Fraxel Repair or Restore for Acne Scars?

Hi Frank, Fraxel re:store has been used for the past 4 years in the treatment of acne scars. It usually takes anywhere from 4 to 8 treatments separated by 2 to 3 weeks each. The downtime is minimal and the skin remains intact. It is a gentler, less involved treatment that the new Fraxel re:pair. Fraxel re:pair has amazed me with it's affect on acne scarring in a single treatment. I do inform all acne scar patients that they may need between 1 to 3 Fraxel re:pair treatments for the best... more

I have used laser skin tightening with the Candela Gentlelase Laser with great success for acne scar reduction or removal and skin tightening. In other cases I may actually cut very deep scars out and sew together. Other acne scars can be treated very effectively by fat grafting. The most important factor to to prevent future acne, otherwise the treatments will likely not last. Not all acne resonds the same way. By pulling on the skin we can generally determine if Laser skin... more

Your choice of Fraxel lasers (re:store or re:pair) for treating acne scars depends on what your scars look like and what your tolerance is for downtime after the treatment. Fraxel re:pair is the more aggressive of the two, and will smooth acne scars, but requires 7-10 days of downtime. You may only need 1 or 2 treatments with the re:pair. The re:store also can give amazing results but as it is more gentle it only causes 2 to 3 days of downtime. However, you are trading less downtime and... more

Both lasers can improve acne scarring. You are correct that you need fewer treatments with Fraxel Repair. However, to expect just one session to give you complete results may be incorrect. It can require up to 3 sessions with Fraxel Repair. A new treatment that appears to be terrific for acne scars is known as the e-Matrix. This is actually not a laser but a radiofrequency device, and early results have been terrific in the treatment of acne scars. Many dermatologists, including our... more