Fraxel® – An Amazing New Laser for Skin Resurfacing

Looking your best recently got easier. Much easier.

Sun damage? Brown spots on your face, neck, chest, hands? Acne scars? Excess pigmentation on your face (melasma)? Fine lines and wrinkles? Now science and technology have linked forces with laser experts to create an amazing new laser called Fraxel.

Fraxel has many advantages over older lasers. The recovery time is minimal – only a few days of what looks like a sunburn. The skin surface remains intact, so that women can apply makeup the next day, and men can shave. The process is done gradually, with a series of usually 3 to 5 treatment sessions. And not only the face, but other areas of the body, are also excellent candidates for treatment. This is especially important in people with considerable sun damage, since it is possible to treat a continuous area such as the face and neck and chest, without any telltale cutoff lines.

What is the Fraxel procedure like exactly? How long does it take? Does it hurt?

First, the area(s) to be treated are cleansed, and a topical numbing agent is applied and left on for approximately one hour. Then a blue coloring is applied to the areas – you look like a Smurf for a brief period of time, before and during the procedure. The blue is what allows the computer in the laser handpiece to “read” the areas to be treated. The treatment is relatively quick – about half an hour for the face. It does sting a bit, but well worth it. Then the blue is washed off, and sunscreen is then applied. The aftercare is merely continuing to apply these products, with the usual sun protection. Treatment sessions can be done at 2-4 week intervals, but with busy schedules, the interval between treatments is quite flexible. Many people return to work the next day. Others plan their treatments for the end of the week and return to work and other activities on Monday.

Many times, Fraxel laser is one component of a customized treatment plan. Other components might include Thermage, Botox, fillers such as Restylane, and home skincare with anti-aging products. This newer approach to age management, involving combinations of minimal to no downtime procedures, has largely replaced older more drastic procedures that required a long recovery process. Now all the layers of the skin can be treated and improved, to give a much more natural and appropriate appearance. Many people now realize that it didn’t make much sense to merely cut away loose skin, but still leave a weathered sun-damaged outer complexion. It also did not work well to have a dramatic mismatch between the face and elsewhere on the body. The Fraxel laser fits beautifully into the global approach of optimizing one’s appearance, and looking one’s personal best.