Fraxel Laser: Stories

My track marks from the C02 laser 8 years ago are still visible to this day. I had material improvement when I started using Retin-A every night.

please, just feel grateful that you didn't do your entire face like most of us got conned into by the doctors.


try to feel lucky that you only did a portion of your face. can you imagine how my life has been devastated? i'm only 26 T.T and i look like I'm 40 and I feel like i'm 40 inside because of the emotional and mental trauma i've been through. T.T

Hi, I hope you are checking or at least reply please. I had the Sciton Profractional laser and have faint track marks in line of pores. Has the Retin A improve any of it for you? Im freaking out and Im very nervous and scared that its permanent.

Thanks so much for the info. When you say you are still uncomfortable with your looks, is that due to issues remaining after Fraxel that were already an issue for you before you did the procedure, or due to Fraxel results/scarring, drying, etc ? Best Wishes for healing.

To be honest, I got pretty torn up by my second laser treatment which was 8 years ago. I used aquamid to fill out my severe scars which worked great. I didn't start seeing improvement in my laser scars until i really dedicated myself to Retin A. I

did you have fraxel or something else?

So, in general, do you feel like your skin has turned over enough now to be back to the way it was before Fraxel? Or do you feel your skin qualities have changed permanently due to Fraxel? I keep trying to make myself feel hopeful by thinking that the skin eventually (maybe after 1 year) will have completely turned over enough that Fraxel damage may be gone (exfoliated away)? But then I worry that this damage has permanently changed my skin, and perhaps my very DNA, becase lasers go so deep under the skin that perhaps the skin is forever changed? Just curious what your experience has been and how long it took before your skin got back to pre-fraxel state, if ever?

I am in San Diego too. I just made an appointment in La Jolla to have Fraxel done on the 16 th. After reading all of these comments. I have changed my mind. The Dr was really nice and seemed to know what he was saying,But I believe all of you women out there, since you have nothing to gain from your comments. Isn't it sad that society has put us in this position to do what we can to stay pretty and young? What the heck was I thinking? I am getting old and need to learn to deal with it!!!

Gizzie ~ you are so smart to not have it done! Please don't. I don't believe it is the person who does the procedure that is the problem. It is the Fraxel itself. I think some people's skin cannot handle it. The treatment admits to damaging the skin. It is meant to damage the skin. Supposedly, the skin is then supposed to "kick in" and heal itself causing an increase in collagen. B.S.! It's obviouse that some people skin does not heal itself and overcome the damage. I regret doing it every day! Every day! There is a woman on this site that had severe damage and she said that she would have rather lost her arm. My damage isn't as bad, but I can say that I would have prefered to loss a finger.

You are so right. We ALL need to learn to accept that aging is part of life and to surround ourselves with good people who have a grip on whats truly important in life. Fraxel did slightly stimulate collagen temporarily, but at what price, if the skin covering that collagen is ruined? I was 33 with healthy skin besides mild acne scars that nobody noticed except me. With fillers, botox, good skin care regimens, and healthy lifestyles you can really look your best much better now than ever in the past with minor side effects. Congratulations on your decision to save your health and your face. You are beautiful just the way you are!

I had only one Fraxel treatment and I will not under any circumstances do another (or a set of treatments). I have heard other people who are told to fix the mess from the first laser treatment by doing one more... I think those people who do it muliple times are the ones at greater risk for the really bad outcomes later. I noticed a long line shaped scar after 10 days but at 4-6 months I was seeing 3 more scars and lines and my loved ones were noticing without me saying anything. The melted candle wax look of my skin has moderately improved over time but I think thats due to my skincare regimen and cell turnover. I'm currently 6 months out and have recently started IS Clinical products which seem to be helping with the outer textural dryness and enlarged pores, but minimally so. I think consulting with a stellar aesthetician (outside of your dermatologist/laser surgeons office) is a must. Your skin is different now than it was before. You may have to adapt your skin care regimen to deal with new issues you are not used to. My derm did not follow up at all on skin care. Before he got paid, he was very attentive. When I started having problems show up, he wouldn't respond to my questions. So you should take the lead on that yourself. I just choose to be good to my skin, eat healthy, and avoid the sun, smokers, AND laser surgeons. Trying to keep a positive attitude and have faith that my skin will heal if I am good to it from now on? That's all I can do. Best wishes to you.

Unfortunately the FDA is not an entity that necessarily cares what happens to our faces or psyche as we endure the after effects of this procedure. The FDA is a political machine and like most others, money and other social/peer/political issues factor into what gains approval for release onto the market. So, I hope they ban it, but so long as profits and political connections are working in so many laser providers favor, I doubt it. I think we should all just learn to love ourselves as we are and stop trusting doctors. They have loans and lasers to pay off and the patient is the vehicle to accomplishing that. Age is part of life. You cannot escape it. Between facials and fillers and surgery as a last resort, Fraxel just can't compare. My "mild" acne scars in retrospect were beautiful compared to what now resides on my face.

Thank you so much for your honest review. Like most regulatory bodies, the FDA is a toothless tiger. It is people like you who bother to warn others who save people like me from making the same mistake. Thank you very much for your time. I wish things were better for you and I honestly hope they do get better. K

Hi REalist. I have not gotten one response from my questions to others, but maybe I don't know how to get back to the original threads. I also had fraxel done in Lojolla about 4 weeks ago. I am freaking out about my texture of skin an dlonger term complications. Can you email me to further discuss. Thanks, :)

Realist, I am trying to respond to your email. p;ease send me a private message with the info.

Christine, I'm not able to find the link, "send a private email" for you that I normally see? Any ideas? I will try again over next few days, maybe a technical glitch?