Fraxel Destroyed My Face - Westborough, MA

Thank you, Marmara C. I just hope this helps someone else not to make the same mistake I did. Fraxel is not safe and the consequences can be devastating and irreversible.

I have been following your journey here but I have only ever seen one photo. Are there any follow up photo's to show what you are talking about? I think it would benefit everyone if they had more evidence of your condition as it progresses. Thanks!

I'm sorry to have to tell you that there is nothing that I know of that will repair the textural damage. A face lift and fat transfer will help to lift the sagging skin and replace the lost volume but nothing will eradicate the scarring. I'm very sorry that you have been injured. I truly feel your pain! Wishing you all the best.

D: D: D:

I hope you're wrong. I really, really, really hope you're wrong. You don't think another laser would help even it out?? Or is that a stupid thought that I should throw out?

Nvm. I read this entire review. :( Answered my own question.

Dermarolling/microneedling can help a great deal with the textural problems resulting from trauma to the dermal and epidermal layers, and cannot damage your tissues like IPL/laser/RF. Dermarolling requires a lot of patience, it is not a quick fix, but I am doing it to reverse the damage to my epidermal and dermal layers caused by a botched IPL treatment.

The fat loss is a separate issue because the fat layer cannot regenerate itself once it has been damaged or destroyed entirely by external causes like IPL/laser/RF. Options are facelift, fillers, and/or fat transfers. Possibly cheek implants. People are trying PRP, ProCell, and other new therapies, but these do not address the (missing) fat layer.

Thank you so much for the input! I'm four months out, so I'm going to give it a few more months before trying microneedling, but I'm definitely trying that route

Agreed. Derma rolling DEFINITELY WORKS. Everyone should look up the YouTube reviews.

Ps. Dermarolling has been used to successfully treat burn scars.

Please vicky post pictures of yourself or at least just your skin / start a blog / get on utube . If your case has been solved please try to help some of us that can barley stay alive. I pray that there is hope. I am going to email you on the provided address . Thank-you for your story.

Can I ask what is "vitamin therapy"/biorevitalisation? Is that the IV drip infusion or is it mesotherapy injections into the skin? I would love to know.

Hi Vicky, would love to an appointment with your dermatologist. can you tell us more? You email address is blanked out, unable to reach you.

Sorry for all the mistakes...i think way faster than i type. Lol

Hi Victoriana, I'm sorry for the late reply. I don't visit here very often anymore. It is just to painful. I'm so sorry to hear about your damage. When did it happen? Have you noticed any improvement from the peels? Did you have any fat loss or nerve damage from the fraxel? I've researched the accutane and have read many posts on it. Although there have been a few positive results, most of them are negative, showing no improvement. I will check out Dr. Oppenhiem. Thank you for the suggestion. It is just so devastating. It's been 5 long, painful years and I am still not over this. I don't think I will ever will get over it. I need a facelift and fat transplant to address the sagging skin and fat loss. The skin will never be repaired. The scars are permanent. All this takes a lot of money and I just don't have it. So, it looks like I will be stuck for the rest of my life looking at this devastation in the mirror. I will go to my grave cursing this doctor and his nurse who pushed this ill advised treatment on me.

i'm sorry to hear about your experience, i also was harmed by fraxel ....yes you're right sth like this can happen "deleted collagen is inadequately replaced and forms a pitted appearance resembling the surface of a golf ball. (Laser Revision of Scars, Dr. Keyvan Nouri, MD)".....in addition i also do believe that lasers can sometimes cause dna damage( check out the story of angela walker)....regardless, i do believe that there are several ways to substantially improve your appearence if you're so distressed about it :1) for the skin, get in touch with an experienced dermatologist who is specialized in aesthetic and laser dermatology to see what can be done to improve the apearence of your skin...i suggest you go to a major university medical center dermatology department(one of the best in the usa is the massachussets general hospital dermatology department where dr rox anderson invented the fraxel laser/they should know how to treat damage caused by their own technology)...retin-a, peelings , microdermabrasion or dermaroller could be an option/avoiding the sun and a high quality skin care regime is also important...2) for the volume loss the best thing you can have is fat grafting or temporary fillers like restylane ....what you call eye circles are nothing but eye bags that could be eliminated with a blepharoplasty with consevative fat removal or repositioning/arcus marginalis release (i recommend michael j. groth md in los angeles) ....i don't know if you want that, but in addition a well done full face lift would completely resolve the sagging skin issue, improve somewhat wrinkles and lines and cause a substantial , important rejuvenation of your entire face....i recommend daniel baker md in nyc or brent moelleken md in los angeles.....3) a good make up can do miracles (i recommend mineral make up that is very gentle to the skin/in fact you are wearing make up in your pre photos). regardless, i also want to say that i don't see all that damage on your after pics(you look substantially the same)....i see a little volume loss and hardly the skin issues you're describing (even though i believe you, as i have them too under my eyes)...remember what others will only hardly notice for you can be a devastating or even disfiguring flaw (body dysmorphia).....in situation of chronical depression after "bad plastic surgery, aesthetic treatments" it can be very helpful , if not even essential to get in touch with a psychiatrist /psychotherapist in order to get medications and therapy....i'm sorry for my bad english i'm from italy

Arcusmarginalis - Thank you for your comments and advice. I've been following your posts on MK's thread. You have done a lot of research and seem very knowledgeable. The damage to my skin does not show up well in these pictures. They are taken from my computer. I have the typical orange peel texture, lose sagging crepey skin covered in micro holes and fine lines (again not really apparent in the pictures due to the fact that I do not have a high resolution camera). There has been significant volume loss. It is just not that apparent in my full frontal picture due to the fact that I have very wide bone structure. In reality, I have very little fat left on my face which prior to Fraxel was very chubby (too chubby). The volume loss is more apparent in the profile pics that show my deflated cheeks. Last year, I thought a facelift was possible. When I pulled my skin taught, the holes seemed to disappear and my skin looked thick and shiny. However, this year, 2.5 years out, I no longer think that is a good choice due to the thin, crepey, lined and wrinkled skin. Pulling the skin up only pulls and stretches the lines that have formed on each side of my mouth higher up on the cheek. It looks a little better I suppose, but I'm not sure. Fillers may be a better alternative. I've decided to wait another year before doing anything. I continue to lose fat volume so I don't want to do anything until the damage has abated. As for the texture issues, I will never, ever, ever allow another laser to be put to my face. Aside from accelerated aging, I believe that many of us will end up with skin cancer down the road. I have thought about derma rolling, however, anything that puts more holes in my face horrifies me. The one thing that I would like to address at this point is the dark circles. I have consulted a couple of doctors regarding the issue. It seems that the Fraxel not only caused the skin around my eyes to thin, wrinkle and sag it also caused the eyelids themselves to become slack and lose which has also caused me have dry eyes. Cosmetically, I could have the fat pads removed and/or repositioned along with a canthoplasty to tighten my eyelids. If done correctly, it would definitely help the appearance of the dark shadows, however, it would do nothing for the wrinkles and lose and sagging skin under my eyes. A regular Bleph even with a canthoplasty is not recommended as it could cause ectropion. Make up is not a solution for any of these problems. It only accentuates the bad texture, holes, lines, scaring and dark circles. I checked out Daniel Baker and he was once a very reputable surgeon however he has had some recent negative feedback. Someone reported that he didn't even do the surgery, one of his assistants did and someone else reported that he was acting really weird like he was on drugs or something. A few people were not happy with the result. For the moment I will stick with facial exercises, good nutrition and good skin care to try to get my skin strong enough to undergo more dramatic procedures down the road. Again, thank you for your suggestions and by the way, your English is nearly perfect!

Don't do facial exercises! It is a MYTH that they'll improve yours skin appearence.....in fact each time you move your face /you do facial expressions you move and stretch your skin and form lines that ultimately become permanent wrinkles. Even the doctors here on realself do NOT recommend facial exercises.In fact the best thing you can do is not to move your face at all/not to smile. I for example am afraid (only since my fraxel procedure) to smile as I have the impression that the damaged skin around my eyes forms wrinkles 100 times faster than normal skin. Also Victoria Beckham / Posh Spice always avoided when possible big facial expressions and smiling because she was afraid of wrinkles. The best thing you can do is to avoid too much facial expressions (your skin has to stand still),to eat healthy (lot of vegetables, fruits , green tea) . to drink alot, to use a good moisturizer twice a day and to avoid the sun .How I already said retin-a and peelings might be able to improve your skin (but i would first proceede with a test spot to see your skins reaction). If you have the impression that you're continuing to loose fat than I would definetely consider a well done fat grafting.Fat grafting can sometimes also improve the appearence of your skin. I don't see why you would need a canthoplasty. You would need a bleph with an external (transcutaneous) incision and have some skin (would improve somewhat wrinkles) and fat removed or repositioned. Maybe a canthopexy to support the lower eyelid would be needed. Ectropion ( if the bleph is properly performed) is a rare complication.I think you would do well with a face lift , but of course I do not want to push anyone to such an important operation.About Baker : a renowned plastic surgeon I know here in Italy told me that he is a master surgeon for face lifts and that he operated several famous american and italian actresses (probably Sophia Loren). If you do researches about other surgeons you'll realize that there is NO surgeon that hasn't got bad reviews, complaints.Every surgeon has bad reviews.I recommend him at least for a consultation. I'm planning to organize an online petition that once completed would be sent to university medical centers dermatology departments in the usa, canada and europe where you ask to do the first big scientiific study about "unknown, impossible" laser side effects.The problem is that these side effects (wrinkles, lines, dry skin, open sores, weird skin texture, orange peel skin texture, sagging , dermal thinning, aging, fat loss) have been and are described by laser victims all over the world - no matter who they had their procedure with- but are NOT contemplated by contemporary dermatology literature. The famous sentence of doctors when you descibe your issues follwing laser procedures is "lasers don't do that , lasers can't do that, that's impossible!" bla bla bla. This because these side effects have not been scientifically studied (and they don't want them to study them because these machines allow laser manufacturers to make so much money that it would be ill advised from their point of view to admit that lasers can sometimes cause SKIN AGING and other issues). It's a mafia.I hope that trough such a petition you could obatin the attention of the medical community and maybe some ethical doctors would be interested in doing a scientific research. What is causing our skin issues, how was our skin damaged? Changes in collagen structure, dna damage of skin cells? What biological mechanism did the laser use to damage our skin.? The truth is that until medical doctors don't do researches about this subject we won't know.Until you do not have a scientifical evidence and proof of the damage you suffered it will be useless to contact solta, the press, to do lawsiuts and class actions. They still can say " lasers can't do that" cause science says so...but imagine a scientific study trough histological analysys of lasered vs non lasered skin could prove that lasers can cause dna mutations of skin cellls or abnormal changes in collagen structure.....earthquake.....i suggested this petition to iplandlaserdamagesupport....the adminstrator liked the idea, but i have the impression that they don't really want to help me to organize this....until i do not find someone that lives in the usa and that really wants to help me i won't able to organize this ciao

Hi, You know I would like to help organize a petition with arcusmarginalis do you want to also?I think We have to try because what happened to us is not going to go away. Even with fat graftings , facelifts, I MIGHT get reasonable improvement BUT never the beautiful old me.Those days are over forever.So should I just cry every day or fight back? I think I have to fight yet, they stole not only my face but my spirit.

i thought about sth like that http://www.gopetition.com/ "Dear laser dermatologist, we want you to do a scientifc study about "impossible" laser side effects" (the name could be sth like that). Once the petition is subsribed by 400-500 persons / each of them has to describe the damage they suffered /only iplandlaserdamagesupport has about 500 members and once you have collected about 100 before and after photos of laser victims to support that our claims are real you sent the entire document to each university medical center dermatology department of the USA (UCLA medical center, the harvard hospitals, cornell university etc.), canada and europe (uk, france, germany and italy). And let's see if thousands of laser doctors would have the courage to ignore this petition. We would need just ONE scientific paper that proves and explains our damage.They would have to rewrite the entire dermatology literature, you could go to the press and of course do lawsuits.

hi.im another victim of fraxel ,done by a laser god here in nyc.its a nightmare indeed.went to see danny baker,he suggested shortscar f.l with fat injections,which scares me.also read some negitive reveiws so im just waiting to see what to do.im new on here,but please keep in touch

Hi, I am sorry you have to go through this living hell.No words can express what it is like.I am also going to Baker for a consult all the way from michigan. Did he mention if the shortscar lift was a sort of deep -plane type of facelift? because that is what I believe will be best for my fat loss and repositioning my dropped tissues.Did you also tell baker that the fraxel laser caused your facial problems? what did he say about that?

Hello, did you have restore or repair?

I had fraxel dual restore 1550 50mj/ 8 density/4passes,topped with the 1927 thulium wavelength 10mj/6/density/4passes My damage was obvious around The first couple of days.

I had the fraxel restore about two weeks ago and now im really scared after reading all of this to the point i cant sleep or eat. I dont know how to tell if i have volume loss.

Ok, Don't freak out, does your face truly look flatter or look like it is starting to hang down?

I dont know... My mom says i lost my mind i look like i lost weight

It looks like you lost weight in your whole face?or just cheeks? If your face looks thinner and you HAVE NOT lost any weight you may have lost some fat. Just stay calm and wait a month and then see how it looks. DEFINATELY NO MORE LASER.

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Aimhigher is correct. Don't freak out! You are still very early in the process and chances are you'll be fine. The volume loss usually does not happen so quickly. It is usually months and years before that begins to show up if it shows up at all. Aimhigher had a particularly bad technician and was fraxeled to the MAX. What exactly have you noticed? Has the redness and swelling begun to subside? Are you or did you crust? The most important thing for you to do over these next several months and I cannot emphasize this enough is proper wound care. You MUST treat this like a bad burn. That's what it is. It's a radiation burn. You need to use something on your face that will calm the inflammation and cool the dermis. Even if you can't see the inflamation, it" is there. It is the inflammation that causes the damage. Psoria Gold and Biofene cream have been reported to be very beneficial in this regard. Ice water and vinegar soaks are also good to cool the skin and reduce the inflammation.

Hi Stella, I sorry this has happened to you. When did you have the fraxel? Was it Fraxel Dual, restore or repair? What kind of damage have you sustained? Did you confront the person that damaged you and what did they say? What were your initial impressions of Baker?

Everything healed fine just left with some micro holes that werent there.

You're going to be OK. Eat lot's of raw fruit and vegetables, get lots of vitamin C and zinc and drink lots and lots of water. If you can get one of the creams I mentioned previously, I would definitely do that as an added insurance policy to prevent damage down the road. Stay out of the Sun! Now, stop reading all these horror stories. The stress is not conducive to proper healing. Good luck!

Aww thank you i will try... Thank you guys

Yes, aimhigher. Just let me know what I can do. I know what you mean about not only stealing your face but your spirit also. I'm at the point of giving up because I know that no matter what I do and how much I spend, I will never have my old face back and I will never ever get my beautiful skin back. It all seems pointless to me right now, Maybe I'll fee differently tomorrow.

Your welcome, BK! Sending positive thoughts and energy your way for total and complete healing. Be well.

Bk, you never said and if you don't mind me asking, why did you have fraxel in the first place?

I hate mornings now. They are VERY hard for me. People who have not been through this can't understand.I thought actually about ending it at first, but I thought why let those [RS bleep] do this to me? I was a beautiful , energetic, happy, loving person and now I feel like my world has ended. I take each day at a time but I REFUSE to let them end ME!Don't ever let this end you.

I never thought it would cause so much harm to my self esteem, in addition to my skin. I am an intelligent woman who thinks that it shouldn't effect my confidence. It is as though, you are walking out in public with a malformation on your face, that does not look like normal acne, and that you can not cover up, I hate the stares or comments like "were you in a car wreck". In the early stages I had a large open sore the size of a quarter, I put a bandage over it and told people I had a biopsy done. The scar from there got worse, with also sloughing off and opening crevices above my lip; very bizarre. It got better but still is very defective and impossible to cover up, after 4 years and 10 months.

damage doesnt stop. the only thing that i think can help is stem cell face lift. loads of vegetables and fruits tons of water, exercise and good moisturizer

the truth is that we don't know and medical doctors don't know. The only think we know is that the damage is real. The problem is, that while laser gurus and manufacturers are aware about all this laser side effects (lines, wrinkles, fat loss , skin texture issues, driy skin, dermal thinning, aging etc.) and talk about them behind closed doors, they would never allow consumers to know about them. Of course no scientific studys have been done about these side effects and they are not contemplated by dermatology literature. Every MD will just say "lasers can't do that, that's non scientific, that's fanatasy". I doubt that a stem cell face lift will help much for the skin texture issues.As long as we do not know what damage there is in our skin (dna damage, collagen damage?) we or md's woun't be really able to say this or that will help, damage will stop after 1, 2,3,4 years or never stop.A scientific study to determine the nature and mechanism of the damage is needed. I'm planning to promote a online petition for this (read my answer to fraxel victim below from today).

Hi stefinash. I had 1 midface fatgraft so far. I had it in the beginning of oct. The swelling was unbelievable. I looked like a monstrous freak for 3 weeks. The dr. also did some fat under my skin in spots where the laser tore it up and gave it a uneven rolling look. The skin looked really good for about 1 month. Then as the fat started to reabsorb it started to look kind of bad and yucky in texture again .This is most likely because from the 1st fat transfer , most people have to go back a second time a get it done again . It is a lot of money , and should be a lot less for people the first time they get this done in the face.Anyways I'm getting a facelift soon because of the hanging from fat loss and weak muscles,etc. so this is a nightmare I 'm sure you know. If I were you go for face lift with fat transfer at same time .

Aimhigher, who did the fat graft? If you don't mind, how much did it cost? I didn't realize you had weakened muscles. Was that also caused by the Fraxel? Did you sustain any nerver injury? Again, I am soooooo sorry.

Hi fraxelvictim. I had a mid-face grafting by mark glasgold. He is really nice.He does acknowledge laser damage, but behind closed doors. yep. He did the best he could I suppose, He is a world-class expert in fat transfer and has written books about it.But I suppose I am going to really need a lift to make a real difference also. Yes, the fraxel damaged my muscles,destroyed the elasticity and collagen in my skin and gave me nerve damage .I can't raise my upper right lip. along with scarring my whole right side of face. I was Very good looking before this. Now I am a recluse.The grafting by the way was $7,000 should by paid for by fraxel and [RS bleep] who did this to me.

Hi Aimhigher, My heart breaks for the pain, suffering and devastation that has been inflicted upon you. That [RS bleep] really got you good. I hope she has nightmares every night for what she did to you. I'm happy to hear that you will be seeing one of the best for your lift to restore your beautiful face. I think it is prudent that you wait a year before doing any expensive surgical procedures. It will give your face and skin more time to heal before subjecting it to more trauma. Thank you for setting my Dear Doctor straight. I'm planning to do that myself as soon as I finish posting this reply to you. Although, on second thought, I'm tired so I think I will wait until tomorrow so I can say everything that needs to be said. I am looking forward to responding to Dear Doctor with great delight. I would like to thank him for this opportunity since so very little gives me delight these days. Anyway, enough about him. Wishing you love and positive thoughts for healing. Stay strong and be brave. Kathy

Aimhigher, Sorry it took me so long to respond. I've been really depressed. I'm sure you understand.

Thank you for all your support, Aimhigher. It really does help. I'm so happy to have found this forum. We need each other to lean on because no one else really understands the full depth of our suffering as we watch our faces disintegrate into disaster. Oh, the despair! Be well, my friend!

Please go to the facebook page of MELANIE WOODROW. She is a reporter and was on the DOCTORS show today. She told the story of how two women had been burned by lasers at a medspa. I told my storyon her facebook page and that I went to a doctor. Please go to go her facebook page and tell her yours

Fraxelvictim,Hope you are doing well.I have to say I am at the point where I realize I am never going to look the the old me again. A facelift will definately help but still, the old me was best.I think that solta and most fractional laser companies will end up in mass law suits in the future,and POSSIBLY the IRRESPONSIBLE,INCOMPETENT, 'DRS' that use them as weapons of mass destruction on a patients face then abandon then like trash.You and every victim of thermal radiation burn damage are very beautiful inside and out,The people and device makers are the real monsters.

Thank you, aimhigher. I'm learning that in order to avoid the depths of depression I absolutely must stop looking in the mirror. It is too heartbreaking to continue focusing so much attention on the devastation. It's true, nothing will ever replace the old self. God, did it best the first time around. A facelift and fat transfers can definitely be a great help to at least partially restore what has been lost. Yes, I believe there will be a huge class action lawsuit against Solta, et al. When it finally comes, I hope it destroys them. I hope today was a good day for you. Take care

Well I guess those who have gone to you are very lucky indeed. Are you an M.D. .? There are actual doctors on this site who have said in the wrong hands scarring can occur. This can show up after the swelling has subsided. Would love to know where you are located? If anyone in the area can show you actual damage and educate you on the unknowns and long term effects of laser. Please look at photos and contact who you would like to know more about. You must know that many procedures and medications have been FDA approved and years later taken off the market when the side effects or damages out weigh the pros. Unless you think everyone on here is lying and you don't believe the pictures submitted? There is no reward of money so really you should look into these cases so you can widen your knowledge before speaking out against what is our truth. You must look at all types of lasers and all types of skin with of course follow ups with photos up to a year later. None of that had been done to anyone I have read about yet. I have noted that much of the testing that are presented on MEDPUB.COM had been done in China!!!

My Dear Dr. Let me just review to you what can happen when "perfect communication" does not exist.Or in other words , horrendous side effects. Fraxel lasers, at too high a temperature, depth, and too many passes not only CAN penetrate the skin,and melt the fat, it can go to the NERVES.I know this my darling dr. because it happened to me RIGHT after the fraxel laser. I have nothing to gain by arguing with you about this. It is a complete fact.

To Dr. Min Ahn: It will be my very great pleasure to respond to your comments. Thank you for the opportunity. >"Whenever any patient is not entirely satisfied with a treatment or surgery, I take that person’s concerns seriously." Really, Ahn???? Do tell. Please enlighten us all. How exactly did you take my concerns seriously??? Over the past two years, I visited your office twice to confront you with the damage I was witnessing and pleading for help. What did you do? Did you take my concerns seriously? Did you personally examine my skin to see for yourself, up close and personal, what was going on? Did you ever touch my skin to feel the mushiness and lack of firmness that I was reporting to you when I first began noticing the problem a year and a half ago? In the spring of 2011, I came to your office in a panic, unsure exactly what was going on with my face. What I did know was that the microdot holes that were now covering my entire face and becoming larger were from the laser. Of that, I am and always was 1000% sure. Recognizing that damage was a no brainer. I NEVER had one SINGLE visible pore on my face until that fateful day when my face and my life were forever destroyed by you and Fraxel. So you see Ahn, spotting even a SINGLE pinprick hole would have been very obvious to a person with “nearly” flawless skin. Which is in fact exactly what happened immediately after the Fraxel Repair. Within a couple of weeks of Fraxel and as soon as the swelling had subsided I noticed a couple of tiny, pinprick holes on one of my cheeks. I pointed it out to you but you denied seeing it. I even walked to the window to show you in better light but you still insisted that you did not see it. Admittedly, it was not very noticible at the time but I knew it was there. Your words to me at the time were, “if I can’t see it, I can’t help you.” Back to point, what I was unsure of and what I was also observing in my 2011 confrontation with you was that my skin was sagging and mushy but I wasn’t exactly sure if it was due to the destruction of collagen and elastin from the laser of if it was a loss of fat. Again, you barely looked at me and never touched my face, instead preferring to rely on your photographs. Well, guess what Ahn? I expected more. I expected you to personally examine my skin. Do you rcall your response to my concerns, Ahn? I do! It was a chapter right out of Fraxel/laser 101. It must be the first lesson you laser wizards learn. DENY, DENY, DENY! “Fraxel can’t do that kind of damage.!” Words of infamy and lies repeated time and again to laser victims all over the world. “FRAXEL CAN’T DO THAT KIND OF DAMAGE,” are words repeatedly uttered by unsympathetic and reckless Fraxel perpertraters unwilling to acknowledge the truth that these lasers are in fact causing serious damage. These words of denial by you and others like you, echo throughout this forum and beyond. We, the vitiims know the truth. LASERS DO DAMAGE THE SKIN and may and probably will cause cancer down the road. And NO we are not lying about the heartbreaking, life altering damage we have sustained which is what you intimated to me in our 2011 confrontation when I brought up the issue of others reporting similar damage on REALSELF. I printed out there stories but you refused to look at them. If I was a physician wielding a laser I would want to know the TRUTH. I would want to read the first hand accounts of damage and then do further investigative research. The truth is out there, if you want it. Obviously you don’t. Why don’t you? Your precious peer reviewed articles are NOT the last word on the subject. Our damaged faces are!!! No matter how hard every one of you try to deny it, our faces stand as the physical and tangible proof and is testimony to the devasting effects of lasers. You DESTROYED my face, Ahnn! You know and I know that my skin was nearly flawless but for a few broken capillaries. At 58 years old I had the skin of a 35 year old. I did not have one enlarged pore on my face and only a couple of wrinkles on my forehead. Other than that my skin was flawless, youthful and glowing!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED, AHN???? Why is my entire face now covered in micro holes and weird lines???? Why is my face now sagging and deflated? Why is my once youthful plump skin now thin and crepey and totally ugly? Even the color looks weird. What happened to my very full cheeks? I haven't lost any weight. How do you explain the dramatic change? It seems that only thing to survive my Fraxel Destroy treatment is my broken capillaries which if you recall was the reason for the Fraxel Repair in the first place. You know, I’ve come to love those capillaries since they are the only thing on my face that I recognize. Sorry Ahn, my skin and face have taken a 180 degree turn for the worse since you microwaved it to destruction. Deny it all you want. The truth is the truth which can easily be proven by forensic analysis. Do you honestly believe that all those micro dots forming lines in strange directions is normal? For an objective and honeset observer, the truth is evident to the naked eye. The Fraxel victims here are speaking out to warn others since the medical community refuses to do it. It is a warning that I wished I’d had in advance of my laser disaster. You certainly never advised me that any of this could happen. I had no idea what I was allowing myself to be talked into. This treatment was ill advised for such a minor problem. No one’s skin that was in the excellent condition that mine was should ever be subjected to such a harsh, damaging and dangerous mistreatment. I say again, Ahn, what you did to me was criminal! I have gone from a person who never had to worry about covering up flaws to a person endlessy searching for products to cover the hideous damage while at the same time searching for remedies and doctors to restore my skin to some semblence of what it once was. I spend all my time online desperately searching, searching, searching in vain for the answer even though I know that one does not exist. You know what makes me really crazy, Ahn? It’s not just looking in the mirror every morning when I wake up (which is horrifying) it is knowing that by the damage I am observing, in 5 years I will have aged another 20 years. I’ll be sure to send you and Rebecca a picture of how over the top I am at that point. > As an expert Fraxel laser center, we have performed thousands of laser treatments with both the Fraxel repair and Fraxel restore/dual. Please reference an article published in Vogue by a satisfied patient and previously published author: http://www.awcenter.com/plastic-surgery-news/dr-min-ahn-featured-in-vogue-magazine-april-2010/. I know the article well. It was hightly promoted in your office at the time of my fraxel debacle. How unfortunate that so may have been lead astry by such a one sided report. How fortunate for her to have had such a happy outcome. I wonder if she still feels the same way today. Because she was one of the lucky ones with a positive outcome (at least temporarily) means nothing. Just as many are reporting disastrous or if their lucky, no effect from this very costly and a very dangerous procedure. I know for a fact that I am not the only one to complain to you about their Fraxel treatment. The truth of the matter is that undergoing any kind of laser or IPL treatment is playing Russian Roulette with your face. It is not worth the risk! Fraxel or any other laser is causing thermal radiation damage. It is destroying healthy collagen and replacing it with inferior sacr tissue. It is based on a faulty premise and a false promise. It is pure insanity. Fraxel for the face is akin to a lobotomy for the brain. And just to be clear and for the record, FRAXEL DOES NOT STIMULATE COLLAGEN. It has been my personal experience and the experience of many others here that it does just the opposite. There are many here that are reporting initial good results. However, most of the time, those results are fleeting. DAMAGE CAN AND DOES OCCUR MONTHS AND YEARS DOWN THE LINE!!!! I am 2.5 years out and my damage continues unabated. My fat loss just this past month (Nov. 2012) seems to have accelerated. Or maybe I have just noticed it more because there is hardly any fat left on my face. >Because of our long and extensive experience with the Fraxel laser, we not only perform these treatments with unmatched technical skill but are able to communicate to the patient what he or she can and cannot expect from a Fraxel laser treatment. And just what did you communicate to me that I could and could not expect??? >On very rare occasions, however, perfect communication does not exist and expectations cannot be realized. What expectations did I have that could not be realized??? That a $2400 Fraxel Repair laser treatment would get rid of my broken capillaries? Wasn't that the point of the procedure? Note to doctor - Fraxel did not perform its stated purpose. It did not get rid of my capillaries despite your claims to the contrary. Several months after the procedure you also knew it didn't work and offered me a series of 5 other laser treatments which I declined because I knew my skin had been damaged from the first treatment. Thank God I had a little common sense at that point. > Fraxel lasers can only penetrate up to approximately 1.6 mm into the skin and therefore cannot have any effect on the facial fat. NOT TRUE!!! Just look at my before and after pictures and read all the other personal horror stories on this site and on the IPL/Laser damage forum webstite. What is happening is tragic and criminal. They’re all denying it but they know ii is happening. They have too. However, it is only talked about behind closed doors. Cha-Ching! >Fraxel lasers do not create pores and if anything, minimize the existing ones. Correct! Fraxel does not create pores. It creates micro holes that resemble enlarged pores. The laser buns holes into the dermis that permanently scar the face. The excessive number of holes eventually begin to connect together as the skin loses its elasticity and forms hideous, unnatural lines over the entire face. HORRIBLE! It also creates what has been termed “orange peel,” texture. The area over my lip is in fact worse than orange peel. It in fact looks like alligator skin. Micro holes connecting into fine lines, loss of collagen, elasticity and fat are all damage caused by Fraxel. Don’t believe anyone who echoes the infamous and dangerous words, “Fraxel can’t do that!” FRAXEL CAN DO THAT! >On very rare occasions, however, perfect communication does not exist and expectations cannot be realized. When this happens, we do our best to make that person as happy as possible. We will continue to do our best to take care of our large and satisfied clientele. What did you ever do to try to make me happy when I was unsatisfied? The key words here are, “we will continue to do our best to take care of our SATISFIED clientele. My personal experience is that once you cross the line into Dissatisfied clientele you are persona non grata at the AWCenter. You have turned your back on me and have been unwilling to help me in any way, shape or form. You turned your back on me when I desperately needed your help leaving me to walk away with a broken heart and set me on a path to financial and emotional ruin in search of expensive procedures to try and reverse some of the damage that you have inflicted upon me. I regret the day I ever walked into your office. Two and a half years ago I was on top of the world. At 58, I looked 35 or 40. Today my life is a living nightmare. Thank you, Dr. Ahn and Rebecca. Happy Holidays to you both. JINGLE, JINGLE, JINGLE. My, how we love to hear that change jingle!