Any ablative or "hot" laser on Hispanic skin is a little dicey. The melanin content in your skin type is high, making you far more susceptible to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). Fraxel will have the potential to cause PIH in darker skin. I tend to be very conservative when treating olive... more
Can Fraxel be used on dark or Hispanic skin types?
Can this laser be used on a dark skinned person? i'm 23, latino male, with some hyperpigmentation and some depressed scars. i been looking for some kind of treatment but most doctors won't recommend much since my skin has a dark tone. please help me out.
4 answers to “Can Fraxel be used on dark or...”
A: Fraxel Laser and dark or ethnic skin
Fractionated laser has become quite popular in the United States because of the increased depth of treatment and the minimal downtime. The depth of fractionated laser can acheive greater results in comparison to typical laser resurfacing, while the fractionated beam diffuses the treatment area between... more
A: Fraxel can be used on any skin color
Fraxel laser does not target the pigment and cn be used on any skin color. I have used Fraxel laser treatment on many different skin type with excellent and predictable result.
A: Fraxel works great on Hispanic skin
When treating darker skin types with Fraxel it is very important to use Hydroquionone for 2-3 weeks prior and 7-10days after the procedure. The bleaching cream will suppress the melanin production and will prevent hyper pigmentation post laser. Darker skin should be treated with caution, less energy and... more
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13 posts
9 Feb 2009
I have performed many fractionated resurfacing laser treatments on Hispanic and Asian skin for both hyperpigmentation and acne scars without any problems. I use the Active FX laser rather than the Fraxel laser, but they would both affect darker skin similarly. You do need to be careful however. If your provider is too aggressive, you can experience worsened hyperpigmentation. This is prevented by using lower settings on Hispanic skin and by pretreating the skin for 3 weeks prior to the treatment with a bleaching cream (such as hydroquinone or Tri-Luma). This bleaching cream will help "calm-down" your pigment-producing cells so that laser-induced hyperpigmentation is less likely to occur. So keep looking - you should be able to find a provider in your area who has experience with your skin type. But be sure to choose one who does have experience!
1 post
14 May 2009
Pigmentation is seen as a result of inflammation secondary to micro effect of a laser. use of hydroquinone 6 weeks before applying the laser can certainly help. However, the setting that your laser specialist will use has an important factor.
Please note that there are three different types of Fraxel:
Fraxel re:fine™ Treatment: This fractional, non-ablative gentle treatment is used for skin rejuvenation and resurfacing.
Fraxel re:store™ Treatment: This flagship Fraxel system for non-ablative skin resurfacing and rejuvenation.
Fraxel re:pair®Treatment: This fractional treatment is a CO2 laser providing ablative efficacy with fast recovery.
Based on what you have described, you may ask for: Fraxel refine. Fraxel re:fine combines a more superficially absorbed wavelength with the unique fractional delivery and intuitive medical software of Fraxel systems.
The result is a safe and effective skin rejuvenation treatment that improves texture, tone, pigmentation and periorbital fine lines – all with next to no downtime or discomfort.
The Fraxel re:fine laser wavelength is optimized for superficial treatments at lower energy levels, while still enabling treatment up to 650 µm deep into the dermis. And since the 1410 nm fiber laser targets water, not melanin, Fraxel re:fine treatment is safe on all skin types – on and off the face.