Fraxel vs LED Light Therapy

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.

LED Light Therapy: Panels, masks, and handhelds that shine red, near-infrared, or blue light on the skin. No ultraviolet and no downtime. The science is real, the marketing runs far ahead of it, and most of the studies are small and funded by device makers.

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 LED Light Therapy, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.

Choose if Key differences What is it?What it treats Treatment areas Skin tones How it works Before your treatment Day of treatment After your treatment Risks Cost Questions Related

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 LED Light Therapy if…

Choose as a gentle, painless add-on for mild acne or fine lines — the marketing runs well ahead of the evidence.

Mild acne alongside skincare
You want no downtime or pain
You'll use it several times a week

Fine together

Can you have both?

Red LED is sometimes used after Fraxel to calm the skin during healing.

Key differences

● Fraxel

● LED Light Therapy

DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks

3–7 days

None

PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation

Moderate

Minimal

Results showImmediately → 3+ months

1–3 months

How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent

Years or permanent

Weeks

Visits neededOne → Every few months

A longer series (4–6+)

Every few months

Cost per visit$ → $$$$$

$$$

ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent

No, permanent

No, wears off

What is it?

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

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 uses light-emitting diodes.

LEDs expose skin to visible or near-infrared light.

Effects depend on the setup.

Wavelength, device and indication all matter.

It is not phototherapy.

It differs from UV treatment and photodynamic therapy.

Clearance is not proof.

A home-device clearance does not prove every claim.

What it treats

Evidence level

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

Strong evidenceMost established uses

Acne Scarring

Improves rolling and boxcar scars.

Sun Spots

Clears sun damage.

—

Moderate evidenceSome supportive research

A relaxed forehead with faint shallow horizontal fine lines.

Wrinkles and Fine Lines

Smooths texture.

—

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.

Acne

Blue light modestly reduces spots.

Wrinkles and Fine Lines

Red light may slightly smooth.

Little evidence

Ice Pick Scars

Too deep for most sessions.

—

Not effective

—

Acne Scarring

Doesn't change scars.

Can make it worse

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

Rosacea

Can worsen redness.

Melasma

Light can darken patches.

Treatment areas

Face and hands.

Face; the selected area depends on the concern and treatment plan.

Skin tones

Skin tone

● Fraxel

● LED Light Therapy

Lighter skin

Low risk

Redness and swelling for days.

Low risk

No ultraviolet.

Medium skin

Some risk

Dark marks possible; lower settings help.

Low risk

No ultraviolet.

Deeper skin

Some risk

Safer than ablative lasers at lower density with an experienced provider.

Some risk

Visible light can darken melasma-prone skin.

How it works

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

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.

LED Light Therapy mechanism diagram. LEDs deliver selected wavelengths: The device exposes skin to a planned light regimen. Light is absorbed by its targets: Effects depend on wavelength, device, and treatment goal. Response builds over a course: Some regimens may help selected skin concerns; results vary.

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.

LEDs deliver selected wavelengths: The device exposes skin to a planned light regimen. Light is absorbed by its targets: Effects depend on wavelength, device, and treatment goal. Response builds over a course: Some regimens may help selected skin concerns; results vary.

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

Before your treatment

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

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.

Not specified

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.

Ask your provider: Conditions and medicines: Ask first about lupus, porphyria, another light-sensitive condition, a retinal condition, past eye surgery or seizures.

Day of treatment

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

Before you arrive

Arrive with clean skin and no makeup.

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

Before each session: Clean skin: Sunscreen, makeup and thick moisturizer block visible light, mineral sunscreens especially, so a session over sunscreen does little.

Before session one: Baseline photo: Photograph your face in daylight, same spot, no makeup.

Shields and dose: Have the eye shields to hand before you start.

Arrival & prep

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

In a clinic, skin is cleansed.

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.

The panel or mask sits close to the skin and runs for 10 to 20 minutes.

Red light is a strong glow even through closed eyes; near-infrared is invisible but feels warm. Shields stay on the whole session. It does not hurt. Expect mild warmth, and sometimes a headache after, usually from light without shields.

Before you leave

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

Skin looks unchanged, maybe flushed for a few minutes.

After your treatment

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

First 24 hours

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

Days 1 to 2: Dryness or a headache are uncommon and mild.

Days 2–7

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

Not specified

Weeks 2–4

Not specified

Weeks 1 to 4: Little visible change.

Beyond 1 month

1–3 months: Time to results.

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

Weeks 8 to 12: If a photograph in the same light shows nothing by now, more weeks will not change the answer.

Time to results

Not specified

8–12 weeks of regular use

How long results last

Not specified

Only while used

Risks

Dark patches
Worsening redness
Cold sores
Acne or white bumps
Lighter patches

Darkening or worsening melasma
Headaches or eye discomfort after sessions
A rash or unusual redness after sessions
Burns from a device
Skin cancer

Cost

Per session

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

Home devices are the main market, from roughly $50 for a handheld wand to several hundred dollars for a full-face mask, and higher.

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 it.

Questions

Fraxel

LED Light Therapy

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.

Does LED light therapy actually work?

Partly, and modestly. The best-supported uses are blue light for mild inflammatory acne and red or near-infrared light for wound healing. For fine lines and redness there are small positive trials, usually 8 to 12 weeks long. The literature is limited by small numbers, short follow-up, devices that differ from each other, few comparisons against proven treatments, and a lot of manufacturer involvement.

Are home masks as good as the panels in a clinic?

They generally put out less light per minute, which is why home instructions ask for several sessions a week. Over three months a consistently used home device may deliver more total exposure than occasional clinic add-ons. What is not true is that a trial of a clinic panel tells you what a particular mask will do.

Does FDA clearance mean it is proven?

No — most are cleared as substantially equivalent to a device already on the market. That is a judgment about similarity and basic safety, not evidence of a useful result.

Do I need eye protection?

Yes, and it is the one safety point worth being strict about. These devices are bright, they sit close to the face, and blue wavelengths carry a recognized photochemical hazard to the retina with prolonged exposure. Keep the shields on for the whole session, and ask your doctor first if you have a retinal condition or have had eye surgery.

How long before I know if it is doing anything?

Give it 8 to 12 weeks of consistent use, then compare a photograph taken on day one in the same light and without makeup. Judging by memory in the mirror is how people persuade themselves either way.

Can it replace a retinoid, or sunscreen, or treatment for my acne?

No — it sits on top of those, and the gain from adding it to a good routine is small. Using it instead of treatment for a condition that scars is the one way a low-risk device causes harm.

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