Fraxel Acne Scars- Does it Work?

I see patients fairly often that have had Fraxel treament for acne scars or for skin "tightening" that are disappointed in the results.  RealSelf's poll shows a very low "worth it" percentage (50%).  I would be very careful before spending money on this painful treatment.

Yes, without a doubt!
The acne must be under control with oral /topical antibacterials (ex: doxycycline) There are two Fraxel machines.
Fraxel Restore - one treatment a month for four months. There is very little downtime, usually some redness for a day or two. My laser nurse does this topical anesthetic cream.
Fraxel Repair - This is a one time treatment that I do under general anesthesia. The treatment can also include neck and decollete depending on your age and skin needs. 
There is about a week downtime, but the skin is healed within one day. This will give a more lasting result than the Restore. However, you have to decide which course is better for you. 

The first thing to understand is that acne scarring is very difficult to treat.  Sometimes the treatments can work great and other times the results are not to expectation.  The Fraxel laser is an easy way to treat acne scarring.  The Fraxel laser causes some collagen production in the deeper layers of skin which can smooth the acne scars some.  It is a noninvasive treatment that has a minimal recovery period so it is definitely worth a try.  Sometimes we combine other treatments such as direct excision or silicone injection.  Be sure to see someone who is experienced in acne scar revision for an appointment. 

CO2 is the best laser for scars, but Erbium is a great alternative. It may take a series of treatments to see improvements and to maintain. Keep in mind that a tailored combination approach will give you the most improvement with acne scars. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced cosmetic dermatologist and acne scarring expert. Best, Dr. Emer.

Fraxel is a laser tool used to improve texture
and tone of the skin.  It is often used in conjunction with IPL laser for
pigment improvement. Acne scarring should be approached via a multi-factorial
strategy.  Appropriate medical grade skin care, microneedling and laser
such as IPL and FRAX are excellent options to improve complexion and scarring.

thank you for your question. fraxel is a great treatment for acne scarring. depending on the severity you may need more than one treatment.

If there were one disease all dermatologists could banish, it would be acne. Besides the incredible psychological hit from having acne when you are a vulnerable teenager (and beyond as many 40 year olds can attest), many people carry scars the rest of their lives.Fraxel happens to be a particularly effective laser for lessening scars. Because fractional laser that is non-ablative (doesn't vaporize tissue), the recovery and healing is faster than other lasers that actually remove tissue. Fraxel works by coagulating tissue in ultrafine columns so healing is assisted by surrounding skin.So how does this work?Lasers intentionally create skin "injury". Why? This injury causes a body response of new collagen production. It's this new collagen that fills in some of the indentation of scars. With repeat treatments, you'll have cumulative improvements as each new collagen production cycle helps smooth the skin and lessen the shadows that call attention to acne scars.You'll need to have your acne under control if you still break out before beginning treatment. And if Fraxel is not deemed your best option there are alternatives that are non-laser. See a dermatologist to make that determination.

Several types of fractional non-ablative lasers (similar to fraxel, which is a brand name) are used to treat acne scarring.  Our 1540 xd from cynosure/palomar uses a dynamic compression tip, so that the laser penetrates deeper than other similar laser treatments.  It is helpful at reducing both acne and surgical scarring, but oftentimes these conditions must be combined with other treatments (microneedling, radio frequency, excision, subscision, PRP, ablative fractional laser) over multiple sessions for optimal results.  Boxcar and rolling scars respond better than ice pick scars (see sardana et al dermatological surgery 2014;40(3):288) - about a 52% improvement in this study.Best wishes

This is by far the most popular laser used to treat facial and body acne scarring. For 3 reasons #1. Great results #2. Low downtime #3. Affordable. You can improve your scarring without having to lose time from work or school, and yes it really does work. I would recommend seeing a cosmetic dermatologist for treatments, as they should be done at a appropriate settings to ensure good results. Best, Dr Papantoniou. 

The Fraxel family of technologies comprise three main lasers: the Fraxel Restore, Repair, and Dual. Together, they cover the spectrum of ablative and non-ablative fractionated resurfacing and each have a role to play in improving acne scarring. So yes, Fraxel can be a good option for acne scarring but typically multiple treatments with multiple different modalities spaced out over a period of time is the best approach to optimize acne scar treatments. A good cosmetic dermatologist can help guide you through the variety of options currently at our disposal and help to design an appropriate treatment plan tailored to your unique situation. Hope that helps!

In my practice, I use a combination of treatments including Clear and Brilliant (mini-Fraxel), fractional CO2, and Ematrix for acne scars.Dr. Karamanoukian