Fraxel Left Tiny Holes All over my Face and Texture Change - Sydney, AU

I am nine months post my fourth Fraxel and my face is covered with tiny holes left by the laser, and they seem to getting more prominent as the months go by.The only place where the skin is smooth and normal is around my eyes, where you can see the line of dots following where Fraxel has touched me.
I also have developed a brown blotch in the outside corner of my right eye, I have small brown spots also appearing under both eyes in a line that seems to follow the fraxel. Also a dark area is forming on my upperlip, it kind of looks like a shadow under my skin as someone else mentioned on this site, and is getting also more prominent.

These are not from the sun as I never go outside longer than five minutes when I ride my bike to work or drive to shops and I wear physical sun block everyday. I wash my face first thing in the morning and put sunblock on straight away, even if I'm inside the house all day.

More so I am so pissed off about these bloody holes tattooed all over my face, they are so visible in my bathroom mirror, where the natural light comes from the side. Five months ago the holes were only visible if the sun light came in but now they are visible even on a overcast day. They are hard to see inside with normal lights on, as I suspect they are too soft but daylight reveals the horror. My skin is so porous it looks like I have the skin that has aged ten years, and it is getting worse. I truly believe this laser has accelerated my skin ageing and basically gave me more damage that sun would do in a decade. Ironically I have always shied away from sun, never tanned and always used sunblocks religiously because of the fact that I would always burn so easily.

I am 30 year old and have suffered from acne since I was 18 years old. It left me with scars on the cheeks and for years I struggled with it. I was so embarrassed of my skin. I finally decided to seek more information about laser treatments and googled about Fraxel, how it works and more importantly, is it safe? I finally went to a consultation in Sydney ( Facial Rejuvenation Clinic) to find out more about this procedure. I had the consultation with the doctors assistant, who basically gave me the sales pitch of how wonderful amazing Fraxel is and how safe it is!

I remember being very anxious of any possibility of negative effects on my skin, and asked few times about the safety and possible adverse effects. Her answer to this was that Fraxel is very safe, there might be a slight chance of hyperpigmentation that usually resolves itsel in time and that it just might not work that well on my scars. Not once was I told about the adverse effects such as texture change, fat loss, sagging skin etc. About these I only learned when I was googling skin damage after Fraxel to try and find answer to my own problems and was horrified of the amount of damage this laser causes.

I eventually sent pictures of my skin to the clinic and later met the doctor who armed himself with the assistant who did my treatments and then began the over half an hour arguing on his behalf. I went there to discuss my concerns but he just argued everything I had to say. He first of course claimed he couldn't see any holes, and tried to explain me how it is impossible to Fraxel to cause any holes. Then he contradicted himself first telling me Fraxel works by creating tiny microholes that then coagulates repairing the skin, but when I later asked if it is possible these microholes did not close properly, he then told me Fraxel doesn't cause any holes it only heats the skin.

All this time he kept arguing me, getting cranky and simply ignoring any concerns that I tried to bring across. He knew exactly what I was talking about and did his best to make me feel silly and paranoid and mocked me when I pointed out that my boyfriend also sees the holes in my skin, not just me, saying oh so your boyfriend said something about your skin and now you are just upset. What a douchebag!
I also said to him many times to open the pictures I sent him so I sould show him what I mean, as the light in his office didn't show my skin texture that well. Bizarrely he kept ignoring those request he clearly didn't wan't to open them. I told him that the reason I am so pissed off is that I was never told about this possibility and they should tell people he actually got a bit cranky and said that they don't have to tell people because it's rare!

I asked if it could be possible my skin just heals poorly as scars and blemishes stay behind for long time( once I burned my thigh in the sun and over six months later the line form my shorts was still visible, my partner saw it too pointing it out to me one time in the shower.) I didn't even manage to finish my sentence when he attacked me saying there is nothing wrong whatsoever the way my skin heals it healed from the Fraxel fine and that was the end of it.

I am waiting to see an actual dermatologist to get some help and an opinion what might be going inside my skin, I am fearing the damage is ongoing. I drink water and dring vegetable juices to try and help my skin but I fear it is all in vain. Hate looking at the mirror it is horrible. Never wanted to be a bloody model just wanted a skin I don't have to cover up. Funny before Fraxel I was happy with my face apart the cheek scars but now it is the entire face that is horrible. I can quarantee that if I would've known there might be chance of any ill effect I would have left my skin as it were and waited a better solution to come along.

I'm not surprised if we are all their guinea pigs in these clinical trials, who says they won't want to try something a new setting, a few more passes to just test how the skin reacts and then leave you deal with the effects while the doctors race to there little medical conferences with your file in their hand..

Well, the skin is worse. Tiny dots look very noticeable in the sun and the skin texture itself has gone worse, I still have the scars plus my entire face is covered in holes, like a mask. The dark spot under my right eye is changing shape and slowly getting larger. My skin is so porous it is horrible.It kind of looks like a scarred burn, maybe it is. Also lately noticed four indentations on my right cheek, they look like lines going up and down, not very long ones but they look like I scratced my self and left the marks. They are quite unnoticeable unless the light comes from the right angle, and they weren't there before.

Everyone has said that skin gets like that when you age, well my mother is 62 and her skin is smooth apart from few larger pores around her nose, my auntie who is 64 has a smooth skin, my sister who turns 40 has a smooth skin, they all have some wrinkles but skin is so smooth.I met four of my cousins ranging fon 26 to 31 and guess what, they have smooth skin. Some have pimples and acne but the actual skin, is not riddled with massive holes like mine.

Its summer here and so I have had the perfect opportunity to watch people in the sunlight, in town and no-one has the skin like I have now. Pimples yes, few scars yes, but even people in their 50s and 60s has better skin than mine, they might have wrinkles and it might sack a little, but the skin is smooth, where as mine is uneven, wrinkly, leathery and full of holes.It is so noticeable in sun specially when the light comes in an angle behind me or from top.

I went to see my old dermatologist who use to treat me for acne approx and last time I saw her as six years ago. I went in, told her my story. She never even had to come close to me to see the damage, she sat 1.5m from me and saw it from there. She said that nothing will get rid of those holes unfortunately, could try another corrective laser or dermabrasion but other than that, nothing will make my skin better. She does not do lasers herself so it wasn't in her favour in any way to suggest one.

She coudn't tell, if my skin is burned, thinned out, or what has happened exactly but she has seen few people with indentations from lasers and it was refreshing to hear her being so open about it, when in australia Dr Cussell claimed it's impossible and never heard about it.....

I told her how frustrated and angry I was, battling skin issues over ten years and then being lied to and damaged these horrible people. She just said that all you can do unfortunately is to get a new hobby to take my mind off it and don't look in to mirror anymore, she also suggested to use make up that they us in theatre to cover up and that way feel a bit better, and find other things in life.

That didn't make me feel any better I can promise you. How the hell do you get over it, it is my face, everyone sees it, I see it and even if don't it is still there!! I can't believe I asked every question and asked many times can this make my skin worse in anyway, and stressed out I don't want it if it can, and it happened. Just what I feared, it happened. Did they do it on purpose or what, was I a guinea pig? Or did I jinx the universe some how, asking these questions.

My partner just says oh well, it happened, you went there yourself and now just get over it. No one understands how I feel and I can't talk to anyone because they will not understand what it is like to look in the mirror and see that it's not you in the mirror it is the damage and everyone will see it, and look like you are some kind of freak. That's how it honestly feels right now. I am so tired and sad all the time, I don't want to have any social life because I am so embarrassed.

I caught my workmate staring at my skin, and I knew what she saw, my horrible scorched skin. She didn't ask, I didn't explain. I have lost all hope that my skin will ever be the same, I will happily keep the scars just get rid of this horrid skin.
Imagine if my skin is already worse than my mother, what will it look like in ten years time? I can't live like this it is eating me alive.

Just about hit the rock bottom.. Pores so much more noticeable that before, even at work, the staffroom mirror made my skin look normal, it now is showing the holes. If I tilt my head back and sideways it looks as if I been in a fire, my skin looks like burn scars. I have a weird feeling something is not quite right with looseness of my skin either and that makes me panic big time. I see there is no way out, only worse to come. I never knew such a dark place, I fear what i will do for myself. Even my negative review was knocked back by True Local even if it was accurate , it's feels like in Australia money makers are free to do what they want and no one cares as long as money comes in.