The Fraxel laser treatment is a fractional treatment that produces thousands of deep, tiny columns in your skin called microscope treatment zones.  This laser is fractional in that it intensively treats old epidermal pigment cells without affecting any of the surrounding tissue, which reduces healing time and promotes the skin's natural process for creating new, healthier tissue to replace the damaged cells.  FLT is designed to target aging and sun damaged skin by targeting portions of specific damaged tissue. By creating microscopic "wounds" within the targeted areas well beneath the outer most epidermal layer of skin, Fraxel Laser treatments trigger the body's natural healing process accelerating the production of collagen and new, healthy skin cells.

Reasons for Considering Fraxel

As you age your skin thins, droops, and looses it's elasticy which can lead to wrinkles. The skin around your eyes is especially prone to wrinkles because it’s

more delicate than other areas of the body and tends to age much more rapidly. Wrinkles on the face and neck can also result from years of smiling, laughing and squinting – all of which involves the contraction of muscles.

Age Spots or Sun Spots
Age spots, also known as sunspots or photodamage, are flat, uneven, dark patches on areas of the body regularly exposed to the sun – such as the face, neck, chest, hands and arms. These spots form when your skin, in an effort to protect your body from ultraviolet rays, produces too much melanin.

Roughness
As you age, skin loses its smoothness, particularly in areas on the face and chest that are more commonly exposed to regular sunlight.

Melasma
Melasma appears as irregular patches of brown skin on the forehead, cheeks, upper lip and nose. Sometimes called the "mask of pregnancy," melasma can affect anyone, but it’s most common among women — especially during hormonal fluctuations associated with pregnancy, oral contraceptive use or hormone replacement therapy. Melasma patches can be darkened by exposure to the sun. (Fraxel re:store and Fraxel re:fine treatments)

Acne Scars
Oil, bacteria and dead cells sometimes get stuck below the skin’s surface, resulting in inflammation and infection that cause small pimples, whiteheads or blackheads. This acne – usually caused by hormonal changes, diet, genetics, vitamin deficiency and/or stress – may leave permanent scarring. (Fraxel re:store treatment)

General Procedure

To prepare your skin for treatment, it will be cleansed. A topical anesthetic ointment is applied to the treatment area approximately 60 minutes prior to treatment in order for the anesthetic to take full effect. The procedure takes between 20 to 25 minutes for a full face. The anesthetic ointment is washed off immediately after the treatment.  Most patients describe the treatment as having a "prickling" sensation. The topical anesthetic ointment and air cooling alleviates most discomfort.

Recovery Process

During the first 24 hours after treatment, your skin may feel as though it is sunburned, and it will appear pink or red. Make-up can be worn to reduce the sunburned appearance. Your skin will naturally bronze over the next week or two. As you continue treatment, the sunburned to bronze conditions will repeat. Just like a natural sunburn, your skin will flake and exfoliate normally. Using a moisturizer will help reduce the appearance of dry flakes.