Fraxel™ - Related FAQ's

Q: I have bad acne scars and was told I can have Fraxel. Will this laser help me?

A: A physician must see a patient in person to determine what kind of scarring they have. Fraxel may be part of but not the entire treatment. Ice pick scars should be treated first by either punch grafts or the CROSS technique of pinpoint application of 100% TCA (trichloroacetic acid) to the base of the scars. After that treatment then Dermabrasion or Fraxel Repair or Fraxel Restore laser can be used. The doctor should evaluate what is best for your skin. Keep in mind that the scars generally improve but do not disappear entirely. Scars occur because the acne had involved a depth of dermal injury in the skin below which the scarring tendency occurs. If an ablative or destructive resurfacing technique were to be performed underneath that layer to remove the scar entirely, then new scarring from the resurfacing would occur because the injury went deeper than the danger line. Sometimes multiple treatments over time continue to improve the scars, such as with Fraxel Restore laser. This can be repeated every three weeks. Fraxel Repair is a carbon dioxide laser and this is not repeated with a series of treatments unlike the Fraxel Restore. The Fraxel Repair could be done one year later again but risks of scarring and pigmentation changes are greater with this laser, but the results are greater with one treatment of the Fraxel Repair than the Fraxel Restore. Downtime is much greater with the Fraxel Repair, and you wouldn’t want to be seen in public for the first week or more. There is pinpoint blood, rawness and oozing. Redness lasts for many weeks to even, months. Fraxel Restore generally does not keep patients home-bound but there is some redness and flaking and swelling for five days or so. Your doctor should consider all these factors when considering what treatment plan is best for you and your unique life-style situation.

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