Fraxel Re:Pair NIGHTMARE! Hyperpigmentation, Severe Redness, Laser Track Marks! - California

What did you do to get rid of the Hyperpigmentation... or did it just fade on it's own after 2 years? Your story sounds so similar to mine.

i feel your pain CAgirl T.T
all i can look forward to in life now, is to try and find some sense of peace and acceptance.

all my other life's goals have been thrown out the window. a career? a love life? a family? all devastated

in my search for peace, i've looked into Buddhist teachings, new age-y stuff like abraham-hicks stuff, also looked into quantum physics..

as they all talk about the impermanence of life and that we are more than our physical selves. and also that it's possible to transcend our physical beings into higher consciousness..


i've always thought these ideas were all hokey before.. but now i find great comfort in them..

Thanks for asking, but I posted it two above. 15 months and I feel the same as you... like I have lost my life. Just recently lost my job in which my job performance went down due to depression, I no longer have a love life due to not dating since this all occurred. Therefore, I will have no family to call my own, but I am not sure that upsets me so much. However, I am still hopeful knowing that CAgirl's hyperpigmentation went away after 2 years. That is my major problem. I am a VERY white person, so hypopigmentation wouldn't really be noticed on me. :) I am now contemplating a law suit against my surgeon for the reasons I stated in my prior post. I actually spoke to an attorney yesterday who has sued this surgeon SEVERAL times. Not to mention, my sister is an attorney (but not malpractice) so she will be involved in the process a little which makes me feel more comfortable. I will let you all know how that turns out.

CA girl, can you message me with your e-mail? I'm interested in hearing your story as it sounds very similar to mine!

Another victim of the evils of fraxel :( It has been 7 months for me. Latina with light skin. I went in as recommended by my otherwise fantastic plastic surgeon for melasma near my ear. He suggested I do my whole face-eventhough the rest of my face was clear. Off I went to his aesthetician who assured me that it was perfect for skin of color. I did loads of research on fraxel. I unfortunately never found this site. After the first fraxel treatment my skin looked heavenly after the 'sloughing off' of dead skin. However, by week three, some pigmentation was visible again so another treatment was recommended. The second treatment btw was FREE of charge, so I thought it was all in honesty trying to get my skin to look it's best. THAT did NOT happen. After the second treatment it was obvious my skin was fried. It looked like I was wearing a very, very thick layer of bad make up. My skin was so much darker than the rest of my body, and then as I agonized over the nasty hyperpigmentation and eerie "bronze" look, tiny miniature pimple like things began to cover my face. So much was going on with my face to notice a huge indentation developed on my cheek. It has been hell. I hate to look in the mirror now. I've always been an attractive person yet still always unsure of myself. I should have appreciated my skin as it was! I wish I had never agreed to the procedure! To think I almost walked out that day because I WAS nervous about it-I should have followed my gut instinct. I have been prescribed hydroquinone, but I am concerned about the side effects (cancer!), so I am using Retin-A and getting microdermabrasion done on a monthly basis. The bronze look has gotten a bit better, but the hyperpigmentation remains, as does the indentation on my cheek. The little pimples come and go as they please. I may have a clear face for a couple of weeks, then wake up one day and I am covered with them for the next couple of weeks. They are not pimples, they are tiny and look similar to baby acne. I try to limit being in the sun as much as possible, NEVER go out without sunscreen unless it is night out-not even in the winter. But, nothing has helped. I am scared it could get worse. I am hopeful it will get better. I hope we will ALL get better.

CA girl? Has your face improved? Update?

The hyperpigmentation has faded. BUT, the Laser damage to the skin still remains. THIS IS A NIGHTMARE. I am devastated to learn that AWALK passed away in October. Her face and skin was destroyed by this laser. It ultimately took her life. Something MUST be done about this.

CAgirl can you tell me how long it took for the hyperpigmentation to go away? What products finally worked for the hyperpigmentation? I had fraxal repair 6 weeks ago and it doesnt seem to be getting any better. Thanks for your help.

It has taken almost a year for my color to get back to normal! I used hydroquinone and Retin-A. I also avoided the sun at all costs! Sunscreen isn't enough. You must become a vampire! How's the texture of your skin??? Mine still looks horrible! Laser damage...

Yes, VSL. That's exactly what I'm talking about. It's a terrible and permanent situation. Corrective surgery??? What? Is it worth the risk??? A living HELL!

Is your face still like this? how long has it been now?

Dear CAgirl, I, too, had a horrible tramatic experience with fraxel laser! It made my skin look like I had been badly burned! Please do not put any chemicals on your skin! Fortunately there is a laser called nd:yag 1064- this type of a laser works well for skin rejuvination and can also be used to help reduce scarring. It is imparitive that you do your own research on the internet and look at all kinds of websites and information to see what all the different types of lasers do. You can just start by typing in "ND yag laser treatment of scars and hyperpigmentation" and go from there most nd yag lasers have two wavelenths, one wavelength is called 532nm. this wavelength is used for helping to remove brown spots on the skin. However it will not work on hyperpigentmentation that is black in color or that is deep in dermis of the skin. However, the nd:yag laser also has another wavelenghth called 1064nm. this wavelength is highly effective in treating hyperpigmentation that is black in color and it is also great for reducing redness and scarring. However, it is ABSOLUTELY OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE that you absolutely do not just go blindly into some clinic and let them do what ever they think is best! You have to only let them do something on a tiny little part of your face first, to make sure that they don't burn you again. It is also of extreme importance that you know what settings they are using on you! Fluence or jewels is how hot the laser beam is, and word to the wise, if it feels to hot, it probably is! You are better of going somewhere where they will treat you modestly and then they can always go up on the fluence rather than having it be to hot in the beginning. Nd:yag laser has many different settings, many different "spot sizes, pulse widths and many different other aspects to how the laser will work on your skin. You should try to find a dermatologist who is very patient and kind and who will correctly assess your problem and who will answer all your questions and who will be willing to treat modestly on only one small area of your face before doing the whole thing. And if you have hyperpigmentation, you should be absolutely sure that they start out with a very low fluence, like 10 or 15 jewels, and they can always go up. MAke sure you have a doctor who will explain to you what the difference is in all the settings of the laser. Good luck to you and I hope you get some good help!

Yes. My face is still like this and it has been 32 days today... A NIGHTMARE!

i stayed red for 5-6 weeks. Still sort of red even after 6months. This procedure is a total waste of money. not what they advertised. I WISH I saw this site before I had it done.

I am at 24 days post treatment. At first my skin looked pretty good. Then, I guess, the microswelling I had heard about went down. I expected to still be red but now I have very rough textured skin. I still have my acne scars and there is pixel-like pitting on on the surface of my skin (you can see how the laser was used over the surface of my skin). I think I see vertical lines appearing on my forehead now, as well. Can any doctors recommend how to treat these after-effects/possible damage?