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Home - Laser Dermatology - Fraxel Laser
FRAXEL LASER - THE CONCEPT
THE "OLD WAY"
Up until now, the gold standard in reversing the signs of aging has been resurfacing with the CO2 laser. Resurfacing is achieved by peeling away a layer of skin while causing tissue contraction. Although this technique achieves dramatic results, patients often undergo general anesthesia and prolonged healing and recovery times (as long as two weeks).
The "NEW" way - FRAXEL
Unlike old resurfacing lasers that remove the entire top layer of skin, the Fraxel laser works by creating a grid of pinpoint laser beams that zap tiny spots on the skin. This produces thousands of tiny but deep columns of treatment in your skin, known as microthermal treatment zones. This method protects the skin from enduring too much damage at once and, because you have an 80 percent reservoir of normal skin surrounding these microthermal treatment zones, healing is fast and side effects are minimal.
The name "Fraxel"
By design, each treatment session targets about 15 to 20 percent of the skin's surface. In other words it treats a "fraction" of the skin surface each time and that is why the technique is called "fractional laser resurfacing" and the laser is named the Fraxel. That is also why four treatment sessions (spaced two to four weeks apart) are required for optimal results.
Not the usual trade-off
The usual trade-off dictates that the deeper you go with a resurfacing procedure, the more dramatic the results, but with added downtime and risk. So typically a light acid peel or a microdermabrasion has almost no risk of adverse effects and no downtime, but the results are modest. On the other hand, a full face CO2 laser resurfacing can give dramatic results, but it requires general anesthesia and more than two weeks of recovery , and the risk of side effects is real. The Fraxel Laser maintains the safety profile of a microdermabrasion procedure, with results that are significantly more dramatic.
Why is this woman blue?
The process starts at home where you apply a topical numbing cream that we have prescribed for you, approximately ninety minutes before treatment. Apply this cream generously, like "icing on a cake", and reapply as it absorbs into your skin. At our office, the nurse will use a water soluble dye to paint your face blue. The laser detects the color and only treats the blue areas adding an extra layer of safety and control. Finally, the lasering begins and the laser scans your face about four times in different directions. This takes about 30 minutes.
More Fraxel Laser - Prices and Results
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