Fraxel Laser: Stories

I'm a 44 y.o. female that wanted a smoother skintone, help to get rid of fine lines, and some sun spots. I have no acne scars.

I sat with the numbing cream on my face for about an hour and 20 minutes. The doc had me hold a tube to blow cold air as he passed the laser over my entire face. This really helped. He told me the forehead would hurt the most, and the skin above my upper lip.

My forehead did indeed hurt the most. Any skin that was closer to bone hurt more. I'd rate the pain on a scale of 1 to 10 at about a 6 or 7, and he told me he used the lowest setting.

I had this done Monday morning and it is now Wednesday afternoon. Immediately afterwards my skin was red and felt like a moderate sunburn, and my face was puffy. The pain went away after about an hour and a half.

Today my skin feels a bit "rough" and dry, but you can't see it. There is still a light redness, but the swelling is almost gone and I am back to work (with makeup on). Already, the fine lines ("crows-feet") around my eyes look like they are gone! It is only two days later, but I think this one treatment will be all I need, but I'm going to wait and see how my overall appearance looks in a week or two.

I was charged $450 (in Joliet, Illinois) for a full face treatment, which I think is quite reasonable. I may not get the second treatment, which I thought I might, but it just depends how I look in about a week. So far, so good!