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ProFractional-XC Ruined My Face - Avoid at ALL Cost
I want to start this review by saying I am a medical school student—I have read every scientific paper imaginable on this laser and am far from impressed. The data is weak and non-specific and I desperately wish I’d done more research prior to jumping into this procedure. Please don’t let this laser (or any laser) touch any part of you.
Background: I’m a 25 yo female with Fitzpatrick 1 skin. I typically heal well and have no chronic conditions. I had 4 or 5 minor acne scars on my forehead from one awful breakout. I was feeling self-conscious about the scarring and its placement (middle of my forehead) and was desperate to permanently resolve the issue. Besides those marks, my skin was pretty great. Not perfect, but I received compliments on how smooth it was.
6 weeks ago, I visited a well-respected, board certified derm and explained my insecurities (the very minor scarring). She recommended at least one round of ProFractional XC—no risks were verbally disclosed. She immediately had numbing cream placed on my forehead and glabella and I was taken to the treatment room 30 minutes later. I was so thrilled at the idea of eliminating my scarring with “virtually no downtime” that I didn’t stop and think about what was happening. I was told this would reduce the scars, even further improve my skin texture, and potentially decrease my forehead lines.
The treatment itself was virtually painless and I was sent home with a small aftercare kit. The instructions were not fantastic, but I got the gist of them and followed each step to the letter.
I never had any abnormal reaction and thought I was fine a couple days in. However, as the days went by, the holes where the laser beam ablated the tissue never closed. I read some reports that it takes a little longer in some people. The doctor told me that I should notice significant improvement by week 3 and to “trust the process”. Week after week, the holes increased in size and the skin between the holes became waxy, dry, and shiny. My skin takes absolutely zero moisture in—every lotion just sits on the top in a greasy mess. Further, I no longer produce my own oils on my forehead. The awful texture highlights the thousands of holes burned into my skin and creates the worst “orange peel meets leather meets ground meat meets cobblestone” look. 6 weeks in and things are just getting worse by the day. I can’t wear make up (the texture looks infinitely worse, if that’s even possible), I can’t go outside (new sensitivity), and I’m too embarrassed to be seen by anyone (difficult for a med student). My derm keeps telling me to “trust the process”, though she continually adjusts what “the process” is.
I was going to wait for 6 months to post a review in case I experienced some miracle where all the holes closed and the texture normalized. However, I couldn’t stomach the idea of someone else choosing to undergo this procedure based on the misrepresentation here. It could ruin your life (like it has mine) and I would never forgive myself. This procedure page claims 100% approval rating, but that only represents the 10 most recent reviews. If you specifically filter in just the “not worth it” reviews, you’ll see there are MANY. And the stories are as bad as mine. Also read the “I’m not sure” reviews. You’ll notice similar negative effects. The “worth it” reviews are reported so quickly after the laser that I personally have a hard time trusting them.
Even if my skin normalizes (praying constantly that it does), I still wouldn’t recommend this procedure to my worst enemy. The emotional toll it has wrought is unbelievable. This is not a “weekend peel”. This is a risky procedure with life-altering outcomes. And, if you’re one of the unlucky few (or unlucky many, as I’m starting to believe), your failed procedure cannot be covered up. It is the first thing anyone will ever notice about you.
This is my biggest regret. I am a fraction of the person I was before. My ONLY piece of relief is that I didn’t do my whole face.
If I can emotionally make it through medical school (in my current state, it’s looking like I’ll lose the very thing I worked my entire life to accomplish), I promise to devote my life to helping laser victims and to bringing a light to what these procedures are capable of. The lack of accountability is astounding and I won’t stand for it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Background: I’m a 25 yo female with Fitzpatrick 1 skin. I typically heal well and have no chronic conditions. I had 4 or 5 minor acne scars on my forehead from one awful breakout. I was feeling self-conscious about the scarring and its placement (middle of my forehead) and was desperate to permanently resolve the issue. Besides those marks, my skin was pretty great. Not perfect, but I received compliments on how smooth it was.
6 weeks ago, I visited a well-respected, board certified derm and explained my insecurities (the very minor scarring). She recommended at least one round of ProFractional XC—no risks were verbally disclosed. She immediately had numbing cream placed on my forehead and glabella and I was taken to the treatment room 30 minutes later. I was so thrilled at the idea of eliminating my scarring with “virtually no downtime” that I didn’t stop and think about what was happening. I was told this would reduce the scars, even further improve my skin texture, and potentially decrease my forehead lines.
The treatment itself was virtually painless and I was sent home with a small aftercare kit. The instructions were not fantastic, but I got the gist of them and followed each step to the letter.
I never had any abnormal reaction and thought I was fine a couple days in. However, as the days went by, the holes where the laser beam ablated the tissue never closed. I read some reports that it takes a little longer in some people. The doctor told me that I should notice significant improvement by week 3 and to “trust the process”. Week after week, the holes increased in size and the skin between the holes became waxy, dry, and shiny. My skin takes absolutely zero moisture in—every lotion just sits on the top in a greasy mess. Further, I no longer produce my own oils on my forehead. The awful texture highlights the thousands of holes burned into my skin and creates the worst “orange peel meets leather meets ground meat meets cobblestone” look. 6 weeks in and things are just getting worse by the day. I can’t wear make up (the texture looks infinitely worse, if that’s even possible), I can’t go outside (new sensitivity), and I’m too embarrassed to be seen by anyone (difficult for a med student). My derm keeps telling me to “trust the process”, though she continually adjusts what “the process” is.
I was going to wait for 6 months to post a review in case I experienced some miracle where all the holes closed and the texture normalized. However, I couldn’t stomach the idea of someone else choosing to undergo this procedure based on the misrepresentation here. It could ruin your life (like it has mine) and I would never forgive myself. This procedure page claims 100% approval rating, but that only represents the 10 most recent reviews. If you specifically filter in just the “not worth it” reviews, you’ll see there are MANY. And the stories are as bad as mine. Also read the “I’m not sure” reviews. You’ll notice similar negative effects. The “worth it” reviews are reported so quickly after the laser that I personally have a hard time trusting them.
Even if my skin normalizes (praying constantly that it does), I still wouldn’t recommend this procedure to my worst enemy. The emotional toll it has wrought is unbelievable. This is not a “weekend peel”. This is a risky procedure with life-altering outcomes. And, if you’re one of the unlucky few (or unlucky many, as I’m starting to believe), your failed procedure cannot be covered up. It is the first thing anyone will ever notice about you.
This is my biggest regret. I am a fraction of the person I was before. My ONLY piece of relief is that I didn’t do my whole face.
If I can emotionally make it through medical school (in my current state, it’s looking like I’ll lose the very thing I worked my entire life to accomplish), I promise to devote my life to helping laser victims and to bringing a light to what these procedures are capable of. The lack of accountability is astounding and I won’t stand for it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.