“Fraxel Ruined my Skin, Should Be Banned by FDA”

A friend and I made appointment for Fraxel to clear some very minor discoloration of the skin and as pre-treatment for minor fine lines in very early stages. My friend had hyperpigmentation from an old chemical peel in her teens, which had left her with mildly blotchy skin in one area of the cheek.

After my first treatment, which was excruciatingly painful, I had good results. The skin looked more even toned than before (it was never really bad) and I was pleased with the results. Both of us rescheduled for two more treatments as the doctor said we needed "at least 3". This doctor was one of the main researchers for Fraxel. I was quite excited because if it would get better I would basically end with perfect skin - which would be amazing.

I was not able to see much difference on my friend, but my results were good. The second treatment felt even more painful and the skin never looked good even after weeks of healing. In fact, it looked something it never had: broken out and blotchy. The pain from this treatment lasts an entire day.

The skin will become deeply red and tanned, like a burn victim, and become hot and pulsating with pain for at least one to two full days. Gradually over about 7-10 days the burn appearance will go away and will peel. I spoke with other patients in the waiting room and everyone described it as extremely painful.

The reviews on here claiming it to be painfree are absolutely NOT real; clearly they are posted by the manufacturer. Its impossible to call Fraxel pain free. After the second treatment the skin became even more blotchy red and uneven. I started seeing wrinkles I had never seen before but we thought it was temporary and that the skin just needed to recover from the harsh laser. The doctor said I had to complete all treatments for it to improve.

After the third treatment, which seemed endlessly excruciating with no amount of local anesthesia helping for pain at at all my skin tone and appearance just begun getting worse with a huge increase of visible wrinkles.

A year after the last treatment I was casually talking with my friend and noticed that her skin looked 'old' for the first time; she was only in her mid 30's. Her complexion was worse than I had ever seen and the skin had signs of serious premature aging she had not had before.

I carefully asked her about her skin, and she said she felt it had become worse after Fraxel and had noticed that my skin looked worse than it ever had but had not wanted to say anything to not hurt me. We had made the exact same observation and because we both did the treatments together we had been able to observe the changes.

My friend now has the skin of someone in their late 40's and she hardly ever spends time in the sun! I have skin that is far older than my age and people in their late 50's have better skin and tone than me. My face started to drop after Fraxel, I have developed deep jowls and the natural small fat deposits under the eyes were gone after

Fraxel in the area which has left my lower eyes prematurely hollowed and wrinkled, like a 65 year old. We have aged about 15 years with Fraxel. Both of us have deep furrow lines running vertical across our face - in the same direction as the Fraxel head piece was used. Who has wrinkles developing up/down? Wrinkles develop horizontally in direction of laugh lines. Ours go up/down across the cheeks.

Almost three years later these lines are developing into deep wrinkles that get worse each year, 20 years too early. I am DEVASTATED that I ever did Fraxel. This has become a deeper depressing event, the premature loss of my youth for this treatment. I have searched everywhere what I can do to repair my skin. I am afraid to do anymore harsh treatments to my skin and hope stemcell therapy will soon advance to help premature aged skin. I don't know what to do anymore.

Fraxel completely ruined both our skin. I am considering suing Solana, the manufacturer of Fraxel. The manufacturer needs to reimburse people who have been ruined by Fraxel, and help to restore the damage. I don't smoke or drink, and don't stay in the sun and have no reason to have skin like this. The rest of the neck and area that was not treated with Fraxel has youthful skin, only my face is deeply and prematurely aged.

Updated on Aug 8, 2010:
images removed.

Updated on 18 Mar 2012:
A friend and I had Fraxel around 2007. I had (very) minor discoloration of the skin and wanted it improved. My friend had hyperpigmentation from an old chemical peel in her teens, which had left her with mildly blotchy skin in one area of the cheek. Both of us ended with very bad skin and premature aging after 3 sessions of Fraxel.

FIRST TREATMENT. After my first treatment, which was excruciatingly painful, I had good results. The skin looked more even toned than before (it was never really bad) and I was pleased with the results. Both of us rescheduled for two more treatments as the doctor said we needed "at least 3". This doctor was a representative for Fraxel. I was quite excited because if it would get better I would basically end with perfect skin - which would be amazing.

After Fraxel you will look like you had a very severe sunburn. The skin will become deeply red, feel hot and painful for at least one to two full days. After about 4-5 days it will look tanned, like a burn victim, and begin to peel. Fraxel is a very painful procedure to go through even when cold and numbing cremes are applied.

After my first session of Fraxel I was not able to see much difference on my friend, but my results were good.

SECOND TREATMENT. After the second treatment I felt more painful and the skin became very red and blotchy and never looked good even after weeks of healing. I had never had broken and blotchy. The pain from this treatment lasted longer as well. A few months later I started seeing wrinkles I had never seen before but we thought it was temporary and that the skin just needed to recover from the harsh laser. The doctor said I had to complete all treatments for the skin to improve.
My friend didn't look much better.

THIRD TREATMENT. After the third treatment, which seemed endlessly excruciating with no amount of local anesthesia helping for pain at at all my skin tone and appearance just begun getting worse. My friend too had a lot of pain and her skin was very raw and red for days. Our skin became so blotchy and uneven I could not recognize it anymore.

The biggest difference after our three treatments came over a year later. One day I was talking to my friend when I noticed that her skin looked truly 'old' for someone only in her mid 30's. I cautiously asked her about her skin, and she told me she felt it had become worse after Fraxel. This was exactly my own observations although I had not told her before. She had never had old looking complexion before. Her complexion was worse than I had ever seen and the skin had signs of serious premature aging she had not had before.

She then told me she had noticed that my skin looked bad and aged after Fraxel but had not wanted to say anything to not hurt me. I then admitted that I had observed the same in her. We had made the exact same observation and because we both did the treatments together we had been able to observe the changes.

My friends complexion looks terrible. You only need a little bit of shadow to see how prematurely aged it looks. In her mid 30's her complexion now looks like someone in their late 40's or even 50's! And she hardly ever spends time in the sun! I have skin that is far older than my age, 'shriveled' skin like a dried raisin with hundreds of small dried lines I never had before that you see in people in their late 50's or even 70's. Most people in their 50's now have better skin than me. Both of us look much older than anyone we know our ages.

Both my friend and I have very severe premature aging signs to our skin and complexion. Because I have a more fuller face than her, my effect was more dramatic. These are the signs that developed after Fraxel that were not there prior to Fraxel, and 5 years following my last treatment have become severe:

-- My face started to drop after Fraxel, like someone in their late 60's.
-- I have developed deep jowls
-- The natural small fat deposits under the eyes are gone
-- I have deep, and many, wrinkles under the eyes I did not have
-- I have enlarged poores
-- I have lines all over my face
-- The area under my eyes are hollow and deeply wrinkled
-- I have very deep vertical lines above and below my lips (like a smoker)
-- My forehead is 'bumpy' wrinkled and uneven.

These changes are not from my lifestyle. I drink very seldom, never done drugs and have never smoked. I am also a vegetarian for the past 15 years. Today, five years post Fraxel, I have the skin of a chain smoker. I have such deep furrows over and around my lips, the sides of my eyes, and the side of my face no one my age looks like this. Its a miserable experience.

My entire life people have told me I look much younger than my age and think I am 15 years younger. Now they add 10+ to my actual age and always think I am older. Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of the damage that Fraxel did to me and I am absolutely miserable. I have not found anything that can reverse the damage of Fraxel.

THIS COMPANY HAS TO PAY COMPENSATION TO PATIENTS WHO HAVE THEIR SKIN RUINED. THEY NEED TO OFFER OPTIONAL HELP FOR US TO GET IT CORRECTED SOMEWHERE ELSE.

I am afraid to do anymore harsh treatments to my skin and hope stem cell therapy will soon advance to help premature aged skin. I don't know what to do anymore.

Fraxel completely ruined both our skin. We both saw the dramatic effect by seeing the changes in each other. Solana, the manufacturer of Fraxel, need to be subject to a class action lawsuit. The manufacturer needs to reimburse people who have been ruined by Fraxel and help to pay for any treatment to restore the damage.

The rest of the neck and area that was not treated with Fraxel has youthful skin, including my neck and my arms. Only my face is deeply and prematurely aged. I am absolutely DEVASTATED by the decision to ever have Fraxel.