Until now, two varieties of laser treatment have been available for cosmetic enhancement-ablative and non-ablative. Traditional ablative, which literally means vaporization at a very high temperature, are very effective at destroying unwanted tissue but may have significant side-effects and require a lengthy healing period. Non-fractional non-ablative, on the other hand, have very few side-effects and require almost no healing time, but may involve numerous treatments over many months to achieve only modest results.
At long last, a laser with the potency of ablative treatments and the gentle safety of non-ablative lasers received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to treat a variety of important cosmetic conditions. Fraxel® Laser Treatment is designed to target aging and damaged skin by creating microscopic "wounds" within the targeted areas that penetrate well beneath the skin's outermost layer. In this way, Fraxel® Laser treatments trigger the body's own natural production of new collagen and skin cells. And because Fraxel® Laser Treatment combines the impact of ablative lasers with the gentleness of non-ablative lasers, healing occurs so quickly that there is very little downtime for patients.
After several years of studies and mounting evidence of the Fraxel® Laser's safety and effectiveness, the FDA has cleared this unique new laser to treat acne scars, age spots and brown spots, hormonal discoloration, and fine wrinkling.Fraxel Laser Treatment produces thousands of tiny but deep columns of treatment in your skin, known as microscopic treatment zones. This treatment eliminates old epidermal pigmented cells. It also penetrates deep into the dermis. Just as important, though, are the areas of skin the Fraxel laser leaves untouched. For every microscopic zone the laser targets and treats intensively, it leaves the surrounding tissue unaffected and intact. This "fractional" treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, using the body's natural healing process to create new, healthy tighter tissue to replace skin imperfections.
Anesthetic cream is applied to the skin for 90 minutes before the treatment. Most patients feel warmth be very little discomfort during the treatment. There is usually redness and swelling after the treatment that lasts between 2 and 4 days. There also flaking and redness for several days. A series of 4 to 6 treatments is usually required to achieve the best results.
Find information about the benefits of Fraxel laser treatment for acne scar revision and Fraxel treatment for skin rejuvenation.