Preventing significant pain with Fraxel

Question

When I have Fraxel at the deeper setting, it burns so bad that it's barely tolerable, even with numbing cream for 90 minutes prior. I don't think of myself as wimpy when it comes to pain, but the last procedure was killer. Is there more that can be done to reduce pain? Injections? I want to keep doing it!

Susan Van Dyke, MD · Answer

Everybody responds to pain differently. I have patients who sleep through their procedures while others are truly in pain!   With Fraxel I like to apply topical numbing cream for about 60 minutes before the procedure. We also offer Pronox (laughing gas) to help with the stress that can come with any procedure. The nice thing about Pronox is that it works very quickly and wears off just as quickly allowing you to drive yourself after about 15 minutes.
For particularly sensitive patients I can prescribe a combination of a pain pill and anti anxiety pill to be taken at the time of the Fraxel. In this case you must have a driver.  
No pain medications are needed after the Fraxel.
Bottom line is that as a physician I can offer a variety of ways to make you comfortable.

Preventing significant pain with Fraxel

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