Is fractional laser treatment painful, because I heard a lot of people say it can be very painful?

Typically not.The tolerance of fractional CO2 laser resurfacing treatments depends on a number of factors.  At my office we offer a number of different options to make the treatment virtually or completely pain free.  Those options, at a minimum, include topical anesthetic cream applied to the areas being treated for 1-1.5 hours.  I also perform targeted numbing injections to numb the face.  We also provide oral medication such as Valium and other anesthesia options that range from intra-muscular (IM) injections, twilight anesthesia, and even general anesthesia.  Most patients do well with just oral medications and an IM injection.The attached link and website provides more information.I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question. Not if adequate preparation is performed. See a Board Certified Dermatologist or Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. I hope this helps!

Since most fractional laser treatments penetrate deep into the dermis, adequate anesthesia is a must for a comfortable experience.  In my personal experience of performing hundreds of fractional laser treatments, I have found that complete anesthesia of the face is the best bet when it comes to having a pleasant day of procedure (assuming the patient is not under general anesthesia).  Every surgeon has his or her own preference, for some use only topical cream for skin anesthesia.  Again, in my experience, I have found creams to be unreliable and inconsistent. My personal preference is to numb the entire face via a combination of diluted tumescent (liposuction type solution) and regional nerve blocks.  Admittedly this requires a few more "pinches" to get the anesthesia in place, however, the payoff is that the entire face can be completely numbed 100%.  I have found this method to work best since it allows me to focus on giving the patient an even and strong treatment versus worrying about how uncomfortable the treatment is and managing a "squirming patient" (which is not pleasant for either party).So my advice to you would be to ask you surgeon how he/she anesthetizes the skin prior to the laser treatment. Certainly you should seek a physician who performs these on a regular basis, and who has logged many procedures over the years.