Fraxel laser treatment for acne scarring is gaining attention from acne sufferers as the miracle cure for their acne scarring. The word on this type of new laser treatment is good: Fraxel is FDA approved to treat acne scars as well as surgical scars, it has a short downtime compared to other laser resurfacing treatments, it has minimum discomfort, and the treatment is relatively quick to perform, with procedure taking 30 minutes after a topical anesthesia is applied for 60 minutes.

However, Fraxel is still a relatively new type of laser skin resurfacing procedure. How do patients who have had it really feel about it?

While this type of skin rejuvenation technology is commonly known as just “Fraxel”, it really is a family of fractional laser products: Fraxel refine (re:fine), Fraxel restore (re:store), and Fraxel repair (re:pair). It is the Fraxel re:store procedure that is FDA approved for treating acne scars.

Below is a complete list of FDA clearances of each Fraxel laser.

Fraxel re:fine

• Pigmented lesions
• Periorbital fine lines
• Melasma
• Skin resurfacing
• Soft tissue coagulation

Fraxel re:store

• Photodamage
• Mild to moderate periorbital wrinkles
• Acne scars
• Surgical scars
• Melasma
• Actinic Keratosis

Fraxel re:pair

• Rhytides
• Pigmented lesions
• Moderate to severe wrinkles and furrows in lax skin
• Fine lines
• Textural irregularities
• Vascular dyschromia

With Fraxel re:pair, clinical trials are in progress for acne scars and atrophic scars.
That being said, some patients have been disappointed with Fraxel claiming it did not do enough to help with acne scarring. This really comes down to the type of scarring the patient suffered from and whether or not the person performing the treatment was skilled at performing the Fraxel laser at the correct setting. Some patients could have been on too low a setting from conservative doctors. The deeper the acne scarring the more aggressive the treatment should be. However, the skill of the doctor also comes into play as the risk is burning of the skin and additional scarring.

During the consultation phase, it is important to ask the doctor who will be doing the procedure, whether it is one of the staff or the doctor himself/herself. If it is not the doctor, then insist on speaking to the staff member and gain an idea of their knowledge. It should not be a surprise on the day of your appointment that someone else is doing your procedure. Obviously, the preference would be the doctor doing the procedure and a cosmetic dermatologist at that. A cosmetic dermatologist would be more skilled at handling a Fraxel laser than a dermatologist.

It is also important to have realistic expectations from the Fraxel treatments. Your acne scarring might not go away all together. Ask for what percentage of improvements your doctor expects and whether or not that is acceptable to you versus the cost of having the procedure done. Go through the risks of the skin resurfacing as patients have reported having breakouts of acne after their Fraxel laser treatment as a side effect. Since Fraxel is to reduce acne scarring, a breakout is not what you need for new scars. Experienced doctors will warn you of this and would monitor the situation. A course of antibiotics prior to treatment might even be prescribed. As well, if you are a person of Asian, African American, Latino descent, ask your doctor if you are at risk of hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. Although Fraxel has been reported to be safe to use on people with all types of skin colors, the reality is that it is up to the individual’s skin. It is important that you ask your doctor if they are familiar with working with patients of your skin color.

Overall, Fraxel laser treatment has been effective in treating acne scarring cases. However, as with any type of cosmetic procedure, it is absolutely imperative to get a good doctor who is experienced with the Fraxel laser.