Eric F. Bernstein, MD

Excellent. Friendly, warm, very knowledgeable. I had my first v-beam for rosacea and will need one more. Only on my second day but have no bruising so far. Just a little swelling. The staff is amazing, and I am a touch critic. My husband owns a medical practice so I am very critical of doctors. Everyone made me feel at ease. I had a great experience.

I went for a consultation for the above issues. My dermatologist referred me to Dr. Bernstein, saying that he is the best for laser treatments. I am a very cautious, skeptical and regarding my face, fearful person.
After hearing about his vast knowledge and experience, and witnessing his conservative, "do no harm" attitude, I trusted him to proceed on the spot with treatment. He targeted blood vessels, a consequence of sun damage, and told me that the treatment stimulates collagen production. I will have one more treatment in a month to complete the process, and might move to a stronger laser to treat more fine wrinkles. I have been offered a Fraxel Laser treatment by another professional and was so happy that I did not do it. The Fraxel treatment is far more drastic, and for me, unnecessary and with more risk.
Dr. Bernstein explained to me that affecting collagen increase is a slow process but better in the long run than ablation of the surface of the skin.
I will post photos sometime after the second treatment.
He used a V-Beam Perfecta laser. It took about 15 minutes. Pain was tolerable and completely over at the end of treatment. My face became bruised and I was told that it will stay that way for about 4 days. I will need another treatment in one month.

This is day 1 of my removal process. The doctor injected the area with lidocaine to start which was pretty awful considering there is thin skin around that area and mostly bone (hip)... he started with one laser and I could feel it which was like a burning feeling, then moved on to the red areas with the ruby laser. They coated it with aquaphor and a light film and tape. I will return in 8 weeks exactly, for round 2. I'll keep updating pictures so you can see. Photo 1 is before...Photo 2 is directly after..

Updated on 27 Nov 2013:
crispy and sore. i keep it lubed up nicely with aquaphor and a non stick dressing. it's red and puffy but not gross at all.. feels like day 2 of when i got the tattoo on. the smaller one is doing well and fading nicely. woot woot! (excuse the non shaving.. it's winter and i'm single. stop judging me.)

Updated on 29 Nov 2013:
i'm sort of annoyed.. the results aren't nearly as great as they were on a tiny one i got removed years ago. it's still sore and i keep it covered with a non stick pad and a ton of aquaphor.

Updated on 3 Dec 2013:
I now know why they asked if I was pregnant.. they aren't sure of where the ink goes when they zap. weird phenomenon- the red heart ink is migrating all around.. it's strange/gross. anyway here is a pic of a week later.

Updated on 6 Dec 2013:
this thing is sore and itchy.. its starting to flake, but not really very much. i picked at the hearts which felt good ;) it's starting to fade.

Updated on 6 Dec 2013:
ferret with a hoodie. since he has fans ;)

Updated on 30 Dec 2013:
Went away to the islands for a week- sun burning the tat helped a lot :). Not sure if I can afford more treatments as of yet.. Kinda bummed

Updated on 29 Jan 2014:
Lidocaine hurt so badly on the scar tissue surrounding wings I had to stop... Bad tattoo artist did a crappy job...

Updated on 29 Jan 2014:


Updated on 29 Jan 2014:


Updated on 29 Jan 2014:


Updated on 29 Jan 2014:


Updated on 30 Jan 2014:
This looks and feels brutal.. I'm using a ton of aquaphor and yes I taped pads to me because I'm poor..

Updated on 30 Jan 2014:


Updated on 30 Jan 2014:


Updated on 6 Feb 2014:
Welp, it's still healing and incredibly itchy but the black around the hearts has gone away! Yay!

Updated on 9 Feb 2014:
Check out the hearts- no black! It's fading nicely. I did scratch it which was bad... But it was remarkably itchy. Aquaphor is my best friend

Updated on 1 Apr 2014:
So, i have another session tomorrow and i'm not seeing a terrific amount of improvement and from what i've seen... the best results (pictures anywhere on the web) are from doctors (doctored results?). SO i'm at it again tomorrow morning and hopefully I'll see some results for this summer.

Updated on 3 Apr 2014:
The day after- he cranked the heat up this time

Updated on 12 Apr 2014:
Welp the black is going away and some spots of white are showing through!

Updated on 12 Apr 2014:


Updated on 19 May 2014:
Ok.. I talked to someone who had removal of his entire back and it was cheaper than mine and more effective.. thus far I haven't seen a single picture of successful removal that wasn't a doctors review. Anybody in the area have any better ideas/doctors? :( feeling blue and inky

Updated on 30 May 2014:
I went to a new doctor today who charged $300. Quite a difference and used the lidocaine cream and hour prior. That did nothing, it took longer and hurt like a mother. That was intense. She also does aftercare differently- I need to leave the bandage on until morning, wash it, do peroxide soaks, use a burn salve and polysporin on it. The burn salve is to help cells regenerate. Last time with the other doctor I just used aquaphor. I'll keep yall posted on pictures. She was at Cirillo dermatology in Bryn Mawr.

Updated on 31 May 2014:
The pain was worth it. The process took a long time, but today it's inflamed, in pain, and it's disappearing! No pain no gain :) As per usual, I forgot to buy gauze and i'm using sanitary napkins on it and polysporin. :)

Updated on 2 Aug 2014:
Another session. I'll show before, during and after pics. Today i'm going to purchase the high-grade burn salve she recommended for healing. Last time I couldn't afford it. Session is 300. I will say, without the lidocaine injections it feels like grim death. I'm gonna load up on lidocaine cream for the next 2 hours in hopes that it numbs it better than last time.

Updated on 2 Aug 2014:
Ow video coming soon

Updated on 2 Aug 2014:
Hurt a lot less but still awful. Using biofene for scar treatment and I'll upload the video soon

Updated on 2 Aug 2014:
video of today. every pop was awful :)

Updated on 28 May 2020:
I haven’t had any treatment in 2+ yrs. I was wasting my money and time. Went to a tattoo convention where they offered a free removal and it worked better than all of the previous times combined. I was spending $300-750 a session and this place Tataway (now called Finery) Used Revalite 4-6 and only charged $120? Or something and rid me of it forever. See below:

Eric Bernstein, MD does have a good bedside manner. However, I felt that his lasers and philosophy are a bit too aggressive. I went to Eric for a scar consultation several years back. I previously had V-beam by Candela on my scar at Penn where I saw immediate results. I decided to switch doctors due to Bernstein’s credentials and reputation. He proceeded to treat the scar with a V-beam and a few different lasers. What I found is that the scar did improve in appearance, but it behaves almost like rosacea where it changes color sporadically. I did not see this occur after the first treatment at Penn by the V-Beam. With that said, there is regret with going to his practice for treatment. Like I said, he had a good bedside manner, however it leads me to believe that one should stick with a practice aligned to a research university such as Penn due to Quality and Integrity of care.

A doctor that I went to -- Dr. Bernstein of Mainline Laser Center in Ardmore PA -- recommended that I do Fraxel Dual twice (within 4 weeks) on my skin for my moderate acne scarring. My skin was damaged by acne scars during my child-bearing and breastfeeding years (28-32) when I refused to treat the acne because I was afraid of hurting the baby with medicine. Six years later, my skin is in terrible condition, and I NEED to make these scars look better. I was exited at first for the consult, seeing this as my best hope for having skin that might be close to normal again. Dr. Bernstein said it would not make everything go away, but that it would look a lot better.

Now, I am very dismayed and frustrated reading all of these horrible, negative reviews. The reviews, however, are not specific. Most do not say what kind of laser was used, what year, what setting, who the doctor was, what your skin type is, what after-care procedures you followed, what you were trying to treat, your expectations, the cost, etc. Without these variables, it is hard to tell what reviews to take into account.

Does Fraxel Dual REALLY severely damage your skin texture and pores, years after the procedure? Could the fine lines and wrinkles in the years past the Fraxel be purely from aging? Could the additional scarring be from new acne? Could some of the damage be from too high of a setting, improper after care, an inexperienced physician, etc.?

Please be more specific in your reviews. When I Googled Fraxel Dual reviews, it sent me to this page.

Has anyone gone to Dr. Bernstein in PA?

Updated on 6 Aug 2015:

Had acne scars, went for resurfacing in Tampa, came out much worse than before.

At 53 in 07 I decided to have laser resurfacing for scars from acne. The doctor in Tampa suggested Erbium Level 6. I thought he knew what he was doing so I agreed. I was left with rolling scars, a huge dent & pigmentation change all over, red for months. He dissed me when he saw the results. I was devistated. Couldn't go out.

I came back to Phila. to look for a plastic surgeon. No one wanted to take me on. Some just did IPl for the redness but as for the scars I now had & how my skin texture changed they were afraid to touch me.

I was recomended to one in Ardmore who said he'd help. He tried Fraxel but got little results, then Perfecta which helped a little so then he tried Affirm. I've had a few treatments but it seems to help the best for me. My skin now feels a little thicker, the Erbium made it very thin from taking off a layer. I feel a firmness now & am able to touch my face without it hurting.

I would recomend Affirm but you really need to find someone who only works with lasers. Not fillers, not botox, not someone who does everything. Just someone who works & knows lasers & have been for a long time. I know you have to go for more than three treatments to really see any results since it takes time for you collegen to grow. But at least I'm seeing results.

Again, check out your doctor!!! The one in Tampa was board certified but it seems he didn't know a thing about working with lasers.