I can send them to you and you can contact the media....I can send you pics to take to your doc so he can see it's from the fraxel!!!!! You have acute radiation damage and burns deep in your skin....There are new papers released on this I can forward you.... You need treatment ASAP to prevent more scarring.... The elasticity ect can not be repaired but improved and you might be able to keep from developing the deep sores and acne looking scarring so many are reporting....

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

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.

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 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?

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.