Fraxel Re:store Laser Treatments

Fraxel® Re:store Laser Chicago

Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatment can help reduce the components of sun-damaged skin such as “age-spots” (also called sun freckles, liver spots, and lentigines), fine lines or wrinkles, scarring, uneven coloration, skin laxity, textural irregularities, dull tone, and a thinned collagen layer. Many people report an improvement in “smoothness” of the skin, decreased pore size, increased luminosity, increased firmness, and decreased fine lines, reduction of pigment irregularity or blotchiness, and an overall “rejuvenated appearance.” This laser is also safe and effective for tanned skin or skin of color as well as the more difficult to treat areas such as neck, chest and other body surface areas, making it a major advance in the field of laser treatments. 
 
 

 Before and After Fraxel® Laser Treatments.

 

What is Fraxel Re:store Laser Treatment?

 
Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatment is a non-ablative treatment that produces thousands of tiny but deep columns of water absorption in your skin, known as microthermal zones (MTZ). This "fractional" treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, replacing imperfections with healthy skin.
 
Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatments reduce unwanted pigment and discoloration, improves textural surface irregularities of scarred areas and rejuvenate sun damaged areas and fine wrinkles. It is also safe to use on difficult to treat areas such as neck, arms, hands, chest, legs and back, as well as tanned skin or skin of color. This is a major advance, as no other treatment device is as safe for deeply pigmented skin to remove textural or pigment abnormalities and remodel scars. It can penetrate deeply into the dermis (middle layer of skin), allowing us to break up scars and deeper pigment or skin damage.
 
Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatment is cleared by the FDA for soft tissue coagulation, skin resurfacing procedures, and for correction of periorbital wrinkles and pigmented lesions, including age spots, melasma, sun spots and skin discoloration.

Who is a candidate?

Good candidates for this procedure are people with skin of any color who have sun-damaged, aging skin, melasma, irregularly pigmented skin, mild to moderate wrinkles, superficial acne scarring, irregular texture of the skin or other skin condition that could be expected to be improved with this treatment that understands the risks, costs and time necessary to achieve the full benefit of the procedure and who has realistic expectations of the ultimate outcome.

If you are pregnant, have been on Accutane within 6 months, or have an active cold sore you should not have this procedure. In addition, patients who have a history of keloid scarring should not have this procedure.

What is Fraxel Re:store Laser Treatment like?

At the start of the treatment, the area will be thoroughly cleansed. Next a strong topical anesthetic is applied for one hour. OptiGuide Blue, an FDA certified water-soluble tint, is used to focus the laser beam on the areas to be treated and is washed off after the treatment. Topical products to cool, calm, and provide sun protection to the skin will be applied immediately after the treatment.
 
Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatments can be uncomfortable, but multiple methods are used to decrease discomfort such as topical anesthetic, cold air and vibrational devices and occassionally oral medications. This treatment is designed to be a minimal “down time” procedure and therefore is performed through a series of treatments. Clinical studied suggest that an average treatment regimen is 3 to 5 sessions spaces about 3 to 4 weeks apart. Results are immediate and progressive over 6 months. Over time you may need additional treatments because gravity, aging, sun exposure and expression of old sun damage will work to affect your skin. It is important to stay on the professional skin care regimen that has been recommended to you to maintain your improvement, as well as to practice good sun safety.

 

 

 

How does Fraxel Re:store Laser Treatment work ?

The Fraxel® Re:store is a micro-ablative laser treatment that creates microscopic columns of treated areas in your skin, known as microthermal treatment zones (MTZ). The skin surrounding the MTZs is left intact, in a fashion analogous to aerating a lawn, allowing the skin to heal quickly.  This renews the skin not only on the surface but also in the deeper layers.  This “fractional” technique can therefore be used to effectively treat problems that occur deeper in the skin, such as scars and wrinkles, as well as pigment and sun damage more thoroughly, yet with the quick healing associated with noninvasive treatments. Clinical studies suggest that an average treatment regimen is 3 to 5 sessions, spaced about 3 to 6 weeks apart.  Each treatment session addresses 20-25% of the skin area, so over the treatment course the majority of the skin is rejuvenated.  This results in continued improvement of the skin with each successive treatment.

What type of equipment is used?

Fraxel® Re:store, manufactured by Reliant, is a fractionated Erbium Laser (1520-1560nm) and currently the most advanced laser of its kind.

What desired results can be expected?

The vast majority of our patients are happy with their results, although results are variable. In general there is a 50-75% improvement that can be expected after a series of treatments. We take high quality before and after photographs with a VISIA CR to analyze the improvement, a complimentary service we provide with your treatments. 
 
 

Are there any negatives?

Some discomfort is experienced during this procedure. For this reason, we pre-treat with topical anesthetic. This will help reduce the majority of the discomfort with the procedure. Cool air is also directed at the skin during the treatment to provide additional comfort.

New epidermal skin develops immediately, within 24 hours. Your skin will be very pink/bronze for 1-7 days followed by some flaking, depending on treatment depth. Your skin will naturally and vigorously exfoliate as the reorganized skin replaces dead tissue. Flaking is similar to a minor sunburn, but without pain. Use of a moisturizer will mask the appearance of flaking.

During the healing period and after the treatment the areas treated will be more sensitive to sunlight.  Proper sun protection should be worn at all times to minimize possible complications from sun exposure.
 
Uncommonly, a skin wound such as superficial blisters and scabs can occur, which heal within 2 to 14 days. Use of antibiotic ointment on a regular basis usually results in uneventful healing. There is a <0.5% possibility of a skin wound leaving behind a permanent scar. It is also rare for an infection to occur since the skin is usually not broken.
 
Another risk is a possibility of hypo (too little) or hyper (too much) pigmentation that is very uncommon. Usually treatable with prescriptions creams, chemical peels or further laser treatments, there is a <1% possibility that this could be permanent. As part of the normal healing process some patients may develop increased blood vessels in the treated area.  Although these usually resolve on their own with time, additional laser treatments can reduce their appearance more quickly.

What happens after Fraxel Re:store Laser Treatment?

You may apply makeup or shave soon after treatment. Some patients are able to return to routine activities, including work and social obligations, the same day of treatment. Others require a little more time, depending upon their skin condition and treatment.
 
It is important that you use a daily sunscreen with SPF 30 and zinc oxide during the entire time that you are undergoing these procedures and for a period of 6 months following. Also, try to avoid prolonged sun exposure as your risk for post treatment hypo- or hyper-pigmentation may increase. For added protection from sunlight, use wide-brimmed sun protective hats. You may not go in a tanning booth at any time either before or during these treatments.
 
We will provide individualized recommendations for skin care before your first treatment to maximize your results and to minimize discomfort or complications.

Is there another way to get the same effect?

Alternatives to Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatment include camouflaging the problem areas with makeup, doctor-dispensed cosmeceutical creams, laser photorejuvenation, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, medical-grade facials, laser peels or resurfacing. Other procedures that may benefit you to give you a more rejuvenated appearance would be collagen or other injectable fillers, BOTOX® Cosmetic, facelift/brow lift/eyelid surgery, and Pan GTM Lift- a non-surgical approach to soft tissue lifting (“non-surgical face-lift)- that stimulates the lifting muscles of the face. Any or all of these procedures could also be considered as complementary treatments, as we find that combination treatments yield the most optimal results.

How is this different than other procedures?

The first lasers for ablative tissue removal were carbon dioxide lasers (Co2). Although these lasers were extremely effective for aging skin, there was about a 10% incidence of hypopigmenation (too little pigment) that showed up 1-2 years after the treatment. Erbium lasers were developed as a response to this, with lesser cplications but also reduced effectiveness. In addition, both of these ablative lasers had between 4-10 days of real downtime, as the healing skin was unsightly enough to require you to withdraw temporarily from your daily or social activities.

The Fraxel® Re:store laser penetrates the thickness of the skin with many microscopic laser beams. This removes damaged skin by “fractions”, allowing the skin to heal rapidly. With the older lasers the entire surface of the skin was removed leading to downtime and potential complications. By treating fractions of the skin we can be extremely effective because we are treating very deeply, yet have much less downtime and a very low rate of complications due to the more rapid healing.

Can this be combined with other treatments?

We can combine this treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic, Injectable Fillers, such as Restylane™ and Radiesse™, tissue tightening procedures such as Thermage®, ReFirme ST™, and Titan™, the Pan G™ Lift, photorejuvenation, chemical peels, and medical-grade facials.  All of these procedures compliment and enhance each other.

What is the cost of Fraxel Re:store Laser Treatment?

The fees for Fraxel® Re:store Laser Treatments are based on the areas being treated.  Please call Advanced Dermatology for a consultation and the Cosmetic Coordinator will develop a personalized treatment protocol with you.