What are common Fraxel side effects?

To be precise, side effects are expected reactions from a treatment that are not complications. You ask about Fraxel. Side effects for Fraxel RE:store are different than Fraxel Re:pair. Reactions to Fraxel restore include swelling, redness and gentle skin flaking for three to five days. Sometimes the skin flakes slightly tan or brown. There is stinging during the treatment and for several minutes to even an hour or more after the procedure rarely. There can be a reactivation of one's susceptibility to having cold sores, and there can be pigmentation development that usually is temporary.
Fraxel Repair is more aggressive as a treatment and raw skin occurs as a result so that side effects are more numerable including oozing, crusting, brown flaking, long term redness, sensitivity and a very small risk of scarring and pigmentation changes.

It depends on how aggressive your treatment is. For lighter treatments, you might experience some mild swelling, redness, and tenderness for a few days. More extensive treatments might be accompanied by redness, swelling, and flaking, which could require a few days of social downtime before you feel ready to appear in public. These side effects are expected after the treatment and will resolve without intervention in nearly all cases. Make sure you work with an experienced, board-certified dermatologist with expertise in the Fraxel devices to ensure the best results with minimal risks.

Fraxel laser treatments are very safe.  I don't know which treatment you  are considering.  Fraxel is a brand name of fractionated laser treatments.  There are both ablative and non-ablative treatments meaning that some ablate (burn off) the outer layer of skin and some don't.  Restore is Fraxel's non-ablative treatment and Repair is their ablative laser. 

So, what can go wrong?  Burns are extremely rare in experienced hands.  Special care must be taken in dark skinned individuals to reduce the risk of hyperpigmentation.  Individuals who get cold sores should take preventative medicine.  The doctor can prescibe this.

 

All fractionated laser resurfacing has potential risks of post-treatment pigmentation, flare of acne, herpes, staph infection, prolonged redness, temporary swelling and itching. The key is to seek out an experienced laser surgeon, preferably, a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon who has experience in performing greater than 50 cases of your skin type. Key to my personal success in Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing is to customize a detailed skin care regimen prior and after laser resurfacing, specific to your skin type and priorities.

Hi,
Drs Maddali and Turowski have excellently covered the answer to your question with regard to Fraxel restore.
Fraxel repair is a more aggressive laser treatment and has the same possible adverse effects plus some. Fraxel repair is a fractionated CO2 laser and though the complication rates are much lower than the older traditional CO2 lasers of the 1990's, there is the possibility of burns, infections, and scars.
Fortunately when performed properly the risk of these extremely rare complications are very small, but they must be included in the informed consent that every patient must agree to prior to the procedure.
The most common side effect that my patients have noticed after Fraxel repair is the compliments that they receive about how rejuvenated they look.
Good luck and be well.
Dr. P

The most common side effects include swelling, redness, bronzing, crusting and peeling. Post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation can occur for darker skin types and it can be improved with the help with some Hydroquinone, or bleaching cream. Applying sunscreen with a stronger SPF after the procedure will prevent from sun damage and skin irritation.

The most common side effects after a Fraxel treatment are pain, swelling, and redness. All of these things should be short-lived, so we really think of them as part of the procedure. As your skin heals from these is where your body does all the work! Once you get over the side effects, you start to see improvement in sunspots, surface scarring, skin tone, texture, and fine lines. We go over a few other, less common possible reactions. Trust me, my patients think the downtime is worth it!

Fraxel lasers have the quality of most fractionated lasers in allowing for fewer side effects. The theory behind fractionated lasers is that a small piece of tissue is affected over a large area. Consider a digital picture which is made up of millions of small dots or pixels.  If only a few of these dots or pixels are removed, the overall picture remains the same,  essentially untouched.  Fractionated lasers work in the same principle; however, a physician can decide to only remove a few pixels (treat a small amount of tissue) or remove many pixels (treat a large part of the tissue). The more tissue treated, the more effect there is on the skin leading to more side effects.  Regardless, the most common side effect is redness or erythema, which can be prolonged if the physician chooses a more aggressive treatment (removes more pixels).  Along with redness, a period of exfoliation is expected which can last from a few days to even a week or so.  Depending upon the laser,  there can also be some bleeding, but this is very rare and usually resolves immediately.

There are four types of Fraxel machine being used, in addition to a handful of "wanna-be Fraxel lasers" advertised and used on patients.
Therefore, be very careful that you are actually getting Fraxel and not lasers marketed as Fraxel but made with cheaper parts from a different manufacturer. Here's why!
Fraxel is one of the best technologies to use. It is so expensive and each time the laser is used the doctor has to buy you a new tip to use on your skin. This makes the process pricey. Cheaper alternatives are not only less expensive for offices to acquire but also do not require the disposable tips. This makes them cheap to advertise.
Here is the price tag: with other lasers you are at higher risk of discoloration, and downtime. In fact, we tried three other lasers that discolored my sister, burned by office manager's chest and scarred my hand before we settled on the safe and true Fraxel.
To makes things even more confusing, Fraxel makes 4 different machines for various purposes. Each has a use and price associated with the treatment. This makes price shopping somewhat complicated!
Because of the fractionated technology, people need more than one treatment with the Fraxel. The ablative ones have the most recovery period and can cause the most side effects vs non ablative ones.
In general, they are all associated with scarring, discoloration, infection and pain if not used at their optimum capacity.
Best of luck!

Fraxel Dual remains one of the most popular procedures in my office now for many years. Why? Because in spite of new flashes in the media pan from other energy devices, Fraxel Dual still gives predicatable and beautiful results and has a high satisfaction rate. Fraxel 1550/1927nm can be used for skin discoloration, photoaging, fine lines, texture improvement, pre-cancerous changes on the skin, and acne scars. In addition, it can be used on all skin colors and skin types (if the doctor knows how to set the appropriate parameters). Redness, flaking, swelling and dryness are the usual side effects and they are quite manageable with good instructions.