Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
I suffered from severe acne through my 20s, mostly...
I suffered from severe acne through my 20s, mostly due to long work hours. At the age of 26 I finally had enough and jumped on the Accutane train. I was prescribed to take it for 5 months, but out of laziness I only took 4 months worth of the product. Scared that I'd need a second round, I'm proud to say that over 6 years later I still only needed one!
Anyway, once the acne was gone, it was time to treat the scarring on my cheeks and temples that I often hide behind my hair. I had red marks left over that would take months, if not a full year. I now have had fraxel x5 times, generally 1-2x a year, but none in the past 1.5 years.
Fraxel has it's pros and cons. As many other reviews, you sit with numbing cream for the first 45 mins. After my first initial Fraxel, I now ask the nurse to crank up the settings to get my full money's worth. Even they are shocked at the pain threshold I have! The whole experience is 15-20 mins. They do x2 passes for me. The first is relatively painless, with cool air. The second pass feels like tiny elastics constantly snapping on your face and can make me jump with pain! This is mostly since the numbing meds are wearing off.
When you're done, your skin has tiny dots. I almost compare the look of clear medical tape with the tiny holes in it. Ice on and off for at least an hour and have someone drive you home.
The first day or two, you skin is very red, like a minor sunburn. It doesn't hurt, just moisturize carefully. Don't exfoliate! By day 4 it will start to exfoliate naturally, don't be alarmed and don't force it. It will itch like mad! My bf would have to stop me from itching my face in my sleep.
1.5 weeks later you skin is glowing, smooth and plump. That is my favorite time! It appears that all scarring is gone and your skin is lush. But don't be fooled. 4-6 weeks later the scarring will reappear and improvements will be subtle.
My red marks went away and Fraxel helps help some fine lines, for a while. The sessions have slowly chipped away at my scarring, but it will never go away completely without fillers.
I may continue Fraxel once every few years as maintenance, but don't expect miracles or major changes. Everyone's skin is different, so I'd say mine is on the extreme end as far as small results. I don't have pics, but my derm does and they have said the same thing :)
Anyway, once the acne was gone, it was time to treat the scarring on my cheeks and temples that I often hide behind my hair. I had red marks left over that would take months, if not a full year. I now have had fraxel x5 times, generally 1-2x a year, but none in the past 1.5 years.
Fraxel has it's pros and cons. As many other reviews, you sit with numbing cream for the first 45 mins. After my first initial Fraxel, I now ask the nurse to crank up the settings to get my full money's worth. Even they are shocked at the pain threshold I have! The whole experience is 15-20 mins. They do x2 passes for me. The first is relatively painless, with cool air. The second pass feels like tiny elastics constantly snapping on your face and can make me jump with pain! This is mostly since the numbing meds are wearing off.
When you're done, your skin has tiny dots. I almost compare the look of clear medical tape with the tiny holes in it. Ice on and off for at least an hour and have someone drive you home.
The first day or two, you skin is very red, like a minor sunburn. It doesn't hurt, just moisturize carefully. Don't exfoliate! By day 4 it will start to exfoliate naturally, don't be alarmed and don't force it. It will itch like mad! My bf would have to stop me from itching my face in my sleep.
1.5 weeks later you skin is glowing, smooth and plump. That is my favorite time! It appears that all scarring is gone and your skin is lush. But don't be fooled. 4-6 weeks later the scarring will reappear and improvements will be subtle.
My red marks went away and Fraxel helps help some fine lines, for a while. The sessions have slowly chipped away at my scarring, but it will never go away completely without fillers.
I may continue Fraxel once every few years as maintenance, but don't expect miracles or major changes. Everyone's skin is different, so I'd say mine is on the extreme end as far as small results. I don't have pics, but my derm does and they have said the same thing :)