Fraxel™ - Related FAQ's

Q: I have really bad acne scarring and I had a consultation and the doctor said I should do Fraxel Repair. He described a week of healing and that the scars would be gone. I really don't want to have down time. Is there an alternative that wouldn't make me miss work for a week?

A: You will still have scars! No resurfacing procedure can erase all scars. The Fraxel carbon dioxide ( CO2) laser can take up to two weeks to heal. The depth of some scars are deeper than others and the reason it scarred from acne was that the acne was at a certain depth that is known to scar. If the laser cut through this layer, it could cause scarring too. Many acne scar patients return for more treatments with the same or other technology over the years to add to their improvement. There is a risk of scarring but less with the Fraxel Restore laser and the down time is minimal compared to the Fraxel Repair. The Fraxel Restore treatment does not require you to stay home taking care of a wound but that does occur with the CO2. There is some redness and swelling and minimal flaking or bronzing with the Fraxel Restore or Fraxel Dual. The trade off is that a series of treatments are usually done with the Fraxel Restore laser for acne scarring. It is not uncommon to have six or more treatments, once per every few weeks, for acne scars with the Fraxel Restore. Not all scars respond the same and some are first treated with punch grafts. Results can be very good but scars will still remain. The fact is, even with much more aggressive resurfacing, such as Dermabrasion or Non Fractional C02, fully ablative, laser resurfacing, scars don't go away 100%.

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