New York dermatologist Dr. Ariel Ostad explained to ABC News Now on May 19, 2008 how Fraxel is used for the treatment and eradication of precancerous skin cells.

See the video on ABC News

For the cancers known as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, caused by precancerous cells known as actinic keratoses, Fraxel is able to effectively remove and prevent progression towards cancer.

These types of cells are fairly common and were previously treated by scraping, or freezing with liquid nitrogen, leaving the patient with 5 days of downtime, or by treatment with topical creams that require some serious healing time.

With the Fraxel laser, Dr. Ostad says "you can treat a diffuse area such as face or scalp, not just spots." This means the amount of skin able to be treated is much greater. Because there is little discomfort and downtime much lower, patients can go out the next day, without any scabbing or raw skin.

Fraxel can also be used for mini-face lift - is well used to correct sun damage, scars, deeper wrinkles on face and neck and can actually tighten the skin while treating precancerous areas.

Dr. Johnson asked, "Are there any dangers?" to which Dr. Ostad replied, "Patients should be aware of their physicians' training and experience with the laser to avoid dangerous complications."