My honest before-and-after results after replacing professional laser resurfacing appointments with the Tria Age-Defying Laser.
Short answer: After eight weeks, the Tria FRX laser noticeably improved my skin texture, pore appearance, overall brightness, and some pigmentation. It didn’t replace the lifting and plumping I get from microcurrent and radio frequency—it filled a different role. It became the device I reach for when I want smoother skin, smaller looking pores, and a more refined complexion.
It’s a strange feeling to simultaneously have better skin while feeling like your face itself looks worse. That’s exactly what happened after I spent eight weeks testing the Tria completely on its own.
I isolate beauty devices all the time because I want to know exactly what each one contributes. This experiment was different. For the first time, I realized how much I missed the lift, circulation, and plumpness from the devices I’d stopped using—even while my skin texture, tone, and pore appearance kept improving. That’s when I finally understood what the Tria was actually good at: refining the skin. It wasn’t replacing my other devices—it was giving them a better canvas to work with.
I’ve never been a peels and facials kind of girl. My sensitive skin would never allow it, even if I wanted it. But I do want the results, so over the years I found what worked for me instead: beauty tools. I love a good red light tool, as you know, but something I’ve never really talked about is how much I love lasers. There’s a laser for everything these days from cold sores, to improving body composition, to facial rejuvenation for skin texture, fine lines, scars, and pigmentation.
Once upon a time I was a regular at Skin Laundry. I loved that I could pop in for a quick laser facial, but even a single 15-minute treatment costs around $150/month. Did it work? Yes…but this is where things get a little muddled for me. The results always felt a little ambiguous since I didn’t do laser facials regularly.
My skin looked a little brighter. But compared to the changes I’d seen from consistently using devices at home, I struggled to point to dramatic long-term improvements. If you have the time and budget to go every 10 days like they recommend, I imagine the results are much more noticeable. But for me, consistency has always beaten intensity.
That’s probably why I’ve become such a beauty device person. I like my tool schedule to evolve—just like my skin. Every evening I stand in front of my mirror, look at what’s going on that day, and pick a tool.
So when Tria asked if I’d like to review their at-home fractional laser, my head whipped around.
Wait…there’s an at-home option for laser skin resurfacing?
How did I not know this existed? And if it worked, would it finally give me the consistency I’d always been missing from professional laser treatments?
Eight weeks later, I’m no longer even thinking about professional laser appointments.
What is fractional laser?
| Term | What it means | How it usually feels |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional | Treats microscopic zones of skin while leaving surrounding skin intact. | Depends on the laser. Fractional can be gentle or intense. |
| Non-ablative | Heats the skin below the surface without removing the top layer. | Less downtime, more gradual results, usually requires more treatments. |
| Ablative | Removes tiny columns or layers of surface skin to trigger stronger resurfacing. | More dramatic results, more downtime, more aftercare. Often needs local anesthesia. |
Tria, Fraxel, Clear + Brilliant, Halo, MOXI, and fractional CO2 lasers all live in the fractional laser world, but not the same treatment.
| Laser | Types of Laser | Where it happens | What people use it for | My read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tria FRX Laser | At-home fractional, non-ablative laser | Home | Texture, fine lines, tone, early signs of aging | Gentler, but repeatable. This is the consistency play. |
| Clear + Brilliant | Professional fractional, non-ablative laser | Office | Glow, tone, texture, early aging, maintenance | The professional laser I’ve heard Melanie Simon recommend most often. |
| Fraxel Dual | Professional fractional, non-ablative laser | Office | Sun damage, pigmentation, texture, fine lines, acne scars | More corrective than a gentle maintenance laser. |
| Halo | Hybrid fractional laser: ablative + non-ablative | Office | Texture, pigmentation, wrinkles, glow, resurfacing | A bigger reset with more recovery. |
| Fractional CO2 | Professional fractional, ablative Co2 laser resurfacing. | Office | Deep wrinkles, significant sun damage, scars, major resurfacing | The most aggressive category here. Not where I’d personally start. |
This is where Tria started to make sense to me. I wasn’t looking for the most aggressive laser I could find. I wanted to know what would happen if I could do a gentler version consistently.
My 8 Week Testing Protocol
I started out doing a level 2 laser (out of 3), while I got used to how it felt. I stopped doing my radio frequency, my ZIIP, my red light…all for the experiment of knowing what exactly was changing with this laser. I also minimized my skincare routine back down to just a basic moisturizer and Vaseline. Basically stripping my routine down to the bones, in the name of science of course.
Unlike some lasers (like carbon dioxide co2 lasers), I had no recovery time, or even a need for ice packs. And after the first initial shock to my skin, no pain either. Was it comfortable? No. But I didn’t feel like I needed numbing cream either like I do with some lasers.
Once I knew my skin could handle it, I moved to level 3 and my skin started looking like it needed a tall drink of water in a desert.
The One Mistake I made
Fractional lasers can be surprisingly dehydrating, especially when you’re using it consistently. Suddenly I had wrinkles where I never had them before.
See that line on my chin? Yeah that was odd. I figured out this wasn’t actually a wrinkle but severe dehydration. My pores weren’t happy either. I added in HA5 from Skinmedica, then layered my lotion and Vaseline on top. It went away pretty quickly once I was diligent about my skincare routine and sun protection. I also switched to every other day, so in some ways this isn’t a complete 8 week treatment, since I should be doing daily treatments.
I do wonder if me being outside every day with my 3 year old could make a slightly less accurate controlled study for sun exposure, but dehydration was essential my only side effect.
But here’s where it’s important to listen to your skin. Once I saw how my skin was responding to daily treatments, I saw I was interrupting the healing process. Switching to every other day gave my skin a chance to repair between sessions. After all, we are resurfacing more than a top layer of skin.
What Actually Changed After 8 Weeks
The first thing I noticed was most obvious in bad lighting, not a mirror: my texture. My pores and uneven tone just weren’t as distracting anymore. I think my reactive skin calmed down more too. You can definitely see I’m less red.
One dark spot I’ve been treating for the past year is now almost impossible to find. A few others haven’t changed as much yet, which tells me pigmentation may simply take longer.
Why I’m Not Booking Professional Laser Treatments Right Now
You already know cost is a real obstacle for laser treatments in the office, but as with all things, consistency matters most of all. I will always vote for at home treatments because they’re convenient and affordable enough you can build it into your routine. When it’s weekly, the results are always going to be better.
Is the Tria Right for You?
The Tria FRX Laser is a great choice when you want improve skin quality rather than facial structure.
| If your biggest concern is… | Would I recommend it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Smaller-looking pores | Yes | This was one of the clearest changes I noticed. My pores looked less distracting, especially in harsh lighting. |
| Uneven texture | Yes | The Tria made my skin surface look smoother and more refined. |
| Dull or uneven-looking skin | Yes | My complexion and skin color looked brighter, calmer, and more polished by the end of the test. |
| Early pigmentation | Possibly | One stubborn dark spot became almost impossible for me to find, although other treatment areas may need more time. Especially for sun damage. |
| Mild acne or chicken pox scars | Yes, for shallow texture | My forehead scars appeared softer and caught the light less noticeably. |
| Fine lines and wrinkles | Yes | I noticed the few wrinkles I had were much less pronounced because of the outer layer resurfacing. |
| Facial lifting | No | See The Vanilla Plum Edit. |
| Jowls or skin laxity | Not its main job | See The Vanilla Plum Edit. |
| Lymphatic drainage or puffiness | No | See The Vanilla Plum Edit. |
| Immediate plumping | No | The Tria is a gradual resurfacing treatment, not an instant plumping device. |
My take: If your biggest complaint is texture rather than sagging, the Tria is impressive. I think of it as the device that refines the canvas, while I use my other devices to work on lift, contour, and structure.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely.
When I was in college, my art professor used to say he could always spot an amateur artist by the canvas. If he could still see the weave of the canvas through the paint, he’d tell us we hadn’t built enough layers of oil paint yet.
I hadn’t thought about that lesson in years until I tested the Tria. For so long, I’d been focused on the structure of the painting—lift, contour, definition. The Tria reminded me that the canvas matters just as much. The smoother the canvas, the less it distracts from the painting itself.
The Tria isn’t trying to replace the devices that give me lift or contour. It’s the finishing touch that makes all of those results look their best.
FAQs
Is the Tria FRX laser safe for all skin tones?
According to Tria, yes—the device is designed for all skin tones because it targets water in the skin rather than pigment. As with any laser, I still recommend doing a test spot first, following the user guide carefully, and talking with your dermatologist if you have a medical history of pigment changes or a skin condition.
How fast should I see results?
Depends on what you’re looking for but Tria says 8 weeks. For me, I intend to go 16 weeks since I ended up needing more spaced out treatments. Now that I see what the treated skin looks like, I will start incorporating my other tools back in on alternate days.
How long does laser resurfacing last?
While co2 laser resurfacing can last 10 years, gentler lasers, like the Tria, need touchups every 1-3 years. Personally, this is where I prefer doing my treatments at home. I like my treatments gentle, with options of doing it whenever I feel the need. Even if I went back to professional lasers, I would likely still buy the Tria for touchups.
Will a laser make pigment worse?
Some dermatologists caution that irritation from combining aggressive acids with laser treatments can increase the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. I kept my routine simple during testing and focused on hydration and sunscreen. Check out erbium lasers if this is a concern.
Will I get milia from the Tria?
I had zero white bumps from this treatment. Again, when you get more aggressive with treatments, stack things that don’t belong together, or increase your actives, you’re more likely to have reactions.
Use Discount Code VANILLA when purchasing your Tria FRX Skin Rejuvenating Fractional Laser.
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