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Fraxel vs IPL

Fraxel: A laser that heats thousands of microscopic columns in the skin and leaves the skin between them untouched. Used for sun damage, acne scars, and rough texture. It takes a course of treatments and a few days of looking sunburned each time.

IPL: A broad-spectrum flashlamp, not a laser, used mainly for brown sun spots and facial redness. It is effective for those two problems on lighter skin, and it is not safe on deeper skin tones.

Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, Board-Certified Dermatologist
Last updated: 10/22/2026
Editorial illustration for Fraxel, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.Editorial illustration for IPL, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.
Choose ifKey differencesWhat is it?What it treatsTreatment areasSkin tonesHow it worksBefore your treatmentDay of treatmentAfter your treatmentRisksCostQuestionsRelated

Choose Fraxel if…

Choose for acne scars or sun damage with a few days of downtime per session instead of the week-plus of ablative lasers.

  • Rolling or boxcar scars
  • Sun spots and rough texture
  • You can plan 3–5 sessions

Choose IPL if…

Choose for sun spots and facial redness on lighter skin — it is not safe on deeper skin tones.

  • Lighter skin with brown sun spots
  • Rosacea redness or small vessels
  • You'll avoid tanning before and after
Often combined

Can you have both?

They treat different things: IPL for redness and spots, Fraxel for texture and fine lines. Space them about 4 weeks apart.

Key differences

● Fraxel
● IPL
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
3–7 days
1–2 days
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Moderate
Mild
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
1–3 months
1–4 weeks
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
Years or permanent
6–12 months
Visits neededOne → Every few months
A longer series (4–6+)
A longer series (4–6+)
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$$$
$$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
No, permanent
No, fades slowly

What is it?

Fraxel

IPL

What is it?

It is a nonablative fractional laser.

Fraxel heats microscopic zones while sparing skin in between.

Platforms differ.

Wavelength and device determine the treatment.

It is not CO2 resurfacing.

It is less intensive than ablative lasers.

It is not risk-free.

Burns, redness and pigment changes can occur.

It is broad-spectrum light.

IPL uses filtered pulses across a range of wavelengths, not a laser.

It has several uses.

It treats redness, benign pigmentation and unwanted hair.

Spots need a diagnosis first.

A brown spot should be assessed before fading.

Skin type affects risk.

Tanning, darker skin and medicines raise the risk of burns or pigment change.

What it treats

Evidence level
Fraxel
IPL
Strong evidenceMost established uses
Acne scarring on light skin. Small sharply cut pits and broad shallow dips across a cheek, several sitting inside faint flat pink marks, with no active spots.

Acne Scarring

Improves rolling and boxcar scars.

AI-generated educational illustration of Sun Spots: 1. Sun Spots Header — Light Skin; Lighter skin. Not a clinical photograph.

Sun Spots

Clears sun damage.

Redness and fine superficial vessels across a light-skinned cheek and nose.

Rosacea

Reduces redness and vessels.

AI-generated educational illustration of Sun Spots: 1. Sun Spots Header — Light Skin; Lighter skin. Not a clinical photograph.

Sun Spots

Darkens spots that then flake off.

Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
A relaxed forehead with faint shallow horizontal fine lines.

Wrinkles and Fine Lines

Smooths texture.

Fine branching superficial spider veins on the lower leg.

Spider Veins

Clears small facial vessels.

Post-Inflammatory Redness.

Post-Inflammatory Redness

Fades red marks.

Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Flat tan patches with soft irregular edges across the forehead and upper cheek of an adult with light skin, the surface completely smooth.

Melasma

Low settings may help some.

—
Little evidence
Ice Pick Scars on light skin.

Ice Pick Scars

Too deep for most sessions.

—
Not effective
—
Acne scarring on light skin. Small sharply cut pits and broad shallow dips across a cheek, several sitting inside faint flat pink marks, with no active spots.

Acne Scarring

Doesn't change texture.

Can make it worse
Redness and fine superficial vessels across a light-skinned cheek and nose.

Rosacea

Can worsen redness.

Flat tan patches with soft irregular edges across the forehead and upper cheek of an adult with light skin, the surface completely smooth.

Melasma

Patches often rebound darker.

Treatment areas

Treatment areas

Face and hands.

Face, neck, chest and hands.

Skin tones

Skin tone
● Fraxel
● IPL
Lighter skin
Low risk
Redness and swelling for days.
Low risk
Spots darken then flake.
Medium skin
Some risk
Dark marks possible; lower settings help.
Some risk
Burns and dark marks possible; conservative settings.
Deeper skin
Some risk
Safer than ablative lasers at lower density with an experienced provider.
Higher risk
Not safe — high risk of burns and pigment change.

How it works

Fraxel

IPL

How it works
Fraxel DUAL diagram: 1927 nm reaches up to 0.3 mm and 1550 nm up to 1.6 mm, depending on settings.
IPL mechanism diagram. Filtered light enters skin: A range of wavelengths is selected for the treatment target. Pigment or blood absorbs energy: Melanin or hemoglobin converts absorbed light into heat. Selected targets fade: Healing can reduce the treated brown spots or visible vessels.
Diagram explanation

Fractional heat zones leave surrounding tissue untreated. Superficial 1927 nm treatment helps fade uneven pigmentation; deeper 1550 nm treatment triggers repair and collagen remodeling.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Filtered light enters skin: A range of wavelengths is selected for the treatment target. Pigment or blood absorbs energy: Melanin or hemoglobin converts absorbed light into heat. Selected targets fade: Healing can reduce the treated brown spots or visible vessels.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Before your treatment

Fraxel
IPL
2–4 weeks before

4 weeks before: Sun: Avoid tanning, self-tanner and sunburn.

Pigment preparation: For deeper skin tones, providers may prescribe a pigment-lowering cream for 2–4 weeks and test near the ear.

4 weeks before: Sun and tanning: No sun, sunbeds or self-tanner.

2 weeks before: Hair removal: No waxing, threading or hair removal cream.

The week before

Cold sores: Tell your provider; preventive antiviral medicine often starts the day before.

Hair removal: Stop waxing, threading and hair-removal creams.

Actives: Stop retinoids, retinol and acids 3–7 days before.

3 to 5 days before: Actives and clean skin: Stop retinoids and exfoliating acids.

Day of treatment

Fraxel
IPL
Before you arrive

Arrive with clean skin and no makeup.

Arrange a ride if you will have strong settings or oral pain medicine.

Not specified
Arrival & prep

Skin is cleaned and photographed. Numbing cream stays on for 45–60 minutes.

Skin tone: A good provider will ask, and will decline if IPL is wrong for your skin.

Skin tone: Be direct about your skin tone and how easily you tan.

Skin is cleaned and examined, and the provider checks your skin tone and recent sun.

Treatment

The laser passes over the skin while cold air cools it.

Expect prickly heat that builds with each pass, often strongly uncomfortable—especially on the forehead and around the mouth.

Opaque goggles go over your eyes and stay on; that is not optional.

The handpiece is pressed on the skin and fired in overlapping shots. You see a bright flash through closed eyelids. Each pulse feels like a hot rubber band snap, hottest over brown spots and hair, and stops as it ends. A full face takes about 20 minutes.

Before you leave

Skin feels hot, red and swollen. Ice packs and a bland ointment are usually applied.

Skin looks pink and feels warm, like mild sunburn.

After your treatment

Fraxel
IPL
First 24 hours

Days 1–2: Redness and swelling, especially around the eyes.

Days 1 to 2: Redness fades.

Days 2–7

Days 3–7: Rough, bronzed skin flakes away. Do not scrub or pick.

Days 3 to 14: Treated spots darken into fine brown flecks like coffee grounds, then flake away, leaving more even skin.

Weeks 2–4
Not specified

Weeks 2 to 6: Vessels and background redness clear gradually, and keep improving over later sessions.

Beyond 1 month

1–3 months: Time to results.

Scar improvement can last years; sun damage can return with sun exposure.

Not specified
Time to results
Not specified

1–2 weeks per session

How long results last
Not specified

Months to years; new spots with sun

Risks

Risks
  • Dark patches
  • Worsening redness
  • Cold sores
  • Acne or white bumps
  • Lighter patches
  • Dark patches
  • Blistering or a burn
  • Loss of skin color
  • Melasma getting worse
  • A cold sore outbreak
  • Hair loss where you did not want it

Cost

Per session

About $900–1,500 for a full face in the US. Smaller areas cost less.

In the US a full-face session usually runs about $300 to $600.

Full course

Several thousand dollars. Packages may reduce the per-session price.

Not specified
Insurance

Cosmetic treatment is not covered. Coverage for surgical or injury scars is uncommon.

Insurance does not cover cosmetic pigment or redness treatment.

Questions

Fraxel

IPL

Individual Questions
How many Fraxel sessions will I need?

Three to five, two to four weeks apart. Sun damage sometimes needs fewer, acne scars usually need the full course, and deeper skin tones are treated at lower settings, which means more sessions.

Does Fraxel get rid of acne scars?

It improves them rather than removing them. Studies of nonablative fractional lasers show partial improvement in scar depth and appearance over a course. Deep icepick scars respond least and are often better treated by combining the laser with subcision or filler.

How much downtime is there really?

Plan for a week. Two days of redness and swelling, then a few days of rough, bronzed skin that flakes off. Most people cover it with makeup from day three and look normal by day seven.

Does it hurt?

With an hour of numbing cream and cold air, most people call it hot and strongly uncomfortable rather than unbearable, and it stops as soon as the laser does. The forehead and around the mouth are the worst.

Is it safe for deeper skin tones?

It can be done, but differently. The main risk is temporary dark patches. Lower settings, more sessions, pre-treatment creams and strict sun protection all lower that risk, and the provider experience with your skin tone matters more than the device.

Is Fraxel the same as CO2 laser?

No, though one device sold under the Fraxel brand is a carbon dioxide laser. The Fraxel most people mean is nonablative, heating the skin without removing the surface. A carbon dioxide laser removes tissue, does more per session, and brings one to two weeks of downtime and more pigment risk.

Is IPL safe for deeper skin tones?

No. Broadband light is absorbed by all the pigment in its path, including the pigment that gives skin its color. On deeper skin tones that means burns and light or dark patches, and pale patches can be permanent. For pigment, ask about prescription creams and superficial peels. For hair, a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser.

Can I use a home IPL hair removal device on deeper skin tones?

No. The skin tone chart supplied with home devices exists because the technology injures skin with more pigment, and most are labeled unsuitable for deeper skin tones and tanned skin. Many refuse to fire. The risk is the same as a clinic device, with nobody present to spot a problem early.

Does IPL help melasma?

Usually not, and it commonly makes melasma worse: better for a few weeks, then darker and wider. If you have brown patches on the cheeks, forehead or upper lip, get a diagnosis before any light-based treatment.

Why do my spots look darker afterward?

That is what is meant to happen. Treated sun spots darken into fine brown flecks over the first few days, then flake off over one to two weeks. Do not scrub or pick.

How many sessions will I need?

Usually three to five for the face, three to four weeks apart, then maintenance once or twice a year. Brown spots improve faster than redness. Hair reduction takes six to ten or more.

Does IPL work on wrinkles or acne scars?

No. IPL works on color: brown pigment and red vessels. Wrinkles, texture, pores and indented scars need a fractional laser or microneedling.

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