Fraxel Laser Reviews
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“Fraxel - Bad Results - Bad Skin Texture”
Jaylyn2414
Not Worth It
Spent: $800 in Shelby Twp
Spent: $800 in Shelby Twp
I "thought" I had really did my homework on this before having it done. I saw all the amazing before and after pictures on this site and thought this would help with some fine lines on my face. I had 2 treatments done. It hurts really bad but I thought, no pain no gain. Well my skin has a very bad texture to it now. It's not like I look horribly disfigured from just looking at me, but photos and close up I can see the terrible affect it had on my skin. I'm just hoping I don't stay this way forever or get worse, but i'm assuming it will.
Now that I am reserching ways to help heal my skin I am reading all the horror stories and about what this really does to you. I thought it was "like a sunburn" but now I'm reading just how deep this goes. And it's obvious from my pics that this does more damage than that.
I know this has made a big difference for some people, as they have great pics. But I believe it depends on the person, and I wish I hadn't done it now. There is a chance you will regret this, and it's not worth taking like I did.
Updated on 16 Apr 2011:
I added pics of my skin now. It's still badly damaged. Notice the surounding skin, above and below my eye, where the laser was not used, it's smooth.
Updated on 25 May 2011:
I thought I should add, that this is not really noticable by just looking at me. It's mostly visable close up and in pics. However, when I put on my makeup, it shows it alot more, so I pretty much stopped wearing face makeup. It settles into the "texture" making it move visable.
Updated on 21 Jun 2011:
Updated on 12 Jul 2011:
So far I've tried a couple of creams that the dermatologist perscribed. The first one was Bionect 0.2% hyaluronic acid sodium salt gel. I did not see any improvement.
I am currently using Atralin (tretinoin) gel 0.005%. It's been a few months but no noticable change yet.
This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.
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They dismissed my concerns. Their before and after photos do not show the damage done. But mine did and they said I looked fine. Of course I understand they don't want to be blamed. It was really the laser company that is to blame, but unless they take these things seriously they will just keep doing it.
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How is your skin now, 7 months later? I had a fraxel exactly 3 weeks ago and feel that is ruin the texture of my skin too. Everyone keeps saying it's only been 3 weeks, but something is NOT right. I am devastated. Would love to hear back to see how your skin is doing now. I'm terrified!
Thanks for posting pictures!!
To my medically untrained opinion, it looks like the skin has 'thickened'. This is appearance of skin that is thick which occurs naturally for some of us. It appears it has enlarged the pores.
How these horrid device can take smooth, more porcelain like skin to a thicker texture (in a short period of time) is beyond me.
If this happened over the course of six months, it is possible to give somewhat of a plausible explanation, by the skin's reaction to the device in remodeling collagen (although that happens below the surface of the skin) and that remodeling (which is not the same as natural collagen, but is more like scar tissue) had a negative impact on the skin's texture (at the surface level) as well? This is a guess at best. For it to happen in a matter of a week or two seems nearly impossible but obviously it is not impossible as these pictures show.
Thank you for having the courage to post your pictures.
And I was thinking that after 2 treatments I was going to see a lot of difference, but it didn't happen, and I mean I didn't expect a drastic change, but even a small change ocurr
but for me, i have redness and hyperpigmentation so i have to wear makeup so that it blends in with my neck and to cover the redness as much as possible
the redness still shows through the makeup though.
i hate that this happened. it's been 16 months for me... i can't believe i have to live the rest of my life with this damaged face. i'm only 26 T.T
I never had Fraxel but IPL, and with that I ended up with the same issues or worse, as I had svere burns on my cheeks, just after 1 session. I have extremely sensitive skin.
There are two moisturizers that I have used that completely resolved my skin problems, that I attribute, whether correctly or not, to moisture loss in the skin. Anyway- it helped me, reversed all damage and thus may be worth trying.
One is called BIAFINE, for which you will need a prescription- don't get any generic version. The other is called HYDROLATUM, which you get in a 1 lbd tub from Amazon for about $12, or in a pharmacy, but you will have to ask for it.
These two do their job better than anything else- I tried it all. Very nice skin these days I am happy to say!
Could it also be that fraxel and other lasers actually melt subcutaneous fat? It can melt restylane so why not cause fat atrophy.
I used Hydrolatum together with Biafine after a while(which is a cream used by Pediatricians- very simple all moisture and no allergens, specifically for excema dermatitis sufferers) which is extremely rich, and only use it like once a week. I think I could also have used it in conjunction with Biofine initially. Hydrolatum I can use around my eyes with great results when the skin there is dry,(otherwise i use Shiseido and la prairie, but this actually moisturizes better) and on the forhead but is a bit too rich for my cheeks these days.
There is also another cream called Revale Night cream with coffee berry, that is great for achieving a smooth young texture, but the skin needs to be healed before you can use that. I hope that it is just moisture loss for you, but even if that is not the case, your best bet to renormalize the skin would be the Biafine cream ( in my opinion).
The psychological scars of having the skin on your face messed up is very bad, I know. I got so bad at one poitn that I was washing my face probably 40 times a day, hoping to "wash away some of the problems." Please make sure you arent guilty of this too and drying your skin out! Ive started washing before bed with Cetaphil, pat drying my face and living quite a bit of water behind. And then I put Cetaphil Restoraderm on. It seems to help.
Thanks for coming back and sharing your information!!
There is definitely something to be said for doing NOTHING to your skin for a year and let things heal...on their own. I also dont use sunblock daily, but I do limit my sun exposure. I also eat a lot of foods good for the skin (blueberries, salmon, coconut, green tea, etc).
Guys...hang in there! Things do improve. They take a LONG while, but they do improve.