Fraxel
Fraxel treats the skin in tiny columns and leaves the skin between them alone. Eye shields are worn.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Fraxel vs Pico Laser
Fraxel is the stronger choice for rough texture, acne scars and wrinkles. It drills thousands of microscopic columns of controlled heat injury into the skin, and the skin rebuilds itself over the following weeks. A pico laser is the better choice for tattoos and stubborn pigment. It fires pulses so short that they shatter pigment by shock rather than by heat, so most people look normal again within a day. Pico is also the gentler option on deeper skin tones, because less heat goes into the skin.
At a glance
| The difference | Fraxel | Picosecond Laser |
|---|---|---|
| What it does to the skin | Columns of controlled heat injury | Shatters pigment |
| What it is best for | Texture, acne scars, lines | Tattoos and brown spots |
| What it feels like | Hot, with numbing cream first | Quick snaps |
| Downtime | Days, not hours | About a day |
| Cost | Priced per session, expensive per visit | Priced per session, more visits |
Picosecond Laser
A pico laser fires very short pulses. It is used mostly for pigment and for tattoo ink.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What it does to the skin
Fraxel
Columns of controlled heat injury
It treats a fraction of the surface and leaves the skin in between untouched. That untouched skin heals the rest. New collagen fills the columns in over weeks.
Picosecond Laser
Shatters pigment
The pulse lasts trillionths of a second. It breaks pigment into dust more by shock than by heat. Your body then clears the pieces away.
What it is best for
Fraxel
Texture, acne scars, lines
Sunken acne scars, rough or crepey skin, fine lines, sun damage and surgical scars.
Picosecond Laser
Tattoos and brown spots
Tattoo removal, sun spots, freckles, and some cases of melasma. Also used for mild texture.
How it works, illustrated
Fraxel
Picosecond Laser
Conditions treated
Fraxel
Stretch Marks
The best-evidenced device for mature white marks, and useful on red ones too. It puts columns of controlled heat into the supportive layer to force a fresh round of collagen remodeling, over three to six sessions spaced weeks apart. Expect partial improvement in texture and how noticeable they are, not removal. On deeper skin tones it is used at conservative settings after a test patch, because of the pigment risk.
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Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Heats columns in the dermis without removing the surface, so it improves fine lines, texture and pigment with a few days of redness and swelling instead of a week of raw skin. It takes three to five sessions to match a fraction of what one ablative treatment does. It is the more sensible starting point on deeper skin tones.
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Sun Spots (Solar Lentigines)
Treats the sun-damaged skin as a whole rather than targeting individual spots, so it improves texture and fine lines alongside the pigment. That makes it a reasonable choice when the spots are only part of what is bothering you. For clearing spots alone it is slower, dearer and less precise than freezing or a pigment laser.
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Acne Scarring
Resurfaces without removing the surface, so recovery is a few days of redness and swelling rather than a week of raw skin. It gives less improvement per session than CO2 and needs more sessions to get there. It is the sensible middle option when the downtime of ablative laser is not workable.
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Picosecond Laser
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Breaks pigment into fragments small enough for the body to carry away, using very short pulses that put less heat into the skin than older lasers. It is one of the safer device options for stubborn deep marks, but the evidence in dark marks after inflammation is still thin. Test patch first, and expect a course rather than one session.
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Melasma
A newer laser that delivers very short pulses at low energy, aimed at the deeper pigment creams struggle with. The melasma studies so far are small and cautiously encouraging. Like every device used here it is an addition to creams and sun protection rather than a shortcut past them, and results still fade without them.
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Sun Spots (Solar Lentigines)
Delivers its energy in much shorter pulses, which breaks up pigment with less heat spilling into the skin around it. That lower heat is the reason it is often chosen for medium and deeper skin tones, where a darker mark afterwards is the main worry. It costs more than the older lasers and the results in sun spots are broadly similar.
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Dark Circles Under the Eyes
A pigment-targeted laser used for stubborn brown circles that have not moved with creams or peels. Results vary a good deal, several sessions are needed, and eye shields are essential. The same caution applies as with peels: aggressive settings on eyelid skin can leave darker marks than the ones being treated, and that risk is higher on deeper skin tones.
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What it will not do
Fraxel
It will not erase a tattoo
Fraxel does not target ink, and it does not lift loose skin.
Picosecond Laser
It will not rebuild a deep scar
A pico laser can soften shallow texture. A deep, pitted acne scar changes very little on its own.
Related topic illustrations
Fraxel
Microneedling
Moderate evidence. Aimed at the same acne scar and texture problems, without light or heat, so the pigment risk is lower, which matters on deeper skin tones. Generally cheaper per session and gentler, and generally slower to show the same amount of change.
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Chemical peel
Strong evidence for surface pigment and clogged pores. Much cheaper and available almost anywhere. It works on the surface, so it does not reach indented scars and does far less for texture.
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Clear + Brilliant
Limited evidence, from the same manufacturer. A far gentler version of the same idea, with about a day of downtime and a much smaller result per session. A reasonable choice for early texture and dullness, not a substitute for a course of Fraxel on scars.
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Picosecond Laser
Surgical excision
Strong evidence, and the only method that removes ink completely and predictably. Limited to small tattoos, and it trades the tattoo for a surgical scar. Sometimes used for a small stubborn remnant at the end of a laser course.
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Microneedling
Moderate evidence for acne scars and texture, with or without radiofrequency. Cheaper per session, no wavelength to match, and does nothing at all for tattoo ink. Often chosen over fractional laser modes on deeper skin tones.
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What it feels like
Fraxel
Hot, with numbing cream first
Like a hot rubber band snapped over and over. Numbing cream is standard. Afterwards the skin feels sunburnt.
Picosecond Laser
Quick snaps
Sharper, but much faster. A small area is done in minutes. Numbing cream is often enough.
Downtime
Fraxel
Days, not hours
Expect swelling, redness, a bronzed look and flaking for about five to seven days. The strongest Fraxel is ablative, meaning it removes surface skin, and that means one to two weeks of raw, crusting healing.
Picosecond Laser
About a day
Redness and mild swelling for a few hours to a day. Treated spots often darken, then flake off over the next week.
How many sessions
Fraxel
One strong, or three to five gentle
The ablative version can do the job in one go. The gentler version is a course, spaced four to six weeks apart.
Picosecond Laser
Several, and many for a tattoo
Pigment usually takes three to six visits. A tattoo can take far more, spaced six to eight weeks apart.
How long it lasts
Fraxel
Years, for texture and scars
New collagen is real change. Ageing continues around it.
Picosecond Laser
Permanent for the ink
Ink that is cleared does not come back. Sun spots and melasma can return with sun exposure.
Main risk to know
Fraxel
Dark marks, and rarely scarring
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, meaning brown marks left behind after inflammation, is the common problem. It is more likely on deeper skin tones. Infection and scarring are uncommon but real.
Picosecond Laser
Dark or pale patches
Blistering, temporary dark marks, and loss of colour in the treated spot. Tattoo ink can also change colour instead of fading.
Cost
Fraxel
Priced per session, expensive per visit
An ablative treatment may be one large bill. Ask what a full plan costs, not one visit.
Picosecond Laser
Priced per session, more visits
Each visit costs less than strong resurfacing, but you will need several. The total is the number that matters.
The at-home or drugstore version
Fraxel
A much weaker version of the idea
At-home fractional devices use the same principle at a small fraction of the power, and reach only the very top of the skin. A retinoid cream is the honest home comparison for texture and fine lines. It is slower, and it works.
Picosecond Laser
There isn't one
Tattoo removal creams and home wands do not shatter pigment. Nothing sold for home use produces a picosecond pulse.
Who each suits
Fraxel
- Best for — Acne scars, rough texture, sun damage and lines.
- The trade — You take real time off to get real change.
Picosecond Laser
- Best for — Tattoos, sun spots and stubborn pigment.
- The trade — You stay presentable, across more appointments.
"Fraxel" is a brand, not one machine
Fraxel
Fraxel is a family of devices, and they are not equally strong. The name on a clinic price list tells you little on its own.
If your skin tone is deeper
Fraxel
Fraxel is still used on deeper skin tones. It calls for lower energy, longer gaps between visits, strict sun protection, and sometimes a pigment-calming cream started beforehand. Ask how often that clinic treats your skin tone with that exact device.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Is Fraxel or pico better for acne scars?
Fraxel, in most cases. Sunken acne scars need the skin rebuilt from below, and that is what fractional heat injury does. A pico laser helps most with the brown marks scars leave behind, which can still make the skin look noticeably better.
Can a pico laser do what Fraxel does?
Partly. Many pico machines have a fractional handpiece that does some resurfacing with much less downtime. It is a middle option, not a swap for a full resurfacing laser.
Which one is safer for darker skin?
Pico is generally the gentler starting point, because it puts less heat into the skin and heat is what drives dark marks afterwards. Fraxel can still be used, with lower settings, longer gaps and strict sun protection.
How much downtime does Fraxel really need?
The non-ablative versions usually mean about five to seven days of swelling, redness and flaking. The strongest ablative version means one to two weeks of crusting and wound care, then weeks of fading redness.
Will one session be enough?
For pico, almost never — pigment usually takes three to six visits, and tattoos take more. For Fraxel, the gentler devices are a course of three to five, while the strongest one can be a single treatment.
Does either one remove a tattoo?
Only pico. Fraxel does not target ink at all.