Was your fraxel painful?

It is very painful, I am having drugs next time. It's only been a week since my first treatment and I have white heads all over my face and I look worse than I did before. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this post treatment delema. I am going to try to keep the faith as I have already paid for 4 treatments with three to go, God forbid, but three to go. I've spent thousands of dollars on facial products trying to get rid of scars and dark spots etc... I'm sure like everyone else;I only pray that this works. I will in three weeks force myself back to the torture chamber for another treatment in hopes that this was the right decision.

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Follow Up from my last post: I went for my 3rd treatment and was at a level 25. I get 8 passes of the laser on every section of my face. I am really dissapointed with the results. I had my 3rd Fraxel 3 weeks ago and my face is still discolored. It's darker than the rest of my body, and all my sun spots/melasma are still there. Soem spots have got a tiny bit lighter but I have also developed new brown spots/patches since starting the treatments. I was told that I needed 3 to 4 sessions for optimal results. I was told my brown patches would not be visible anymore after the 3rd session. Well, they are very visible 3 treatments later. My 4th and final session is on the 28th. But now my nurse tells me I might need 6 session to get the best results! I have developed a sensitivity to sunscreens since my 3rd treatment. I broke out in a horrible red itchy rash from a sunscreen I have been using for a long time. I am going in tomorrow to talk to the derm about what is going on. Not only do I still have all my sun damage & melasma, but I can't wear sunscreen or I get a horrible rash. It itches like crazy and looks like patches of red and small pimples from my cheeks to my temples and my forhead. The nurse keeps assuring me everyone is different and my face won't stay dark. Well she also told me my face is fully healed 2 weeks after treatment so which one is the truth? I have been having my treatments a month apart. I'm hoping my face will return to it's natural color and I just live with the brown patches. The Fraxel treatments are just making it worse. I don't reccomend Fraxel and I don't like that I have had no results other than a dark face when it was lasered, new brown spots and pimples. Hiding out in my house in dark rooms to avoid the sun is no fun. I can wear sunscreen and get a rash and more brown spots or stay inside in a dark room and avoid the itchy pimply rash. It's a lose lose situation.

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I waited a full year to get my get my first Fraxel done mainly because some of the comments about the "severe" pain had me really worried that this was a really big deal. I just had my first one yesterday. All I can say is that I have to believe that with the people who are experiencing severe pain, someone is doing something VERY wrong. Either the Doctor or nurse involved doesn't understand how long the numbing ointment needs to stay on or they aren't using the right kind or they don't know how to use the laser. Also, I did Fraxel II, so maybe it's Fraxel I that is painful. The Fraxel II settings they used for me were 50 and 7. I think that's the depth and the number of pixels (?). They did 10 passes. Anyway,I'm told that's not a light setting . Oh, and I didn't go to a Plastic Surgeon who happens to have a laser, or a Medispa that has no Doctor on staff. I went to the largest and oldest laser surgery center in the metropolitan area I am in. They have 5 Dermatologists on staff and a ton of nurses and assistants. They have been using the Fraxel laser since it first came out. So they know what they are doing. The pain for me? Well...there wasn't really any. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most painful, it was a 1 or 2. The numbing ointment was on for, I think, an hour and a half. I am pretty swollen today. But there is no discomfort or heat. So, big deal indeed.

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I had my first Fraxel done on Feb. 14 and it wasn't bad at all. There was hardly any pain and any swelling. I thought it felt like a bad sun burn but that was all. I could see results the next week and so could my friends. I'm going this week for my second treatment. I thought chemical pills at my dermatologist office was a lot worse.

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I just had my first procedure today. I typically have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but this was worse then I expected. When she was half way through the first cheek I just couldn't imagine how I was going to make it through the entire face and neck! Around the mouth and eyes wasn't that bad, but forehead, cheeks and neck were quite painful. I just had the block, nothing else. After leaving, my neck felt a bit hot for about an hour, but the ice pack they had supplied took care of that. Since then I have felt nothing at all. My face it swollen and red, but I feel normal... It is not something I look forward to doing again, but if I get a good result I will go back in 4 weeks. I'll post back in a month or so to report on results.

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Does anyone know of a good, reputable laser facility in houston, texas where the Fraxel is performed? Editor note: you must join RealSelf so you can be contacted privately with doctor recommendations and feedback. This requires free registration for an account. When registering you must opt-in to receiving private contacts (a check box).

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I have had 3 fraxels for acne scarring this year. It was extremely painful. But, nothing is as painful as the scars caused by acne. I took a Xanax and half a percocet that I had leftover from another surgery. I'm still swollen from the 3rd one because it has only been 3 days. I only saw about 10-15% improvement so far for the scarring but the pigment of my skin is very even. (no sun blotches anymore--- it's amazing how much better you look with even skin tone) I'm hoping that the scars will have more improvement this time... and I plan to have Silikon injections next month.

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I just had Fraxel re:pair CO2 laser done. I'm not sure if this is the same as you're going to have. The office that I had mine done in gives you pain meds, antibiotics and valium. Once those are kicked in, they numb you with what they call a dental block, like the novicaine the dentists use. Once you've had that, you can actually still feel the laser. The girl warned me that it I was going to still feel pain but it really wasn't bad at all. The procedure only took 15-20 minutes. I had mine done last Friday and went back to work on Wed. Still red, no swelling, and my face feels very dry. I had acne scaring which already looks better. I'm not impressed with the wrinkles around my mouth area though. I was hoping I wouldn't be able to even see them afterwards. I'm actually on here to try and figure out what a good moisturizer would be to use after this procedure. Best of luck to you!!! The little bit of pain will be worth the results!

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I had my fraxel Thursday afternoon. I was told that the pain was minimal. I had the anesthetic on for one hour before my treatment. I almost jumped off the table at the very start. He did a little more but had to stop as I was in so much pain. He gave me a shot of demerol and waited about 25 minutes. It took the edge off and he was able to finish. Friday morning and I am very red and swollen. Next time they are going to put the anesthetic on for two hours. Sure hope it helps.

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To Tracy K... I've had some very dry skin problems this winter and started using some Mario Badescu products on my face. They have been incredible. I've used a Bee Pollen night cream on my very very sensitive, dry neck. It's normal skin now. Wonderful. Also, when I went to buy these products at Nordstrom, I questioned the cashier because I thought she'd not charge me properly. I'm so used to spending a fortune for items, and the Mario products are insanely inexpensive.

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