For the past decade or two, the gold standard for treating deep wrinkles, scars and severe sun damage has been resurfacing with a CO2 laser. This technology replaced deep chemical peels with Phenol and Dermabrasion. Although extremely effective, the original laser technologies were fraught with long recoveries (several weeks) and modest degrees of risk with scarring and altered skin pigmentation.  Although non-ablative technology (non- cutting) has changed the way we resurface the skin, the less invasive technologies still do not have great efficacy on deeper wrinkles and scars, particularly around the mouth and eyes. The Fractional technology I have mentioned before has been recently applied to the old CO2 technology to accommodate these purposes. The two strongest and most effective devices on the market are the Fraxel Repair and the Active/Deep FX. There are many copycat technologies that claim faster healing times and less pain but this is true only because of their lack of power and efficacy compared to the stronger technologies.  Pixel, Affirm, Matrix, eCO2 and many other brands fall into this category. I currently used the Fraxel Repair as i have found that the few devices the company has  to offer provides the full spectrum of treatment options, the greatest amounts of clinical studies and the most powerful technologies.

So…the main goal and advantage of the Fractional CO2 technology is to come close to the efficacy of the old CO2 lasers with significantly greater safety and less downtime.

In my own experience with the Fraxel Repair, I have consistently found recovery to be 1 week at home then an additional week of makeup tricks to cover the remaining redness and mild puffiness. Usually by the end of the second week, only the patient and Dr can appreciate the subtle redness that remains. Patients do need 1 week off from work and 2 -3 weeks before any major social event. I generally tell patients 1-2 weeks for 15 years off the skin….which is exactly the results I have been getting. The procedure is done under local anesthetic and although the look of recovery is tough, it is painless. I do have all the other less invasive Fraxel technologies in my practice but for significant wrinkles or scars, the Fraxel Repair has certainly been the most effective. For the many who cannot afford the downtime, the Fraxel Dual can be performed. Check out pfrankmd.com to read more about the fractional technologies.

So  I discussed in an earlier blog fractionated laser technology. Well, things keep getting better. I also mentioned that I preferred the original name brand that invented the technology- Fraxel. One of the reasons I dig the brand is its continued innovation. There has recently been a spectacular upgrade to their non-ablative (non cutting) technology called the Fraxel Restore. The new version is called the Fraxel Dual. Mostly because they added a second wavelength of light to the device, called the Thulium,  that is specific for superficial sundamage and hyperpigmentation. The laser is still fractionated so the safety is excellent and recovery is remarkably fast. So in the same device both superficial issues such as sun damage and deeper issues such as scars and wrinkles are treated at the same time. Depending on the patient,  the two wavelengths can be used as separate entities or together in one treatment. What I have loved using this newer version for is patients with diffuse brown sun damage. In only one treatment I can now erase 10+ years of pigment with one treatment and only 4 days of a non- painful sunburn like effect. Traditionally, it would either take other devices with a longer recovery or 4-6 photofacials to achieve this result. Thumbs up to Fraxel!