Fraxel Restore Caused "Lines"

It's the Fraxel- I have the weirdly misshapen pores too!

You have to get pretty close to see the lines. What freaked me out the most is when I caught sight of them one day while in my car. They are very noticable to me in the sun light. I can see them pretty clearly in the rear-view mirror while sitting normally in my seat. So, that's a good foot-and-a-half to two-foot distance. Your's sound just like mine. They're like small lines that are made up of pores. Kinda like connect the dots. Yes, they are all going in a specific direction. I would say that some of mine are even longer than 2mm. I know for a fact that I did not have all this damage prior to Fraxel; the lines or the sagging. I may have had some of the lines/pores around my nose and my upper lip, but no where near what i have now. Especially, not on my cheeks. Since all of this has happened, I have noticed the same lines on other people too. Not to the extent of mine, but the same kind of lines. I am thinking that maybe, just maybe, our skin is severely dehydrated. I'm not saying all the damage is due to dehydration, but maybe some of it is. I believe that the Fraxel caused it to dry out way down deep. I have seen three plastic surgeons, one derm, and two estiticians and they all said that my skin is pretty dry. Never had that problem before. It's also like all the deweyness is gone. I do have a little bit of hope, however. I started the Obagi NuDerm treatment 5 weeks ago. I am seeing some improvement. It's an eighteen week treatment, so I'm just barely getting my feet wet. If it helps me alot, I will be sure to let you know. It may be able to help you too. I'm not expecting my skin to ever be the same as it was, but hopefully a bit better. Then, next step, mini-facelift. What a horrile mess. :(

What a damn shame! I hope the Obagi helps you. In my case, it's hard for me to tell what's Fraxel and what's time. My first Fraxel was in October, and my third (and last) was in January. I think overall, I look older--more tired, the skin under my eyes is hollowed out more (that may be aging, I'm about to turn 42, and I have aged more rapidly, post 40). Definitely more red/dry, especially under the eyes. It's never been like that before. I'm hoping it's just temporary damage, but who knows--maybe the after-effects of the treatments look and feel like sunburn because they ARE burns, and it's super-deep permanent damage. Hard to tell. I def. have those tiny, tiny diagonal lines on my face. Mine are all, I'd say, about 1-1.5 mm long, and only visible up close. But of course with makeup on, it sinks into the lines and accentuates them. UGH! I'm so pissed I did this. I had no idea the consequences could be so dire. The only upside for me is that my husband doesn't think I look any different, and no one else has made a negative remark.

I know what you mean . . . Everyone thinks it's in my head and I don't look any different. B.S.! My 11-year-old son could see the lines when I pointed them out to him. I know my skin wasn't this bad before Fraxel. It's not a coincidence that it all started one month post treatment. I'll admit that there are people out there my age with worse skin then me (probably due to really bad acne or some kind of trama), but there are lots of people 20 years older than me that have better skin. It just sucks that this happened unecessarily and my skin will never be the same again. I used to love to play volleyball. I don't do it any more becasue none of my v-ball friends have seen me since this happened and I'm embarrassed to go. It's weird because some days I feel like it's getting better and other days it looks worse. Do you feel this way?

Bombshell ~ I just realized that we're conversing on two different threads. Let's keep eachother posted on any improvement and/or (hopefully not) further damage. Take Care. B

Sounds exactly like mine as well, especially in the sunlight, my nose looks like a shriveled raisin or something. I haven't had the fraxel done, mine occured after having IPL done numerous times to rid spider veins on my face, especially in the nose area. I only reply to this because I always wonder if my skin is severely dehydrated/burned from it as well. The only thing is when I try to moisturize it makes the pores/scars look larger and seems to irritate the skin around it.

Hi there,

I just had Profractional laser on my face. I am 2 weeks, 3 days out and I have the diagonal lines everywhere. I am in a state of devastation. My skin lost its glow and looks dead. I have an appt with a leader in laser sugery on Monday to see if the lines can be sanded down. Did you ever treat the lines you have? Have they gotten any better over time. I am just horrified!

I just had Profractional laser on my face. I am 2 weeks, 3 days out and I have the diagonal lines everywhere. I am in a state of devastation. My skin lost its glow and looks dead. I have an appt with a leader in laser sugery on Monday to see if the lines can be sanded down. Did you ever treat the lines you have? Have they gotten any better over time. I am just horrified!

I hate to be a bummer but mine got worse. Fractionated laser is designed to go DEEP under the skins surface, which is why damage a) often worsens over time b) cannot be sanded down or ablated to reveal new skin because you've been zapped through to your deepest layer of skin. When they say fractionated laser "vaporizes tissue" in their literature they aren't kidding- it's gone. I got my treatment 17 months ago and I guess the best advice I can give is be patient, take care of yourself, and live your life. Try not to obsess about it- I'm horrified at how my skin looks but there are an awful lot of people with really awful skin that still find a way to wake up in the morning and make each day count. Don't waste too much time on what you lost, it's pointless. Some people have had pretty bad damage and made improvements- there is always that possibility- healing is contingent upon so many individual unforeseen factors so there's no reason to be hopeless. Be willing to try things but I'd be leery of anyone trying to sell anything corrective and have never, in all my many months of research heard of anything "corrective" working. Usually people who see improvements are using certain skin regimens (retin-A, obagi, etc) and eating right, exercising and taking various supplements and eating right. So sorry this happened to you too- try not to worry and take care of yourself

Thank you for your very kind reply. I am sitting here in sheer terror. I have an appt. with a world leader in laser surgery on Monday and I'm hoping he will have a solution. Are you absolutely positive it cannot be sanded down? I had a dermabrasion about 20 years ago with superior results. I also had the traditional CO2 about 10 years ago, and again, with superior results - perfect skin. So all weekend, I've been thinking that if the area that got ruined was just be sanded down a little, all would be well. How has your skin gotten worse? Did it get a lot worse. I'm only at 2 weeks, 3 days, but I can tell these lines (made up of tiny holes) are pernanent. They are NOT getting any better. Fortunately I just did the area around my mouth, so I'm thinking it would difficult to just sand it off. I've read that they recommend microdermabrasion to make the lines go away, so I'm thinking the sanding could wipe it out in one shot. Thank you again for your lovely email and all your insight. Looking forward to getting your thoughts on the above - I'm DESPERATE, lol Also, I had a laser called: Profractional XC

I meant to say "Would'NT be difficult to sand down in the above.

Again, the area cannot be "sanded" because "sanding" applies to the very top outermost layer of skin whereas fractionated laser is designed to pass that top layer of skin and "destroy micro-columns of tissue" deep *below* the surface- therefore with these procedures you are just be bringing deeply embedded damage to the surface quicker. I did microderm shortly after my laser treatment with zero result- who's to say in retrospect if that made things worse? I can't. In any case, I wouldn't rush to put your skin through anything else traumatic right now while your body's defense mechanisms are already down. You're in the very beginning stages of healing- my inkling is to say don't push it, but I'm not a doctor, I just speak from experience and from innumerable accounts I've read of people in our position. Ask your doctor if there is any reason this approach would work now versus in six months? If not, then wouldn't it be prudent to wait and allow yourself time to heal? My doc wanted to also do photo-facial after my treatment but I read so many accounts of photo-facials being a temporary fix that caused even more damage later that I decided not to. I had already ignored such warnings about fractionated laser I felt I'd be foolish to do so again. I know you are desperate- we all have been there- and sadly, isn't that feeling the bread and butter of this industry? Just take your time and think about it and remember promises of a "quick fix" are what got you here. Look at the negative reviews on this procedure on Realself and look at the numerous replies from doctors on this board who FAIL to address or recommend any tried and true solution with any positively reviewed results from consumers.

Thank you, again, for your kind reply - I'm a mess right now. And Monday can't come soon enough (my appt. with new doctor). And, yes, I think doing something right away would be foolish. The dermatologist (board certified, incidentally) said she could do a peel at 6 weeks out. I'd never let HER touch my face again, but it made me think that perhaps something could be done. There has just got to be a way to correct it. When I asked the receptionist at the new doctors office if he does correction for "other laser surgery gone wrong- burns, etc" she said, "yes." I'll let you know what I find out. As I mentioned, he is known globally in all-things laser, so if anyone has the answer, he does. Did you investigate having your damage corrected. If they recommended "micro derm" to you, then, perhaps, they thought getting rid of the "surface mess" could potentially improve things? I just can't accept this mess. The doctor who did it said she was 99.9% sure I'd be happy in the end (I'm 2 weeks, 3 days out), but I know my skin, and it does not look right. Who told you sanding wouldn't work? Did you investigate having it done? If I find out differently, I'll let you now for sure. Are your holes big? Small? What are your lines like? Sorry to bother you, but I am just sitting here horrified and DEVASTATED?!?! I wasnt afraid AT ALL going into it since, historically, I had responded so well to lasers. I realize this laser works differently, but it was suppose to be a combination of the different lasers, capitalizing on the best qualities of each of them, so I thought it was all good.

And did you have the Fraxel? Or Profractional XC?

I just came across this response from a doctor to a person with our problem: I HAD to share it with ya, lol - It was encouraging

By Ronald Shelton, MD - Manhattan Dermatologist
There can be further improvement over time, no doubt, but if you are not fortunate to see improvement, you should consult with your physician to see if they think that more homogenous resurfacing with carbon dioxide laser, could help. A test spot might be done first, though, to see how your skin responds since you are indicating that you did not get a typical response from the Fraxel Restore. The carbon dioxide laser, or other ablative therapies (dermabrasion, Portrait plasma [becoming obsolete], and erbium yag ablative laser) may give you a more even result, but all carry a larger risk of complications than the Fraxel Restore.

I would never put another laser on my face again. And it may make it look better for a while. My skin looked fine for the first month or two. The real problems came 6 months to a year later so I'd be afraid any "corrective" laser would yield similar results on down the road. And of all the women on this board who have had bad results from lasers I'm not sure I have heard of any having them fixed with lasers. And yes, of course, I've seen many doctors and tried many things, none of which worked. And like your doc said, the "corrective" lasers he recommends carry greater risk of larger complications than the one you used, which wouldn't exactly inspire confidence if it were me.

Can you clarify what you mean when you say the real problems came 6 months later? You've said a few times that things keep getting worse, and it frightens me to hear. Can you describe the problems so I know what to look for. I also want to bring it up at my appt on Monday with new doctor. And, incidentally, the post I sent you was not MY doctor. It was just a reply I found on this site. Also, what part of your face did you have done by the faxel? Or did you have the Profrational XC vs. Fraxel (I had the Profractional, but not sure I understand the difference between the profractional and fraxel). Anyway, I am just devastated. I feel like I'm in the middle of a nightmare. This is so awful. I can't wait for my appt on Monday to see what this superstar doctor has to say. If I find out anything new, I'll be sure and let you know ;-) ...Thank you for all your insight. And please just let me know what happened 6 months later

send me a private message with your email and I'll send you photos.

By getting worse I mean an increase in dullness and laxity of skin, major increase in pore size, tiny holes, fine lines and bumps

I don't think you're imagening at all. I have seen it myself. Its terrible. I am reminded of it everyday, and strangers comment on it too which is pretty depressing. My neck which was never Fraxeled, is about 20 years younger than my skin on my face... and mind you the neck usually ages before the face. Now explain that? In addition, at the very sides of the face where fraxel did not reach and was not applied - I have no lines or wrinkles at all. Only within the area Fraxel was used. And the lines are sooo bad... its terrible with the pressure on women, age and appearance to have your skin damaged like this. Doctors tell me its very difficult to reverse aging; far more difficult than to maintain youth.

Please, please do not do any form of laser or harsh treatments! These doctors use us only as guinea pigs to develop new procedures for name and fame for themselves. Don't risk damaging your skin over these useless medical people!
Me and my friends were quite cosmetic surgery keen before. Now I don't want anything. 9/10 cases I have seen with friends have DAMAGED them, not improved them. I wouldn't even want a facelift if I had to. Have you seen Steve Martin? He had a facelift just 2-3 years ago. And lo and behold, his face is starting to sag and look OLDER - not younger!!! It just shows you that cutting these delicate muscles under the skin when they lift the entire skin/face to pull it tight, simply weakens the underlying structure even more and AGES you faster. Its a very short term solution. Lets all wait for stem cells. Other than that, vitamin injections, hylaronic acid is the most drastic I will go. I tiny implant is probably a better solution to 'lift' a sagging area than to cut and stretch. NEVER again lasers, cutting, digging into my body. I will look 70 when I will be 45 if I have these [RS bleep], unskilled doctors do their poor work on me anymore.

Those lines happened to me but went away after ~4 months. Now I have a serious problem that resembles acne (I never had) but is more like inflamation. I use cream From dermitologist that helps but am not supposed to be on it long term it had steroid in it. Anyway whenever I go off my skin looks bumpy red and inflamed. I'm know a year past fraxel. It only looks this way in the areas that were lasered. Sucks.

Sorry this is happening to you too. Sounds like you had your fraxel done just a short time before me. Are you experiancing the sagging too? Did you have your neck done as well? Is the skin on your jowls stretchy? My 68 year-old mother came to visit me, and her skin in firmer than mine! I'm only 40!

I didn't have my neck done- my whole face though. I think the only reason I have less apparent sagging/fat loss is that my face is extremely thin to begin with- so there wasn't a big change in volume, but the dots all over my face- the little columns where the laser destroys the skin are obvious- people see them if I point them out but I'm not sure they would have noticed had I not- my skin looks like I had bad acne at some point, and I have scars, but really those are laser marks. I get a lot of breakouts and my skin is insanely dry, so I either have moisturized broken out skin, or dry wrinkly skin that isn't broken out. The place that did it deny deny that they ever could have been the cause. I am 34. I got an aloe plant and put the gel directly on my skin which has helped because it moisturizes without oil. To me, the worst part of this is that now I am terrified of the sun when I used to enjoy it (with sunscreen of course) but now I'm even scared to be out in it protected, which is a shame because I'm a runner. I'm trying to stay positive however and take things day by day- ironically stress is one of the *worst* things for our skin. And you are right- some days it looks much worse than others

i am re-reading your posts beann and holy jeez, the first time i noticed my lines were in the car in the light- i had put mineral powder on to try and hide some of my discoloration which normally makes my skin look quite nice and when i got in the car and looked in the mirror i about crashed- diagonal little lines- like my pores are slashes now all over and were magnified to a horrifying degree with the powder and light- hard to describe. I feel like I can pick the women out in a crowd who have had this done! I feel like my skin is so thin now- when I smile all my veins pop out in my forehead which NEVER happened to me before. I asked for my settings used and I know they lied to me- I'm pretty sure she told me she did it at 15/55 at the time and said since I was tolerating it so well she would give me a stronger treatment but when i asked again months later and said I had damage she said she used 15/45 with only 2 passes and that my treatment was "conservative". I really wish all of us who had damage lived in the same state and could get together and compare notes, skin Dr. experiences and treatments. Reading these posts used to scare the crap out of me but now they are a source of comfort in that we are not alone; I'm so sorry we all have had to deal with this BS and wish everyone the best of luck in dealing with it and want to encourage us all to keep our spirits up. I also want to thank the people at RealSelf for providing a source of REAL information and a forum of support for all of us- who would have thought a vision for unbiased cosmetic information would become such a vital support network for so many- kudos to the makers and contributors of this board

Hey Frieda ~ Sorry to point out the rear-view mirror in the car thing. I kinda wish I'd never even noticed it. I'm constatly looking in the mirror now in the car. My daughter just pointed that fact out to me today while driving home from lunch. Ya, I don't understand the sagging thing. I'm very slender too, so I don't know why it happened. I'm 5'9", 125 lbs. There's not an inch of fat on my neck. Maybe if I knew why it's sagging I could do something about it. Like maybe, it ruined the connective tissue and now my skin isn't attached to the muscle? I don't know. I think I'm going to go see more plastic surgeons and see if any of them have an idea. So far, I'm 0 for 3. Possitive note: The texture of my skin/pores/lines is getting better. I'm using Obagi NuDerm and I'm seeing some improvement. It's not the whole NuDerm system that helping the texture. It's the Retin-A that's part of it. I think it's my best bet at getting my skin close to what it once was. Maybe you should give it a try. Let me know if you're interested, and I'll give you the scoop on everything I've learned so far about it. Also, and you might think I'm a bit wierd for doing this, but I plan on "protesting" Fraxel in front of the place where I had mine done. I'm so angry with them. I spent $1,300 for ruined, sagging skin. When I went in to talk to the woman who did it, (and ask for a refund), she told me that there was no way Fraxel did it. I was very calm and respectful and told her that I don't believe she personally was responcible, but the laser was. She didn't even look at my skin closely and told me that she was insulted that I would ask for my money back after she gave me "such great service"! Then she said I was paronoid about getting older! So my plan is to gather all the information on Fraxel and what it has done to so many and share it with customers in front of her facility. She may not have given me my money back, but she will loose a ton of money from potential customers after I get a hold of them. I have already called the police and found that this is perfectly leagal for me to do. I'm just waiting for the weather to warm up, and I'm so there!

No, I didn't mean to infer that I noticed that *after* you mentioned it, I meant that is exactly how I realized how badly my face was jacked up for the first time- I was shocked to see my face in the light in close range in the car mirror! I think its AWESOME that you're protesting the store- you should contact your local news, they will LOVE it especially if you have before/after shots and something concrete for them to go on. I wonder if there are others in your area? If I was there I'd do it too- it would be interesting if all the people with damage could do a big protest at their headquarters- that would be a NATIONAL story and honestly, I think we're getting about to that point where that might be an inevitability- there are just too many victims. I had the same experience at my provider- one tech told me there was "no way" the laser could have caused the damage and had the nerve to ask if I have an "auto-immune disorder" and then the other tech told me it was "laser marks" not enlarged pores and that IPL would take care of it. I personally think its colums of destroyed skin that creates the holes. The Palomar rep even looked at me and very casually said "I've never seen that before" but the nervous expressions on all their faces tells me differently. I don't know about your damage but its hard because I dont have good documentation and before shots; my sister is the only one who notices the damage I'm talking about. Its not as though a stranger would look at my face and see anything out of the ordinary- its just that its sooo different and such a far cry from how my skin *was*. I would love to trade info, tips; is there a way we can exchange e-mails?

Hi. Sent you a private message. B

That is freaky reading the same thing I feel about my skin. Beann and Fox, same issues that I have but I never had the fraxel, was actually hoping the fraxel could repair damage that I think vein treatments did. I get told that there is no way they are laser burns/marks, but I know for a fact that I didn't have these before my treatments for facial veins. I think I could tell you the hour I develop a new indentation/enlarged pore/scar on my face, which seems to continue after those treatments. Terrified to go in the sun as well now, and everything topical I use seems to make it worse. Trying Tazorac now, but I don't suffer from breakouts, just humongous strange pores/scar/indentations/lines on my nose and edge of my nose. If you find something that helps, please please list it on here. I am going through Laser genesis treatments now, so crossing my fingers. I think certain skin types just can't handle certain laser treatments or something.

On one hand, I'm reassured by so many posts with similar stories. On the other hand, Im SO sad that this happens, and more appalling, that the company and physicians deny the obvious.

my doctor lied about my settings too, and they altered the notes. they even changed my pictures and dates of pictures. they are all liars and onlyu doing it for money, greed and power at any cost to others. those lines and pores now look like leather ...my face did not sweat for years, veins show all around my eyes, they never did before. my eyelids sag and hang over my eyes, my sclera (whites of my eyes)were burned and now are too dry and painful to use contacts, sunscreen wont get absorbed into my skin, so even if I use it ,it shines and magnifies the 'leather'look, it is so obvious and prominent. it has ruined me, my life my happiness, who i am as a person,. i cant even enjopy a hike, a bike ride, a walk in the park, nothing anymore outdoors. and people are not as nice to someone who now looks old and haggard as compared to how i use to look.

what happened with the laser 'genesis treatments'? Some docs wanted to od more laser on me after they ruined me but I was too afraid. 3 years later and I still look awful, In the first year to two years the damage is exemplified, it just keeps showing up worse and worse. Now I seem to be a little stableized. I looked 10 to 15 years younger than my age before fraxel, now I look 15 or more years older, my 76 year old mother has better skin and firmness than I have at 49. It is awful. The indentationsa are as bad as ever, the fat volume loss of my skin, especially under my eyes is so horrible and scarry. My neck and chin and cheeks sag when I turn my head just slightly downwards to read a book or paper, my under eyes skin sags too because of so much damage and volume loss. The discoloration also remains along with the textural leathery changes and large pore-like marks and lines. These doctors are liars and thieves and do not deserve to carry the meduical profession honor.

Yep, the worst angle is full sunlight, side illumination. It shows all the pores/lines/weirdness. Beann recommends Retin-A and I too have read from many sources its really the best for pores and texturizing so I'm on it too; it does take 6 months to a full year of consistent use to get the results. I've seen small but noticeable improvement with pure aloe. When my skin is dry or when I'm wearing foundation/powder is when it looks the absolute worst. It's interesting that we all have the same bad side effects yet our practitioners all seem to act like they've never seen these effects before and have absolutely zero advice on how to fix it. Mine told me it wasn't enlarged pores I'm seeing but laser track marks and suggested a series of photo-facials. Hah! I'd rather put spears in my eyes, thanks. My skin is fair and I'm of mainly European descent with a prior history of heavy sun exposure (although of course I wouldn't dream of it now). The two doc's I've dealt with tell me in all seriousness that lasers emit NO radiation and are not capable of the kind of damage I'm describing, so it's hard to make progress with what is either complete ignorance or outright deception. I live in Los Angeles and I find it difficult to imagine there isn't a doctor in this town where millions of people get millions of laser treatments every day that is knowledgeable about laser damage and has experience attempting to correct it. If I find it, you can bet I'll share the wealth but I'm not holding my breath. I've had better luck doing my own research than with the "professionals" thus far but I suppose I concede that it's a possibility there is one out there somewhere that knows something of value. At the very least, the skin is amazingly regenerative and resilient; there are things out there that DO help but will require time, patience and trial and error for everyones individual needs and skin type. Beann pointed out and I totally agree that since we've both seen slight improvements since our damage first started, (not lots, but some) it's certainly possible and should give us hope. I'm taking supplements, skin anti-biotics, apple cider vinegar. Heard good things about all of them and the anti-biotics were for the horrible break-outs I had at first. Chin up, exercise, be healthy, stay positive! I keep a sedative handy for the bad days, not at all ashamed to admit. Few things are worse for your health (and skin) than massive amounts of chronic stress/anxiety/worry- that at least is one undisputed medical fact.

Hey everyone! Hope you're doing well. I haven't been on realself for a while, cause, frankly it was freaking me out. I was so scared of what is to come. I have deceided, however, not to worry about anything until it's there to worry about. As Frieda mentioned, I have seen improvements in the last 6 weeks or so, and I know there is no new damage to report, so that is encouraging. I believe the Retin-A has helped a lot. I started using it in the beginning of February. I have seen most of the improvement to my forehead, around my nasolabial folds and my upper lip. The worst part of my face is on each side of my nose and across the apples of my cheeks. I do see these large pores and lines on other people that haven't had Fraxel, but they are usually much older than me. So I believe the laser, to put it simply, ages your skin. Period. It's like it shows you what you will look like in 15 years. At least that's my take on it. There are some damageing effects that don't fit in to the aging factor, but for the most part all of my side-effects are similiar to aging skin; i.e. large pores, dryness, lines/wrinkles, and sagging. The worst of my damage, IMO, is my sagging neck. It is what bothers me the most. However, that problem is probably an easier fix than the textural issue. I have decided to go in for a mini-lift this summer. I don't think my neck is that horribly bad, and some other 40-year-olds probably have it without ever having the laser, but it really bothers me and I just want to get myself back to the way I was as much as possible. I'm hoping to get it done as early as next month. I started my initial research in January and have found two really good doctors. OK . . . Here's some things that I have found or researched that could help with textural problems. First, again, Retin-A. The initial stages of starting Retin-A aren't fun. I was very red, peely, irritated, and itchy for probably the first 5 weeks. I had many people ask me if I had "been tanning". That was their nice way of saying I looked sun burned. Retin-A takes up to a year for full results, and is to be continued thereafter. Two important supplements to take for skin remodeling are 1000mg each of Vitamin C and MSM. Drink your water!! At least 64oz daily. I believe my skin is extremely dehydrated. I have put oil on it probably 6 times today and there's no greasyness to my skin at all. Emu oil is a great healing product and moisturizer. My skin drinks it up. (My dog loves it too. Every night he tries to lick my face off.) It is very close to our own natural oils which is probably something that has been "zapped" out of us from the laser. Alos, eat your veges (or green smoothies) and exercise. Another thing that I am trying out is Copper Peptides. This has been a very hard product for me to work with. It is very strong and must be respected and used lightly. Basically what it does is bring damaged cells to the surface and then they are exfoliated off, while your body helps to replace the damaged cells with remodeled cells. (That's where the supplements and Emu oil can help.) The hard thing is something called the "uglies". During the initial stages when the damaged cells come to the surface, you don't look so hot. I have gone through this 3 differant times. When it happens, I just stop using the CPs and then continue when my face returns to "normal". When I get the "uglies" it's like looking at myself when my skin was at it's worst from the laser. I believe I'm getting the uglies quickly because my damage is so new and so close to the surface. I can say, though, eventhough I've gone through some pretty horrific-looking days, I have had a few days where my skin hasn't looked better since I had the Fraxel. Hopefully, those days will come more often. With the CPs, you must exfoliate. I use the exfoliating products that they sell on the same site where I bought the CPs (skinbiology.com). I also started using a microfiber cloth. It does a really good job and I really like it. The doctor that is the CP guru is in WA, and I plan to see him personally when I go there to visit my sister in July. I'm hoping he can shed some light on exactly what the laser does to damage our skin. Also, the results come very slowly with CPs, so like Retin-A, it's a long haul before your reep the benefits. Facial exercise is a great thing to do if you are experiancing a little facial sagging, however I don't think it will do the trick if you've got it bad. In the first three weeks, I noticed my eyelids lift and my nasolabial folds smooth out a little. There is certainly some "filling in" going on. However, I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be enough to fix my neck and jaw line, so that's why I'm going for the lift. I do plan on keeping on with the exercises for the rest of my life. I know they really work. One last item: whew, my fingers are getting pooped: As you can imagine, my skin is often irritated and red at times. I found a sunscreen that I love that helps with the reddness big time - DHC White Sunscreen. Try it if you have the red-face-thing going on too. Take care everyone, and as Frieda put it in one of her emails . . . keep on keeping on. I like that.

Hi I realize I am posting this three years later but yes I am scnadinavian and also developed texture that looks like pores, or pinsized holes covering my face like a mesh, also very noticeable in the bathroom mirror that is illuminated from the side, just like you. I had some acne scars in my cheeks, they are still there plus still very bad texture! I could punch myself in the face for doing this /= Did you find any help at all, did your skin stop changing so rapidly at some point, and did your texture get any better/worse??

I am scandinavian

How long has it been since your last fraxel? How is your texture now?

Yep,I have the same huge pores/tiny slash marks all over (I call it the "shriveled" look" - my skin looks old and dried up now all the time) w/ some larger depressed areas, dark pigmented areas, and MORE broken blood vessels - from one bad IPL session. My skin used to have excellent texture - I was always mistaken for being at least 10-15 years younger before the IPL. Never once after.

And I am fair but do tan, no freckles, light eyes.

Madison ~ Don't do it. Why would you take the chance of this damage happening to you? I honestly don't think it's who does the treatment, but who GETS the treatment. Some people don't have a problem with Fraxel, while others have a lot of damage. I am two months post treatment and I see more and more damage each week. I just think it doesn't agree with some people. In any case, I had it done by the owner of Estitika in Mequon WI.

beann~~i know what you mean. I mean i dont want to risk anything bad happening but at the same time i want improvement of my depressed scar near my chin. I hate it eventhough my friends say that barely notice it. I think there just being nice seeing as though there my friends. I am frustrated cuz i do want some kind of improvement and at the same time im scared of the scar becoming worse. One doc told me about a fat transfer but that still may involve laser to resurface. I dont know what do do!

Madison ~ Maybe you should talk to your derm about the Obagi Nu-derm system. I just started it two days ago, and am looking forward to the results. It consists of 6 different products; 4 used in the am and 3 used in the pm. It is an 18-week system that is supossed to rid your face of old yucky skin and reveal new fresh skin. I have read many many reviews and I'd say 99.8% of people have wonderful results. (Most people said that you look kinda bad during the first 3 or 4 weeks as you go through the process though.) Many say that it has helped their scars. I'm not sure how bad your scar is, but I think this is worth trying. It's about $400 for a 4-month supply, but it's still less expensive then any laser treatment. As I understand it,(and I plan to confirm this with my derm), after the initial 18 weeks you use the products a lot less often, so it's not going to be $400 every 4 months. If you end up trying it, let me know. We can keep eachother posted as to our progress. Oh yeah - I've also read that some people do a Obagi Blue peel during this treatment. Talk to your derm. Best wishes! B

Fraxel does come with its complications. for me , it aged me 5 years within a matter of HOURS. Other people have had even worse complications. But obagi maay be safer, but is alot and I MEAN ALOT less effective (if at all) Heres my advice to people using hyrdoquinone, if you use it on your eyes, you could develop ALOT of swelling and depth in your fine lines. Also use it too much, and you can blotch your skin, possibly permanently

Well, the thing is your doc is probably gonna want to do your entire face instead of just the area of the scar. They generally claim that doing just one patch can - leave patches. Well, my reasoning is, if a treatment leaves patches at all, its simply not worthwhile and something is damaging with it.

Hi Beann, sorry you had such a bad experience. I just had Fraxel face, neck & chest a few days ago..., before I read this. I can see the small lines you are talking about already. Do you have any before @ after pics of your skin? What did the Dr say when you went back?

Honest ~ Why do you wish you never got it done? What problems are you having?

Honest.....do you have any updates?

dontdofraxel ~ please tell me how your treatment turned out.

Oh sorry. Please disregaurd my last post. I read your messages.

You know what i dont understand? outside this website, most third party websites all around and surgeons all over the world, give it an EXCELLENT SAFETY profile. Last year almost 200 THOUSAND, (200,000) fraxel treatments were performed, so if 50% of them cause these complications, the fda surely would ban it . And people saying they wouldnt ban it for money, well consider this, accutane is alot more profitable then fraxel, but it was no secret by the fda that it has tonnes of side effects they even listed SUICIDE as one of them. I dont think fraxel has that much immunity, i mean think about it, if 50 % of the patients you treat come back with complications, would you want that machine in your office? would you tell your colleagues to get it? how would fraxel be on the market? BUT MY Advice to people is this there is a 40% chance you will get a complication (research the types you can get) 20% chance you wont notice a difference 30% chance you will get mediocre results, and 10% you will get exceptional results decide if its worth it

Listen, these companies FAKE patient reviews all the time. The medical industry is so awful that they even fake bad feedback on competitors to detroy them, and fake good feedback on their own products whether it is true or not. Therefore, with good or bad reviews, its really hard to know the truth unless you know a few more other people - actually know them - that have bad experiences too. And since any patient can end up with bad results without making a treatment necessarily bad in general I think Fraxel indeed is a treatment that give massive bad results on many people. Both me and a friend had our skins completely ruined by Fraxel. We had gone together for treatments. I first noticed it on her how terribly aged her skin was within a year and realized we both had the same condition, after Fraxel. I remember about a year ago when Fraxel's popularity was horrendous with only 15-20% positive reviews from patients. Suddenly out of the blue it went up to some 70-80%; all fake. The company themself had added fake reviews all over the place.