“FRAXEL MAKES YOUR SKIN WORSE!! DON'T DO IT!”

I asked the derm what I could do about minor acne scarring. The first thing out of her mouth was Fraxel.

I hadn't heard of Fraxel and at the time (January 8, 2010), there weren't many bad reviews out yet.

So I trusted the doctor and went ahead with the derm's recommendation to do a full face Fraxel even though the acne scars were only on my cheeks and temples and that I was only 26 years old.

Acne scars didn't improve.
And my skin, my face, my life was ruined for it.

Now, 15 months post laser, I have:
- facial fat loss (lost my cheekbones, cheeks sunken in, chin deflated, forehead fat gone, as well as lip thinning due to fat loss)
- hyperpigmented skin
- broken blood vessels and red blotches
- indentations
- additional scars where I never had scars before
- enlarged pores
- dry skin
- wrinkles
- orange peel skin texture
- sun sensitivity
- blurry eyes
- nerve damage

- and btw, did you know that there's been studies indicating cancer from laser damaged cell dna? This is what I have to look forward to in the future...

- not to mention, all the psychological and mental and emotional trauma you will have to go through

Please do all your research before you do Fraxel or any another laser.

Research laser side effects, complications, risks.

Learn about basic skin biology and how the lasers work and affect the skin.

Fraxel destroys columns of skin which includes, not only collagen, but also nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands, sweat glands, hair follicles, the regenerative parts of the dermis and epidermis, and of course, the fat cells.

Please. I wish someone had written a similar review and I saw it before I did Fraxel.

It was the biggest mistake of my life... and I'm still having trouble coping with the effects it's had on my skin, my face, my life.

Updated on 25 May 2011:
Some logic for you to think about:

- The doctors say the result will be like you got a sunburn. But think about it. Sunburns and sun exposure are the number one factor to premature aging. Why would you pay to get a sunburn? And it's not just a mild sunburn at that, it's like you're getting 10 years worth of sunburns in one 20 minute sitting.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- Fraxel advertises itself as "non-invasive" and "re-surfacing" but this is all lies! They say they remove the top layers of your skin but in actuality the laser goes way deeper than that. The top two layers of your skin are maybe 500 nm thick and the wavelength of Fraxel is 1500 nm!! Think about that!

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- Fraxel proclaims to be FDA approved. But did you know that the procedure to approve medical devices through the FDA (which includes the Fraxel laser) is not stringent and is corrupt? Search youtube "FDA corruption" for specific medical device complaints. Be weary! Don't mess up your face like I did.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- You really, really want to get rid of your acne scars? Have you tried the other procedures first? The tried, tested and true procedures that take a few months to work but don't ruin your skin and your face? First try micro-needling, or microdermabrasion, or chemical peels. Never do a laser. They are way too harsh for your precious skin.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- You don't believe the reviews on here that say they've suffered fat loss, oil gland destruction, hair loss, eye damage, etc, google the different types of cosmetic lasers and what they're advertising them for. There are lasers out there that promise to melt fat for those overweight, and there are lasers that promise to destroy oil glands for those who sweat too much, and of course hair removal lasers, etc etc. Lasers are all the same!! And if one can do that, then all of them can destroy.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- Btw, fat loss means your face will change dramatically. You will suffer traumatic identity loss and your life will abruptly stop. Take this seriously. This is the least I can do since I can't change the FDA, I can't stop the company, I can't even get my review closer to the front of this website. If you read this. Please listen to your intuition and your gut feeling.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- If you are still set on doing Fraxel. Please, ask for a test spot first! Do a test spot of about an inch by an inch (the smaller the better), and you'll be glad you did a test spot first before your full face. Why? Because I guarantee you that you will see the difference between your skin and the Fraxel damaged skin. It'll be like night and day. Do a test spot first!

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

Updated on 25 May 2011:
more food for thought:

- There are no long term studies regarding the side effects of Fraxel or any other fractional laser. There are no independent studies done on Fraxel. There are no studies period! I had to learn the hard way about all these things after. Please, do yourself a huge favor and skip Fraxel and any other laser!

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- Fraxel has only been around about 5 years. And 2 and an half of those years were in clinical trials. It took the FDA like 20 years before they acknowledged that anti-depressants may be linked to suicide. And they still allow the sale of diabetes drugs that are known to cause heart attacks, because, as they claim "it's equivalent danger" to the other drugs currently out on the market. Do not trust the FDA to protect you.

DON'T DO FRAXEL

Updated on 25 May 2011:
DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- also, while you read the reviews on this website, please pay attention to the dates of the review. A good "Worth it" review is usually written like a week after the procedure. The swelling doesn't go down for about 6 months and damage doesn't show up till later. Notice that the "Not worth it" reviews are all over a year or so later?! Also, notice that there are now reviews that were initially positive but the reviewer have now reversed their opinion because as time went on, the damage started to surface?! Be smart about the research you do.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!!

Updated on 25 May 2011:
- the company that owns Fraxel is the same company that owns Thermage. google the thermage laser and you'll find information about the damage that laser caused and how, in the beginning, all the doctors and the company and the FDA denied that it was happening but now it's been proven and there are lawsuits abound. If the same company can lie about Thermage, it most definitely can lie about Fraxel.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- don't do any kind of laser, profractional, fractional, IPL, v-beam, NONE! don't! No matter what imperfections you currently have, the lasers will make everything worse!

Updated on 25 May 2011:
- btw, do you use sunscreen? daily? SPF 40+? No? Most of us don't. Personally, I never used sunscreen before because I didn't go out in the sun a lot. But now, after the damage, my skin is too sensitive that I even if I go out for a few minutes, I have to put on 40,50+ sunscreen. If I had known this would happen, even though it's the simplest thing, I wouldn't have done Fraxel.

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

- And why do we have to use sunscreen now? Because your risk of skin cancer has exponentially increased due to the laser damage. Your skin will have been thinned and damaged so that it cannot protect you from the sun's UV rays on its own anymore. YOUR CANCER RISK WILL INCREASE!

DON'T DO FRAXEL!

Updated on 25 May 2011:
To all the doubters now and in the future.

This is all I can do. This is all I can say.
Fraxel is a big risk.
I have outlined all the reasons why you shouldn't do Fraxel or nay other profractional laser. 

Believe me or don't believe me. It's your skin, your face, your life. Do whatever you want with it.

Just remember that I warned you. I tried to protect you.

This is for when you come back with damage "I Told You So"

Updated on 25 May 2011:
Alright, last update from me, because I've said all I can say.

there aren't many independent studies out yet about the dangers of fractional lasers. it's also difficult to find them because they are buried in scientific journals. but here's one from March 2010.

google

"Dermatologic Surgery Fractionated Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatment Complications: A Review"

and you'll be able to view the full pdf file of the study

- one last caution, be weary of the positive reviews. while some people may have gotten good results, the reviews seem to be written either only a week or two after the procedure or the reviewer has only 1 or 2 posts (be suspicious of fake reviews planted by the company, the doctor's office, or someone who is a shareholder of the companies)

- do you know what the organization Medical Justice is? it's a type of insurance company for doctors where they remove bad reviews about their doctor clients from the internet and also plant good reviews.

google

"Medical Justice plants glowing review at rateMDs.com"


So, basically, all i want to say is that be careful. Think logically. Do your research and come to the right conclusion.

Don't cloud your judgment with emotions (ie. wanting to be prettier, younger, smoother skin). Try to clear your mind and be as objective as possible.

You'll find that after considering all the points above and things you find on your own, you'll not want to do Fraxel or any other laser for that matter.

- also, ask your doctor for before/after pictures of their actual clients (not pictures supplied by the makers of the laser) and if you can contact the actual patients for testimonials.

- if you can meet people who actually had the procedure done and is at least a year post-procedure, do it.

Don't make the same mistake that I made.