Fraxel ®

With time, our skin sometimes develops areas of discoloration, irregular or rough textures, and wrinkling. The face, neck, chest and hands can often be treated with one of the two types of Fraxel® lasers at the Waldorf Center.

Fraxel® lasers treat thousands of microscopic areas on the skin (called microthermal treatment zones). These tiny and precise zones remove older, damaged cells, and stimulate the skin to heal with new healthy cells. As the skin heals, there are some changes that are seen immediately, and some are only fully appreciated after several skin cell cycles have passed.

Fraxel® Re:store

Skin discoloration and undesirable skin texture can be greatly improved with Fraxel® re:store with minimal recovery time. This laser can be used on the face, neck, chest and hands. Correcting these problems typically requires a series of three to six treatments. After a treatment the skin is often pink and mildly swollen. The level of discomfort is likened to a windburn. The pinkness and puffiness disappear over a few days following the procedure.

The results of the treatment are seen both immediately and over time. Within a few days of the treatment most people notice improvements in the texture and appearance of their skin. These changes become more pronounced over time as the deeper layers of skin complete the healing process, therefore the final results are seen several months down the line.

Fraxel® Re:pair

This Fraxel® laser treats the skin more deeply than the re:store laser. The results of this deeper treatment are improvement in skin discoloration, skin texture, and skin tightening. It can be used on the face and around the eyes.

Because the laser’s energy penetrates deeper into the skin, only one re:pair treatment is necessary to create results similar to those seen with a series of re:store treatments. The increased depth of the re:pair treatment is responsible for the improvements in skin tightening that is seen to a lesser degree after the re:store treatments.

The procedure is typically performed in the office with topical anesthetic and sometimes with some mild pain medication and/or anxiety medication. At the conclusion of the treatment, the skin is usually somewhat swollen and has a bruised appearance. The recovery time is approximately 7 days. After 5-7 days the face is still fairly pink, but this color fades over the weeks to few months following the treatment. Makeup can be used to cover this pinkness.

After the skin heals, it immediately has a smoother, brighter appearance and texture. The skin tightening occurs during the weeks to months that follow the treatment, as the skin remodels itself. The decrease in wrinkles becomes evident after deeper layers of the skin have fully healed, and therefore, the skin continues to tighten over the weeks to months following a treatment with Fraxel® re:pair.