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I have to give fraxel a big thumbs down for my...
I have to give fraxel a big thumbs down for my skin. This is due to the negligible improvements on my skin and the permanent grid pattern that this laser imprinted onto my face.
I had come in to fight signs of aging and to maybe help old acne scars. Doctor used the Cynosure ICON 1540 fraxel laser, which is nonablative laser appropriate for my skin type. I didn't have that much downtime and after the first week of healing I thought I saw big improvements. However, over time, those improvements proved to be mere temporary swelling because once everything settled back down the improvements were not really that noticeable (and to be fair, the doctor did say it would take several visits). What is noticeable is a permanent grid pattern created by the laser onto my skin. After being reassured by the doctor that it was all in my mind and that it would go away with exfoliation, I was initially not too worried. However, it has been 6 months now and the square grid pattern caused by the laser on my whole face has not improved at all and it is definitely not in my mind. When I run my nail across my face now, it's like running it across a piece of windowscreen.
I will most likely go to another doctor and see if he/she can fix this via microneedling (NO MORE LASERS FOR ME). But if not, I'll just have to live with the results of my own stupidity. The moral of this story is don't go for lasers unless you have severe acne that can cover up the inevitable pitting caused by the laser. If you already have semi-decent skin, it's not worth it. I'm not going to post the name of the doctor because this person is a decent person, but I think the laser is just not right for my skin at all. It's probably impossible to tell if someone's skin is right for fraxel, before trying it. Because of this, I would really caution others before trying it. I am going to go for microneedling which is supposedly gentler since it doesn't use heat. We'll see how that goes.
I had come in to fight signs of aging and to maybe help old acne scars. Doctor used the Cynosure ICON 1540 fraxel laser, which is nonablative laser appropriate for my skin type. I didn't have that much downtime and after the first week of healing I thought I saw big improvements. However, over time, those improvements proved to be mere temporary swelling because once everything settled back down the improvements were not really that noticeable (and to be fair, the doctor did say it would take several visits). What is noticeable is a permanent grid pattern created by the laser onto my skin. After being reassured by the doctor that it was all in my mind and that it would go away with exfoliation, I was initially not too worried. However, it has been 6 months now and the square grid pattern caused by the laser on my whole face has not improved at all and it is definitely not in my mind. When I run my nail across my face now, it's like running it across a piece of windowscreen.
I will most likely go to another doctor and see if he/she can fix this via microneedling (NO MORE LASERS FOR ME). But if not, I'll just have to live with the results of my own stupidity. The moral of this story is don't go for lasers unless you have severe acne that can cover up the inevitable pitting caused by the laser. If you already have semi-decent skin, it's not worth it. I'm not going to post the name of the doctor because this person is a decent person, but I think the laser is just not right for my skin at all. It's probably impossible to tell if someone's skin is right for fraxel, before trying it. Because of this, I would really caution others before trying it. I am going to go for microneedling which is supposedly gentler since it doesn't use heat. We'll see how that goes.