POSTED UNDER Fraxel Laser REVIEWS
FRAXEL MAKES YOUR SKIN WORSE!! DON'T DO IT!
ORIGINAL POST
I asked the derm what I could do about minor acne...
evilfraxelApril 24, 2011
$800
I asked the derm what I could do about minor acne scarring. The first thing out of her mouth was Fraxel.
I hadn't heard of Fraxel and at the time (January 8, 2010), there weren't many bad reviews out yet.
So I trusted the doctor and went ahead with the derm's recommendation to do a full face Fraxel even though the acne scars were only on my cheeks and temples and that I was only 26 years old.
Acne scars didn't improve.
And my skin, my face, my life was ruined for it.
Now, 15 months post laser, I have:
- facial fat loss (lost my cheekbones, cheeks sunken in, chin deflated, forehead fat gone, as well as lip thinning due to fat loss)
- hyperpigmented skin
- broken blood vessels and red blotches
- indentations
- additional scars where I never had scars before
- enlarged pores
- dry skin
- wrinkles
- orange peel skin texture
- sun sensitivity
- blurry eyes
- nerve damage
- and btw, did you know that there's been studies indicating cancer from laser damaged cell dna? This is what I have to look forward to in the future...
- not to mention, all the psychological and mental and emotional trauma you will have to go through
Please do all your research before you do Fraxel or any another laser.
Research laser side effects, complications, risks.
Learn about basic skin biology and how the lasers work and affect the skin.
Fraxel destroys columns of skin which includes, not only collagen, but also nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands, sweat glands, hair follicles, the regenerative parts of the dermis and epidermis, and of course, the fat cells.
Please. I wish someone had written a similar review and I saw it before I did Fraxel.
It was the biggest mistake of my life... and I'm still having trouble coping with the effects it's had on my skin, my face, my life.
Replies (45)
May 2, 2011
I am so sorry about your experience. I have most of the same issues. This is my second summer living as a vampire. It is do depressing!! Best wishes to you. Please keep us updated!!
May 26, 2011
I also have the same issues. This is so depressing. I live like a vampire too. I am 15 months post and the hyperpigmentation is horrible. I honestly cannot believe this laser is legal. I have hope that the hyperpigmentation will fade (as I read in someone elses post at two years post treatment). If that fades, I will be able to deal with the rest.
March 3, 2015
Ditto... Year two of living as a vampire. All the negative side effects etc. it really is terrible so I'm feeling for you guys.
May 5, 2011
wow i am very sorry. i myself am having to deal with my own fraxel nightmare. he absolutely destroyed me, and im only at the begining of it im afraid.
February 4, 2015
Thanks so much for sharing!
February 4, 2015
It's been over 6 years since my first fraxel and I still love the results. I am now getting one every year for maintenence. Still no wrinkles to speak of at 43 and great tone of skin. I only use sunscreen and a little concealer under Eyes and around my nose. Prior to getting my first Fraxel i didn't leave the house without foundation. I think the fact that I am very fair skinned played a role And also a highly skilled dermatologist who is performing my treatments.
February 4, 2015
I think the results from any laser can very depending on the type of skin one has ie: dark/ light, oily or dry. I'm glad you had great results
May 9, 2015
May 9, 2015
Let your face be the one that looks like 50,000 stretch marks and see how much time you'd be willing to devote to others not having the same thing happen.
May 9, 2015
You took the words out of my mouth I find that comment cruel to people whose faces have been disfigured
May 9, 2015
I'm happy for you but after one erbium laser treatment it destroyed my face. Imagine having a couple scars then come out with dents, broken blood vessels, scars you name it. You were very lucky that it didn't happen to you but I will never recommend lasers again. This was 8 yrs ago and I'm still dealing with depression emotionally and physically. My body shakes just looking at myself. I also had lasers after the damage that didn't do a thing but that's what they said I needed so I did. Waste of money and more anxiety.
May 9, 2015
I have removed the comment by edichiera as unsupportive comments are not tolerated on RealSelf. We take pride in providing a safe and supportive environment where people can freely share their personal experiences, both positive and negative.
UPDATED FROM evilfraxel
Some logic for you to think about: - The...
evilfraxelMay 25, 2011
Some logic for you to think about:
- The doctors say the result will be like you got a sunburn. But think about it. Sunburns and sun exposure are the number one factor to premature aging. Why would you pay to get a sunburn? And it's not just a mild sunburn at that, it's like you're getting 10 years worth of sunburns in one 20 minute sitting.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Fraxel advertises itself as "non-invasive" and "re-surfacing" but this is all lies! They say they remove the top layers of your skin but in actuality the laser goes way deeper than that. The top two layers of your skin are maybe 500 nm thick and the wavelength of Fraxel is 1500 nm!! Think about that!
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Fraxel proclaims to be FDA approved. But did you know that the procedure to approve medical devices through the FDA (which includes the Fraxel laser) is not stringent and is corrupt? Search youtube "FDA corruption" for specific medical device complaints. Be weary! Don't mess up your face like I did.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- You really, really want to get rid of your acne scars? Have you tried the other procedures first? The tried, tested and true procedures that take a few months to work but don't ruin your skin and your face? First try micro-needling, or microdermabrasion, or chemical peels. Never do a laser. They are way too harsh for your precious skin.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- You don't believe the reviews on here that say they've suffered fat loss, oil gland destruction, hair loss, eye damage, etc, google the different types of cosmetic lasers and what they're advertising them for. There are lasers out there that promise to melt fat for those overweight, and there are lasers that promise to destroy oil glands for those who sweat too much, and of course hair removal lasers, etc etc. Lasers are all the same!! And if one can do that, then all of them can destroy.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Btw, fat loss means your face will change dramatically. You will suffer traumatic identity loss and your life will abruptly stop. Take this seriously. This is the least I can do since I can't change the FDA, I can't stop the company, I can't even get my review closer to the front of this website. If you read this. Please listen to your intuition and your gut feeling.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- If you are still set on doing Fraxel. Please, ask for a test spot first! Do a test spot of about an inch by an inch (the smaller the better), and you'll be glad you did a test spot first before your full face. Why? Because I guarantee you that you will see the difference between your skin and the Fraxel damaged skin. It'll be like night and day. Do a test spot first!
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- The doctors say the result will be like you got a sunburn. But think about it. Sunburns and sun exposure are the number one factor to premature aging. Why would you pay to get a sunburn? And it's not just a mild sunburn at that, it's like you're getting 10 years worth of sunburns in one 20 minute sitting.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Fraxel advertises itself as "non-invasive" and "re-surfacing" but this is all lies! They say they remove the top layers of your skin but in actuality the laser goes way deeper than that. The top two layers of your skin are maybe 500 nm thick and the wavelength of Fraxel is 1500 nm!! Think about that!
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Fraxel proclaims to be FDA approved. But did you know that the procedure to approve medical devices through the FDA (which includes the Fraxel laser) is not stringent and is corrupt? Search youtube "FDA corruption" for specific medical device complaints. Be weary! Don't mess up your face like I did.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- You really, really want to get rid of your acne scars? Have you tried the other procedures first? The tried, tested and true procedures that take a few months to work but don't ruin your skin and your face? First try micro-needling, or microdermabrasion, or chemical peels. Never do a laser. They are way too harsh for your precious skin.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- You don't believe the reviews on here that say they've suffered fat loss, oil gland destruction, hair loss, eye damage, etc, google the different types of cosmetic lasers and what they're advertising them for. There are lasers out there that promise to melt fat for those overweight, and there are lasers that promise to destroy oil glands for those who sweat too much, and of course hair removal lasers, etc etc. Lasers are all the same!! And if one can do that, then all of them can destroy.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Btw, fat loss means your face will change dramatically. You will suffer traumatic identity loss and your life will abruptly stop. Take this seriously. This is the least I can do since I can't change the FDA, I can't stop the company, I can't even get my review closer to the front of this website. If you read this. Please listen to your intuition and your gut feeling.
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- If you are still set on doing Fraxel. Please, ask for a test spot first! Do a test spot of about an inch by an inch (the smaller the better), and you'll be glad you did a test spot first before your full face. Why? Because I guarantee you that you will see the difference between your skin and the Fraxel damaged skin. It'll be like night and day. Do a test spot first!
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
Replies (31)
February 4, 2015
How does your skin look now 4 years later?
February 4, 2015
Well, I still have hyperpigmentation in spots and I still have the laser scars on my right jaw line. They are lighter, but that is because I haven't been out in the sun in almost 5 years. Procedure was March 2, 2010. They are still there though. I was talking to my boyfriend and we were thinking of getting me one of those lights that people in Alaska use to get their vitamin d. It would probably help with my depression a little. Still would not recommend this to anyone.
February 4, 2015
I'm so sorry to hear that you are still feeling down. Have you tried MIcroneedling? This at home procedure may help. It has helped my scars
February 4, 2015
I am not sure what Microneedling is. I notice some people on here speaking of scars that look like acne scars. My scar is more of a pigmentation line. Not sure how anything other that tattooing would help that. I have long white lines on the right side of my face between my cheek and jawline running horizontally and it is obvious that they are the pattern and width of the laser. Everyone I have seen about it say that he must have had the laser turned up to high. That is the area he started in and then must have adjusted the laser for the rest of my face. It is what it is. I would rather just forget about it.
February 4, 2015
Sorry about your experience. I have the SAME effect you show on your photo, except that mine came from one IPL treatment administered by a surgeon using a Sciton Profile BBL. The only difference is that my doc went really close to my eyes, so ALL of my skin is pretty much ruined. BTW, I have extremely oily skin. I wonder if the heat basically fries the oil in the glands and that is part of what causes the orange peel texture?
March 19, 2017
Sorry about ... I wish you can fix . Maybe, you can checking some natural cream with Blueberry , jut to uniform a little. I had deeply scars about side effects from cancer. I used YES cream face blueberry, bought in Way mart. After , I didn't have money to buy more, so I started to eat more and more blueberry which I know is very good for skin and inflammations inside the body. I wish the best for us.
May 17, 2017
You are absolutely spot on correct! I hope people listen to you!! It happened to me as well.
UPDATED FROM evilfraxel
More food for thought: - There are no long...
evilfraxelMay 25, 2011
more food for thought:
- There are no long term studies regarding the side effects of Fraxel or any other fractional laser. There are no independent studies done on Fraxel. There are no studies period! I had to learn the hard way about all these things after. Please, do yourself a huge favor and skip Fraxel and any other laser!
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Fraxel has only been around about 5 years. And 2 and an half of those years were in clinical trials. It took the FDA like 20 years before they acknowledged that anti-depressants may be linked to suicide. And they still allow the sale of diabetes drugs that are known to cause heart attacks, because, as they claim "it's equivalent danger" to the other drugs currently out on the market. Do not trust the FDA to protect you.
DON'T DO FRAXEL
- There are no long term studies regarding the side effects of Fraxel or any other fractional laser. There are no independent studies done on Fraxel. There are no studies period! I had to learn the hard way about all these things after. Please, do yourself a huge favor and skip Fraxel and any other laser!
DON'T DO FRAXEL!
- Fraxel has only been around about 5 years. And 2 and an half of those years were in clinical trials. It took the FDA like 20 years before they acknowledged that anti-depressants may be linked to suicide. And they still allow the sale of diabetes drugs that are known to cause heart attacks, because, as they claim "it's equivalent danger" to the other drugs currently out on the market. Do not trust the FDA to protect you.
DON'T DO FRAXEL
Replies (3)
March 21, 2016
Anti-depressants are also linked to the successful treatment of depression. Terrible example. Acne scars are not equivalent to depression or diabetes. All of these treatments have risks. Even Acetaminophen, Tylenol, can and has been deadly. Medicine is a field of relative risk. I'm so sorry for what has happened to your skin/face but millions of us have had our lives and quality of life saved by antidepressants (many more than individuals with increased suicidal thoughts) and having lost more than one relative to diabetes complications I really don't appreciate this comparison. Also, I know dozens of people who love fraxel treatments. I have reservations about the procedure for many of the before mentioned reasons but please don't over sell your argument. Best of luck.
April 4, 2017
I agree!! FRAXEL is a big risk! The day I went to get my fraxel from a very reputed doctor to fix some minor acne scars, the cousin say my skin and said, wow you skin is glowing, why are you even getting laser? And 20 days days since that procedure, my skin is botched, pigmented, white spots and I have no idea how this is going to resolve itself. Never again!!!
April 1, 2019
I have the white spots too. This all took a while to show up - and unevenly pigmented areas, very sensitive skin now, etc. The women who do this often - the ones who work in these clinics and get it done often, look abnormally pale and strange to me.
HI evil,
Welcome to the Fraxel community. I'm so glad you decided to post a review. Your experience although quite sad and challenging, will for sure help someone else who is going through or considering the same thing. Have you gone to see anyone else to see if they could help? Please keep us updated.
Thanks so much for the review,
-Britt