It is a nonablative fractional laser.
Fraxel heats microscopic zones while sparing skin in between.
Fraxel vs Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
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.
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal: A laser that breaks tattoo ink into fragments small enough for the body to carry away. It takes far more sessions than most people expect, black ink clears most reliably, and complete clearance is not guaranteed.
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 Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal if…
Choose for tattoo removal, especially black ink — it takes more sessions than most expect and full clearance isn't guaranteed.
- A black or dark-ink tattoo
- You can plan a year or more of sessions
- You'll protect the area from sun
Alternatives, not combined
Can you have both?
They treat different things. Fraxel is not a tattoo-removal laser; Q-switched or picosecond lasers are used for tattoos.
Key differences
● Fraxel
● Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
3–7 days
3–7 days
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Moderate
Significant
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
1–3 months
1–3 months
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
Years or permanent
Years or permanent
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, permanent
What is it?
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
What is it?
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 breaks up ink.
Very short laser pulses fragment tattoo pigment.
Colors need different wavelengths.
Several treatments are usually needed.
Clearance is not guaranteed.
Some inks respond poorly.
Some pigments darken.
Cosmetic and white inks may need a test treatment.
What it treats
Evidence level
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
Strong evidenceMost established uses
Acne Scarring
Improves rolling and boxcar scars.
Sun Spots
Clears sun damage.
Unwanted Tattoos
Fades ink over many sessions.
Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Smooths texture.
Sun Spots
Clears spots.
Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Melasma
Low settings may help some.
—
Little evidence
Ice Pick Scars
Too deep for most sessions.
—
Not effective
—
Acne Scarring
Doesn't change texture.
Can make it worse
Rosacea
Can worsen redness.
Melasma
Pigment can rebound.
Treatment areas
Treatment areas
Face and hands.
The tattoo or diagnosed pigment spot determines the treatment site; location varies.
Skin tones
Skin tone
● Fraxel
● Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
Lighter skin
Low risk
Redness and swelling for days.
Low risk
Temporary whitening.
Medium skin
Some risk
Dark marks possible; lower settings help.
Some risk
Temporary lightening or darkening.
Deeper skin
Some risk
Safer than ablative lasers at lower density with an experienced provider.
Some risk
Lightening of skin is more likely; 1064 nm settings and longer gaps help.
How it works
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
How it works
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.
Short pulses reach the ink: The wavelength is selected for the ink and skin. Pigment particles fragment: Rapid energy delivery breaks some ink into smaller pieces. Clearance happens gradually: The body clears some fragments between treatment sessions.
Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.
Before your treatment
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
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: Keep the area out of the sun and stop self-tanner.
Before you book: Your plans: Expect a week of healing.
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.
The day before: Shaving: Shave the area.
Day of treatment
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
Before you arrive
Arrive with clean skin and no makeup.
Arrange a ride if you will have strong settings or oral pain medicine.
30 to 60 min before: Numbing: Numbing cream goes on 30 to 60 minutes before, so arrive early or apply it at home if told to.
Arrival & prep
Skin is cleaned and photographed. Numbing cream stays on for 45–60 minutes.
The tattoo is examined and photographed, and the colors and depth of the ink assessed.
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 laser moves across the tattoo pulse by pulse, with a loud snap each time.
The ink turns white at once — frosting, from gas released in the skin — and fades within about 20 minutes. A small tattoo takes a few minutes; a large one is split across sessions. It is sharper than getting the tattoo but much quicker, like hot fat spitting.
Before you leave
Skin feels hot, red and swollen. Ice packs and a bland ointment are usually applied.
Red, raised and swollen, sometimes with pinpoint bleeding.
After your treatment
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
First 24 hours
Days 1–2: Redness and swelling, especially around the eyes.
Days 1 to 3: Blisters, sometimes large, are expected rather than a sign something went wrong.
Days 2–7
Days 3–7: Rough, bronzed skin flakes away. Do not scrub or pick.
Days 4 to 14: Crusts form and lift on their own.
Weeks 2–4
Not specified
Weeks 2 to 8: The fading happens now, as immune cells clear the broken ink.
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
Visible fading after 2–3 sessions
How long results last
Not specified
Removed ink is gone
Risks
Risks
- Dark patches
- Worsening redness
- Cold sores
- Acne or white bumps
- Lighter patches
- Paradoxical darkening
- Pale patches
- Dark patches
- A lasting shadow
- An itchy raised reaction
- Texture change
Cost
Per session
About $900–1,500 for a full face in the US. Smaller areas cost less.
In the US, tattoo removal is priced per session by the size of the area, commonly from about one hundred dollars for something very small to several hundred for a larger piece.
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.
Packages lower the price per session, but the number of sessions needed cannot be known in advance, so paying upfront for a fixed number carries risk.
Questions
Fraxel
Q-Switched Laser Tattoo Removal
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.
How many sessions will I actually need?
A professional tattoo commonly needs eight to twelve or more, six to eight weeks apart — a year or two overall. Amateur tattoos often clear in four to six. Ink color, density, skin tone and location change the number, and no one can give an exact figure at the start.
Will the tattoo be gone completely?
Sometimes, but it cannot be promised. Heavy fading is the realistic goal; some tattoos leave a faint shadow, usually because of yellow, white or pastel ink.
Does it hurt more than getting the tattoo?
Each pulse is sharper, but the session is much shorter — most people describe hot fat spitting on the skin. Numbing cream or injected anesthetic makes it manageable.
Which colors are hardest to remove?
Yellow, white and pastel shades, because they absorb the available wavelengths poorly. Green and light blue need a specific laser not every clinic owns. Black and dark blue clear most reliably.
Is it safe on deeper skin tones?
Yes, with the right wavelength and settings. The 1064 nm beam is used most because melanin absorbs it least. Expect a test spot, lower energy, longer gaps, and more caution with colored ink.
Why did my cosmetic tattoo turn black?
Flesh-tone, white and cosmetic inks contain iron and titanium compounds the laser can change chemically, turning them gray or black instantly. That is why a test spot in a hidden area comes first for eyebrow, lip liner and areola tattoos. Further sessions sometimes clear the darkened ink and sometimes do not.
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