By Larry Bishop, M.D.
“For the first time in years, I can go out in public without makeup!” This patient, an attractive young woman in her thirties, was bubbling with enthusiasm. “I can’t believe the difference in my skin!” And she was right. She looked terrific.
Even though a young woman, she came to me for help with dark spots on her face -- spots that made her look older and her skin mottled. Now, after only two treatments with the new, sophisticated Fraxel laser, she was well on her way to achieving her goal: younger, fresher, natural looking skin.
In the past five years, the science of facial rejuvenation has undergone a revolution. There is a broad movement toward non-invasive, non-surgical rejuvenation of the face. Patients commonly tell me “I don’t want to look like or be someone else, I just want to look like a better me.” With the fractional resurfacing technology of the Fraxel Laser, that goal is now within reach.
The Fraxel Laser technology is the culmination of years of exacting research on facial rejuvenation. The designers at Reliant Technologies were looking for a way to rejuvenate the skin, increase the “young” collagen that resides in the skin during our youth, and eliminate the unsightly, pigmented spots that often occur as people mature. By using millions of tiny laser spots separated by untreated skin, the Fraxel designers found that the body is stimulated to repair itself, to biologically turn back the hands of time.
In our practice, we treat not only the face, but also the chest, neck and hands with the Fraxel, improving the appearance of those regions, usually over a course of three to four treatments. The FDA-approved indications of age spots, the “mask of pregnancy,” mild wrinkling around the eyes and the mottled appearance of the skin all see dramatic improvement with the Fraxel, and without the need for general anesthesia. With the introduction of this new technology, the dream of “no down time” facial rejuvenation has finally become a reality.
Patients don’t experience the severe effects with Fraxel that they saw with older laser treatments. They won’t get the raw, oozing eroded skin associated with the older laser systems, and in most cases are able to return to their normal activities the day after their treatment.
As dermatologists, we understand the science of the skin. Over the past ten years, we have seen treatments for facial rejuvenation come and go, because they simply don’t work, or because the side effects often outweigh any benefits the treatments may offer. We resisted adding new treatments until we were sure that they were safe and that they worked. With the Fraxel Laser and its “million points of light,” we have found a system we can trust.