She Ruined Sunny Days for Me Forever . . . -Lincolnshire, IL

I had the worst possible experience with the Fraxel laser. On the day of the procdure, after waiting almost 2 hours for Dr. Taub, with the anthestic cream wearing off, the procedure was much more painful than they described. I had a number of complications that were not directly addressed well by her office in the days that followed. Three months later I developed hyperpigmentation on my cheeks - which is like a permanent tatoo on my face that darkens when exposed to sunlight. The hyperpigmenation was only in the area that Dr. Taub treated - we saw that because there was a line of pigmentation on my jaw where she did the procedure. Dr. Taub said it happens in 1% of Fraxels, and of course, she was sorry that it happened to me. I actually did the research before this procedure, and was found that this 1% hyperpigmentation complication is actually less in the "hands of a competent doctor." So, I figured Dr. Taub is very good, so I should have less of a chance of complications with her. BOY WAS I WRONG!
After month of creams doing very little, and Dr. Taub having nothing to effectively address the problem, I went to 3 other dermatologists. One of them trained Dr. Taub in medical school. I wish I had gone to him first before using Dr. Taub! He confirmed that there are fewer complications with Fraxel when the doctor is competent. He also confirmed that there is very little to do to fix the horrible effects of the procedure. Dr. Taub never called to follow up with me when I stopped coming. She knew exactly of my problems and what she was doing to address them, and never followed through to see how I was.
Where it has left me: in the 3 years since I have had the Fraxel, I need to avoid the sun, or the hyperpigmentation gets worse. So, in addition to sunscreen every 2 hours, I have become afraid of beautiful sunny days. Before this procedure, I played tennis, skiied, swam and did all sorts of outdoor activities. Now, I need to wear full brimmed hats outdoors, and it seriously curtails my ability to enjoy the outdoors as I used to do. When on vacation in sunny destinations, I am covered up and get nervous when my face gets touched by the sun. So, the part of my face that wasn't affected by the Fraxel is white and the cheeks, where Dr. Taub turned up the laser, get dark with the slightest bit of sun through high SPFs of broad spectrum sunscreen. The skin on my face is mottled thanks to her, and I am afraid to be in the sun, which has made life way less pleasurable for me.
Her office follow through and the store Skinfo were also a disaster. The automatron she has working at Skinfo told me that "You assumed the risk" when I told her what happened. She had no empathy, no compassion for a patient that had suffered complications. It was if the entire office went into legal training speak when I was trying to get my problem dealt with. I never was mad or raised my voice with anyone, and I had such reason to do so!
I think they run a factory and try to see as many patients as possible to pay for the expensive machinery they have purchased. They have overstretched Dr. Taub to make money on the practice, and she is borderline negligent because they have stretched her too thin.