Charlotte, DK

I started using acids a couple of weeks after the procedure. I had no irritation from using them, but neither did they help my post-fraxel acne. Only antibiotics did that.

Professional opinions differ a lot on post-fraxel care. Some doctors encourage vinegar soaks, other say you shouldn't. Some say stop retinoids a month before the procedure , others will have you start using a retinoid for weeks before.

I use adapalene and azelaic acid and my doctor didn't ask me to stop using them before the procedure. He said they speed up cell turnover and would help with healing. He told me I could start using them again after 10-14 days.

I guess it also depends on individuel skintypes.

I didn't use any heavy emollients after the procedure, but instead a gel-like lotion with no pore-clogging ingredients (Decubal anti-itch gel - not sure it can be bought in the US). I still broke out and this gel never makes me break out.

While heavy emollients may be the cause of post-fraxel acne for some, for others it must be the procedure in itself.

I tried clearing up my acne with the standard regime of products with salicylic-glycolic-azelaic acid, but without succes.

I'm now on antibiotics, which is helping a lot. My doc will also prescribe antiobiotics for my 2 next rounds of Fraxel.

An update:

I'm now on antibiotics, which is helping a lot. I've tried not taking the antibiotics for a few days, but then the acne returns.

My doc says I should expect to be taking the antibiotics for as long as the skin regenerates after the Fraxel, as it seems that it is this process that triggers the acne.

I Had Fraxel 3 weeks ago. My skin was clear while healing up, but now I'm beginning to get a lot of whiteheads. I had acne for years before finally starting to clear up and I was almost clear before my treatment. I'm very annoyed that I wasn't informed about this risk, as it seems to be a common side effect for former acne sufferers. The doctor did ask me beforehand if i was prone to cold sores in which case he would offer me something anti-viral. I would've been glad to have had some antibiotics on hand instead.

Jbraun, with all respect, this problem has nothing to do with diet, since most of us were cleare before the procedure, but is very specifically related to the combination of the fraxel procedure and a certain skin type.