Fraxel Laser before & after photos
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470 reviews
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Fraxel Laser Cost $2,200 average cost

Six Months Down the Road... Denver, CO

11 posts
Comments (7)
Updated 12 Jun 2009
Posted 11 Jun 2009
Not Worth It
Spent: $3,500 in Denver, Colorado

I have described my experience elsewhere on this forum, but wanted to update quickly.
Not worth the money. And to boot, I have these strange lumps that appear under my skin randomly. Never had before and they come and go like pimples but never come to a head. Just strange bumps similar to a mosquito bite without the itch.
My skin doesn't show that much improvement overall. I wish I had never had it done. What a waste for all the pain.

This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.

My Doctor:

My rating:
Overpriced, poor communication, proceedure not successful.
Vote: 11 members found this review helpful

Comments (7)

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James moalonesan (unregistered guest) 12 Jun 2009
What procedure did you go through? such as full face? the intensity of the laser? how many treatments?
Krystal (203 posts) 12 Jun 2009
It was a waste of money, time and skin. That was $900 i could hve put to something else that would be worthy. Instead i let the dr talk me into it, and my skin is worse than it ws before, and i paid for it in more than just lost cash. I wish i had saved my money and my skin. I had better results with glycolic peels and salisylic acid peels.
Mercredi (1 post) 8 Jul 2009
Thank-you for posting this. When I talked to my derm about it - he actually said the same thing - that some people have great results and some see NO results -or worse. So he did NOT recommend it for me, and for this reason he doesnt offer it in his laser clinic - but offers the CO2 and v-beam and IPL. The machines are very expensive and have to be paid for which is why so many derms talk people into them to make money. He also said that the Fraxel machine requires a separate head each use (or something to that effect)which has to be replaced which drives the cost up. He felt it was unfair to ask patients to pay that much when he felt he couldnt be consistent with results. Thanks so much for posting your experience since I was still looking into it.
awalk (338 posts) 12 Jun 2009
Thank you for the update it's very important that people update and file with the FDA... You should have the bumps biopsied... Or get a sample of Aldara or Effudex and see if they prove atypical and get destroyed... They could be a precurser to skin cancer.... If left untreated it can be severely deforming..Google images of Mohs surgery ect.. This laser malfunctions and is misused... We have already seen a 3x increase in skin cancer in women but not men after cosmetic lasers became widely used since the 80's..... They are not regulated and can cause severe long term damage You would think statistics would be reversed since women take such care of their faces,wear more sunscreen, It's in every makeup and get less exposure to the sun than men..Who spend more time outdoors fishing,working,golfing ect... It doesn't add up and no one is making a stink or effort to study because it's such a money maker... Worse than the tobacco industry in my opinion since it's administered by doctors...
WPetrosine (4 posts) 18 Jun 2009
Just wanted to comment on Annie17's post. My first and only fraxel treatment was 4 months ago and I still have an itchy, excema-like rash that is worse at the end of the day, but the red bumps you describe are exactly what I got in the beginning and what I still get now on occasion in different areas. I was told in the beginning that I had what is called perioral dermatitis. This was a result of the combination of the laser treatment and the cortisone cream my doctor said it was ok to use on the rash I developed right after the laser treatment. Red dots didn't just appear around my mouth, but also all over my nose, chin, cheeks, above my eyes, predominantly in the t-zone. I thought it was an acne outbreak but the bumps wouldn't pop like a pimple. At first my doctor didn't even want to see me in his office. Said I should wait it out. I looked like I had chicken pox. When I finally got angry and said I wanted to come in to his office, he agreed to see me and couldn't believe what I looked like. He made me feel like I had been over-exaggerating about the red bumps. I still have several very enlarged sebaceous glands under the skin on my nose and forehead which look like mounds (which he said would eventually go down and have not). All these problems and he has no answers or solutons to any of them. I am still searching for the one doctor who will be able to help me get rid of this rash and these bumps once and for all. I have an appointment this weekend with a new doctor and I'm praying that he'll be able to help me. How stupid I was to ever get this procedure done. I traded perfect skin (except for constant oiliness and a few acne scars) for the dry, itchy, sagging skin I have now. What a deal. I have yet to let this issue go. I'm going to fight this to the very end.
awalk (338 posts) 22 Jun 2009
Go to the emergency room or a teaching hospital....No derm is going to help they are a tight knit group of friends.... Find a wound healing center in your area and ask about radiation damage and burns....If you have friends in the medical field see if they will get you an appointment with Radiology they are used to dealing with these issues.. This laser damages your skin the same way...My skin gets worse... I have the exact symptoms and appearance on my face my mother has on her breast area from radiation treatments for breast cancer x100....
Fitness Lady (86 posts) 23 Nov 2009
I'm beginning to think I've totally wasted money as well. I'm going in today, only because I've prepaid for 4 fraxel restore treatments. I had great results immediately for my scne scarring after the first 3 treatments but it's been 3months post-treatments and I have scarring on my forehead that I didn't have before?? I was offered the choice to upgrade to a fraxel repair but I have no more money to put into these treatments, plus I can't afford to be down that long. I wish I knew that today's procedure would improve my skin and I'm hoping that my doc. will offer to do at least maybe 1 complimentary treatment to give me the results that I was expecting to get, not cause more scarring?!

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