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Fraxel Laser Cost ≈ $2,200 average cost

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“Destroyed my Skin!”

sally.t. 1 post

Comments (54)
Updated 16 Jul 2008
Posted 16 Jul 2008

Not Worth It

Spent: $1,000 in Pasadena, CA

My first Fraxel must have been set at a low setting, and I was happy with the results. The second Fraxel must've been set quite a bit higher, was VERY painful and I swelled up immediately causing me much concern. I thought my skin was going to burst! The second Fraxel destroyed the surface texture and muscle tone under my skin, and I look older than when I went in! When I brought pictures back to prove it, the Dr. questioned when the photo were taken (they were taken one week before.) The second Fraxel created a nasolabial fold I didn't have before, created new wrinkles and crepiness around my mouth (especially on my upper lip,) and drooped my cheeks creating jowls (a friend told me it looked like I had a stroke!) I think even my pores looked worse--the crepiness making them look like little "slits." I have no idea how I can repair this damage. Another dermatologist suggested another Fraxel (NO!) Has anyone else had this happen? Suggestions for repair much appreciated!

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

Vote: 24 members found this review helpful

Comments (54)

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leeevo1978 (1 post) 17 Jul 2008

its made my skin worse to. i had my second fraxel which was apperently aggresive, its made my face look really tanned which i didnt want, i also look really haggerd (tired looking) skin texture is worse.....its been 2 weeks since my second fraxel

KdDaisey (77 posts) 15 Apr 2011

It's been over 2 years, how is your skin now, Leevo?

awalk (338 posts) 21 Jan 2009

Yes I had the same problems but worse...You need to file a complaint on the FDA website so others can be informed...

viki (unregistered guest) 31 May 2009

I have also had fraxel on my neck and around the jawline. My first fraxel was on a low setting and healed very quickly. I went on to have two more...A few months after the third treatment I noticed that I too have developed loss of muscle tone, and now have jowls and my face has dropped. I have mentioned my concerns to the docter and technition that performed the treatment and they say that fraxel could not have done this. My face has changed..I am so unhappy and don@t know what to do

awalk (338 posts) 2 Jun 2009

It goes to deep breaks the elastin strands and kills the stem cells so your skin doesn't heal well... Radiation dermatitis This laser goes way to deep.....kills some cells but leaves damaged ones behind that can mutate and change your skin and possibly give you skin cancer in a few years... It's no different than the fractionated radiation given to cancer patients except they doubled the price,,,,, hired a big name PR firm.. Sell it to doctors based on profit margins from a fast treatment the nurse can do and are destroying womens faces and double timing it to the bank.....

Julie888 (1 post) 5 Oct 2009

I had 2 Fraxel treatments and it does not improve my skin texture. My pigmentation looks worst and there is no improvement for large porse. I don't recommend anyone to do this treatment.

garreola (5 posts) 15 Jan 2010

I am so scared!! Fraxel made my skin worse!! I had 5 treatments in 2008 and I aged overnight!! Now I am developing round depressions on one of my cheeks!!! TISSUE LOSS!! I too have the crepe look with white lines and severe hyperpigmentation that never went away!! DO NOT DO FRAXEL!! I have filed a complaint with the FDA.

S Nass (1 post) 4 Feb 2010

I had 4 Fraxel Restore treatments last year. It ruined my skin. I have VERY dark hyperpigmentaion and some hypo pigmentaion. My skin in creepy in certain areas. The settings were very high and very agressive for acne scars which did NOTimporve at all. It was a big waste of time and money. I I am trying to rid myself of the pigmentaion.

wendi304 (5 posts) 12 Feb 2010

I have had 10 fraxel treatments all within the last 2years. My last one was right before Christmas 2009. The fraxel was to help with old acne scaring / I am now noticing my face looking older. I now have lines under my eyes (never did before), as well as the rest of my face not looking smooth anymore. I always use Prescriptives make-up and NEVER put my face in the sun. I use sensetive Oil of Olay before I apply my make-up. I wash my face EVERY night with Neutrogena soap..........So I know how to take care of my skin. Before the sixth treatment my husband & I went in to talk to the doctor about not seeing a difference and my face was braking out soooo much and it was soooo oily as crap (like as if it erupted the oil glands or something). He was trying to point the finger back at me. Since that is my weak point, my husband spoke to him and demanded that he do something about it in a stern voice. Well that scared him. He told us to give him a few days and he'll call me back. Four days passed and he said that he'll give me three more on him. So I accepted. During the last five treatments she treated me on a high setting. And realized she wasn't using the green cream like they did the first five times. When I asked about it she said that it's the new machine and no need. So what do I know about it and went on.

wendi304 (5 posts) 12 Feb 2010

So here I am today realizing that my face looks horrible and looks like I have aged a bit. I was thinking it was me, not sure why, and came to a conclusion that it's NOT anything that I did. That's when I looked up Fraxel. And found all of these comments. I am serious about his now and feel something has to be done about this!!!!!!! I paid $6,000.00 and still paying! Paying to look older is not going to get it at all!!!!!!!

Cherry Lane (83 posts) 24 Feb 2010

do you have before and after photo's? get all of your medical records before they get lost. be firm and tell them you are going to start legal action...... i would definitely stop paying and start asking for your money back. they sold you a product that did not work and indeed damaged you. why should you pay...... save your money for treatment you made later need. anything they say get it in writing... if they won't write it they won't do it. check your time limit to sue! even if you signed papers that you would not hold them liable....... that was based on getting the results that you wanted. would you pay fro a hair treatment that did not please you. they will ggive you the run around and make you feel it is your fault and you did not do what they said for follow up. document everything and consult a lawyer. good luck i hope you are doing better. cherry

finee (42 posts) 1 Apr 2010

i too have had fraxel laser and it destroyed my face it cause jowling, saging skin, if felt like my face just droped and it cause my to have fat deposit all on my jawl line.. please email me if anybody has the same problems because im sueing them

Tazzer (2 posts) 16 Aug 2010

I want on this bandwagon. I now have the worst cystic acne of my life. And I have lines.

finee (42 posts) 16 Apr 2010

i had 2 fraxel restore laser treaments done on my face for ance scarring and the laser has ruined my face, about a month after the second treament i developed sagging skin, jowling and loss of muscle tone in the face iam young and was so depressed about 2 months after this i had to go get a facelift to correct the damage and i still dont look the same. i still dont have the tight jawline i once had 2months prior to the procedures and i also developed fat deposit along the jawline. I spent 25,000 thousand dollars to have this facelift because of the fraxel laser and i have read soooooooooo many stories online of people that had the same treament and had the same damaging problems to there face... please help there is alot of people that want to sue including me ...but there is no amount of money that could compensate what ive went through..im still depressed and will be for the rest of my life because i will never look the same again! thanks

litschi25 (26 posts) 17 Apr 2010

i experience the same Ia am 34 with very firm skin and well pronounced cheeks, i kind of heart shape face, now i lost my cheeks have huge nasolabial folds and loose and saggy skin along my jaw line...with jowls...i am so depressed...I used to look in a young face and now I see a old and tired face instead and do not know what to do..its 8 weeks now and my doctor said i had to wait at least 3 months until healing is finished...but it gets worse time goes by....after having even tone right after fraxel, now i became dark an blotchty with crepe texture. what settings you had?... I guess we must have similar skin condition and settings as the same thing happend to me.

finee (42 posts) 18 Apr 2010

she did the second setting at 70 jouls the strongest setting thats when she destroyed my face and my face never got better just worse and worse...what setting did they use on you?

finee (42 posts) 19 Apr 2010

hi, if you want to email me i will leave you my number and we can talk more about this I'am talking with other people too and i think there needs to be a class action lawsuit against the company

litschi25 (26 posts) 9 May 2010

my settings were 20 jouls , Level 10, 8 passes.

Tazzer (2 posts) 16 Aug 2010

I would add my name to that class action suit. I have the worse lines and acne I have ever had.

anlothom (1 post) 8 Oct 2010

I just had my 3rd 3 weeks ago fraxel. The first two went great. This one...a disaster. My face has lost all of the fat around my upper cheeks and temple and my face feels like it has dropped. I look horrible. I feel like I have transformed overnight and I am terrified that I will get worse. Has anyone gotten better and when did you all notice the transformation with fat and muscle?

finee (42 posts) 9 Oct 2010

i noicted that my face dropped and loss its firmness after the swelling went down about a month later or so... and its been a year for me nothing has got better, matter fact i feel gets gotten worse over the year..

FSRB (249 posts) 14 Apr 2011

Do you have an update?

finee (42 posts) 15 Apr 2011

yes i do its will be 2years since i had the fraxel done in august this yr. I can say its been hell and its better but never the same but ive had alot to do to get it better it will not get better on its own. first i had to have a facelift in my 20s which is crazy becuz the fraxel damage my skin so bad i had complete loss of muscle tone in my faced it just dropped i had jowls at 20 somethin yrs old and of course i never had that before my eyes got hollow my texture skin was very bad! then after that for a year i was in constant inflammation 24-7 i was going and getting steriods shots several times a month and also takin oral steriods becuz topical steriods wouldnt work. My face and body went thro hell with steriods for a whole yr i had to do this serveral times a month every month and it helped but i was still in pain from the inflammation from the fraxel it just would not go away. so i had to figure somethin out and i started to take certian kind of vitimans and within a month all my inflammation went away and im still on them to be on the safe side. i dont know if i will go back for anothor facelift because of the fraxel but iam going to do fat graftin it work great for me but that was before all this happened so iam alil worried how well it will work since i have underneath damage from the fraxel but im goin to try sometime this yr to fix the hollow places that the facelift couldnt correct.. ill keep u update whn i do that..
thanks for everybodys
support!!!

KdDaisey (77 posts) 15 Apr 2011

I'm so very sorry for what you have been through. It sounds just awful. I'm glad you're finding things that are working for you in effort to correct some of the damage. Fraxel ruined my skin, too. How many Fraxels did you have? And what vitamins did you take to bring the inflamtion down?

finee (42 posts) 16 Apr 2011

I had 2 fraxels done the first at 34 jewls or so the second fraxel is what damage my face thats when they did it at the strongest setting possible all over my face it was 60 or 70 jewls.. the vitamins im taking is e, c, and a hair skin and nail vitamin that contains alot of vitamin a... thank you for your support!

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“Destroyed my Skin!”

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