Can Fraxel Be Used on Dark or Hispanic Skin Types?

asked 3 years ago by helpsoon in maspeth new york 11378
Latest answer by Brian Dubow, MD
Question viewed 8,000 times
Tags: dark, risk

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.

6 answers to Can Fraxel Be Used on Dark or Hispanic Skin Types?

Fraxel not best for Hispanic skin melasma

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 skin tones with heat technology and will pretreat with a pigment inhibitor like prescription strength hydroquinone prior to laser procedures. Melasma is an overfunction of the... more

Nissan Pilest, MD
Irvine Dermatologic Surgeon

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 intensity. More consecutive treatments are also necessary for darker skin with prolonged recovery time. As long as the procedure is done by an expert, with experience in treating darker skin... more

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Fraxel laser is not good for dark skin tones, but fillers are a good option

Unfortunately, the advice you received is correct. People with darker skin tones (darker Caucasians tones, Latinos, Asians and African Americans) are not good candidates for aggressive laser procedures that are necessary to treat deep acne scarring. Furthermore, less aggressive treatments, such as light chemical peels and microdermabrasion, are ineffective at treating acne scars. However, the newer fillers, such as Restylane and Juvederm, are effective at filling in and smoothing many... more

Brian Dubow, MD
Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon

Fraxel on dark or Hispanic skin

You are correct. Certain darker skin types are more difficult to treat and require enormous expertise on the part of the physician. It is impossible to determine if you are an appropriate candidate unless I see your skin. In general, however, the darker the skin, the higher the risks for post-treatment hyperpigmentation.

David Goldberg, MD
New York Dermatologic Surgeon

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 treatments. In ethnic skin types, there is a propensity to develop hyperpigmentation of the skin. This can be managed post-procedure, or more appropriately, before the treatment itself. Our... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

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.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

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