Fraxel® Sun Damaged Acne Scars Skin Rejuvenation

Summary

Fraxel® laser treatment is currently the best and safest means of making your skin look younger.
It reduces lines, wrinkles, skin irregularities, pigmentation and makes the skin smoother and more elastic.
Fraxel® is also the best treatment for acne and surgical scarring.
Fraxel® can be used in combination with creams to treat melasma.

Background

Fraxel® is the laser of choice for rejuvenating the skin and treating acne and surgical scarring. Lines, brown marks, skin irregularities and enlarged pores are reduced and there is an improvement in skin texture and elasticity. It has replaced deeper chemical and carbon dioxide laser peels because the risks and inconvenience are greatly reduced.

How does it work?

During treatment, the Fraxel® laser produces thousands of microscopic columns of skin damage, each of which is surrounded by a reservoir of normal skin. Over the next five to ten days, these columns are extruded onto the surface and new skin cells migrate in to effect a seamless repair. Each Fraxel® treatment session renews around 20% of the skin.

Which areas can be treated?

Almost any area on the body can be treated with Fraxel®, but the face, neck, chest and the back of the hands are the most commonly treated areas.

How many treatments are needed?

At least three and sometimes five Fraxel® treatments are needed to produce the best possible result. A yearly maintenance treatment is required to maintain the new look.

Fraxel® FAQs

What is Fraxel® used to treat?
How does Fraxel® work?
Which areas can Fraxel® treat?
Which Fractionated Laser Devices work best?
What should I discuss with the person performing my Fraxel® treatment?
Is Fraxel® safe?
Does Fraxel® hurt?
How should I prepare for a Fraxel® treatment?
What is involved in Fraxel® treatment?
How will I look immediately after Fraxel® treatment?
Is there any important Fraxel® aftercare?
How long after the Fraxel® treatment will I notice an improvement?
How much does Fraxel® cost?
How many Fraxel® treatments will I need?
How long does Fraxel® last?
What side-effects does Fraxel® produce?
Who shouldn't have Fraxel®?

What is Fraxel® used to treat?

Introduced in 2003, Fraxel® Laser Treatment has rapidly become the number one choice for skin rejuvenation. It reduces brown marks, improves skin texture and produces a significant rejuvenation of collagen in the upper dermis that reduces or elimates many wrinkles.

It has replaced older treatments such as deep chemical peels, carbon dioxide laser peels, mid-depth chemical peels and visible light laser and intense pulsed light treatment to become the treatment of choice for skin rejuvenation. It is safer than deep chemical peels and carbon dioxide laser peels that required a general anaesthetic and left the skin so swollen, red and weeping that it took two weeks to heal and six months to finally stop being red. It is more effective and more convenient than mid-depth chemical peels.

Fraxel® Laser Treatment also produces improvements in acne scarring and surgical scarring that were not possible with older laser techniques. In addition, Fraxel® Laser Treatment can form part of a package of treatment for facial melasma (chloasma).

Fraxel® also produces some improvement in stretch marks that are notoriously difficult to treat.

How does Fraxel® work?

Fraxel® Laser Treatment works by producing an uniform pattern of thousands of very narrow columns of skin damage that are about one millimeter deep. Each column of skin damage is surrounded by a large cuff of undamaged skin cells that provide the resevoir of tissue from which the skin heals. Over a week, the skin extrudes the column of damaged skin onto the skin surface and replaces it with new cells to leave a perfect join with no hint of scarring. During each treatment session, thousands of small columns of damage are made by the laser so that each treatment session renews about 20% of the skin.

The Fraxel® laser has a unique speed dependent delivery system that ensures that the laser lays down a uniform pattern of treatment to maximise effectiveness and reduces risks. Most other devices treat one small area at a time and depend upon the operator being careful not to leave gaps between treatment areas and not to overlap treatment areas to leave areas of excessive damage.

Which areas can Fraxel® treat?

Fraxel® Laser Treatment can be used to treat any area on the body that has been damaged by sunlight. Fraxel® Laser Treatment is routinely used to treat skin damage on the face, neck, chest, forearms and hands. With care it can be used on the legs, arms and trunk.

Which Fractionated Laser Devices work best?

There are no direct comparisons. However, the safety and efficacy of the Fraxel® laser well is supported by published research and so seems the most sensible treatment choice until the other fractionated lasers have been similarly investigated and researched.

What should I discuss with the person performing my Fraxel treatment®?

When the Fraxel® laser came onto the market, many laser manufacturers' responded rapidly by launching their own fractionated laser. Before deciding to undergo treatment, ask to see the independently published research supporting the safely and efficacy of the fractionated laser that the operator owns. Nearly all other fractionated lasers use a different wavelength from Fraxel and so would be expected to produce different results.

Try not to base your decisions on the manufacturer's own before and after photographs of the effects of treatment. These photographs are designed to advertise their product and will often give you unrealistically high expectations. Rather ask to see before and after photographs of the practitioner's own work. These will give you a better idea of the likely improvement that you are likely to see after treatment.

The aesthetic market is full of hype and false promise and it is hard to ascertain the training, experience and expertise of many of the people who offer treatments in this sector. If you choose to be treated by an "accredited specialist" you can check their training on the General Medical Council website and, if they are registered there, be reassured that that person has completed at least four years of higher training in that specialty. Be aware, that that in the aesthetic market the words, "Specialist", "Medical", "Consultant", and "Cosmetic Dermatologist" have become advertising slogans and may not reflect the practitioner's true status. It is possible to set yourself up as a "Laser Expert" after only a few days training.

Is Fraxel® safe?

There is a very limited risk of infection or scarring. Currently, Fraxel® is the best researched fractional laser and the results have been published for others to assess.

Does Fraxel® hurt?

Some people find Fraxel® uncomfortable. However, careful attention to detail during the application and removal of the local anaesthetic cream and the use of cold air sprays and cooling compresses during treatment makes the procedure tolerable for most people. Most patients describe the treatment as having a "prickling" sensation.

How should I prepare for a Fraxel® treatment?

For two weeks before Fraxel® , each morning, apply the correct amount of a sunscreen with an SPF of 20 evenly and accurately to the treatment area. The correct amount is the equivalent of 2 ml of sunscreen applied to an area equivalent in size to the face. It also helps to keep the skin well moisturised and not to apply any skin rejuvenating creams.

What is involved in Fraxel® treatment?

Your skin will be cleansed and an anaesthetic cream applied to the treatment area for approximately 60 minutes prior to treatment. The procedure takes between 40 and 60 minutes for a full face. The Fraxel® laser is quite noisy. The skin feels hot during treatment. This feeling of heat lasts for about one hour and then subsides completely.

How will I look immediately after Fraxel® treatment?

Your skin will be red immediately after treatment and feel hot. The initial redness and hot feeling quickly subsides but your skin remains pink to a few days after treatment.

Is there any important Fraxel® aftercare?

Your skin will heal more quickly and smoothly if you keep it extremely well moisturised with a bland and thick moisturiser for the first few days after treatment. You will also need to wear a sunscreen if the skin is exposed to summer sunshine.

Make-up can be worn to reduce the sunburned appearance. Your skin will naturally bronze over the next week or two. It is important to keep the treated area well moisturised and to wear sunscreen every day for at least three months after the completion of the course of Fraxel® treatment.

How long after the Fraxel® treatment will I notice an improvement?

You will notice an improvement as soon as the bronzing settles after the first treatment and continued improvement after each treatment session.

How much does Fraxel® cost?

Please contact the clinic for details

How many Fraxel® treatments will I need?

The number of Fraxel® treatment sessions will vary with the condition being treated and its severity. However, research suggests that on average, an effective treatment regimen is 3 to 5 sessions, spaced about 2 to 4 weeks apart. You might need fewer treatments if you are treated with the newer version of the Fraxel® laser called the SR1500.

How long does Fraxel® last?

The longevity of the response will depend upon a large number of individual factors such as; how much sun you have been exposed to in the past, if you have ever smoked or had acne; future sun exposure and the natural ageing processes.

What side-effects does Fraxel® produce?

Swelling and redness are the most common side effects from treatment. If swelling does occur, it is minimal and will subside within a day or two. Redness may occur and will fade within a few days. The skin then bonzes for a few days. There is a very limited risk of infection or scarring.

Who shouldn't have Fraxel® treatments?

Fraxel® treatment should be avoided during pregnancy and by people who have been on Roaccutane during the last six months. It should be approached carefully in people with a tendency to form thick scars, have recurrent cold-sores or take photosensitising drugs.