What is Fraxel Laser Resurfacing?

Fraxel re:store is the non-ablative Erbium fractionated laser that has been around for the past 3 years. It effectively treats sun damaged skin. Mild to moderate wrinkles, brown pigmented spots, melasma, acne and other scars all respond well to the treatment. It can be used to treat anywhere on the body and on any type of skin. Fraxel re:pair is the latest fractionated CO2 laser that is creating the greatest buzz in the past 10 years in nonsurgical facial rejuvenation. After much due... more

Fractional laser therapies are best to treat skin pigmentation problems, sun spots and sun damage, it will modestly tighten pores as well. Our office uses the Matrix Fractional CO2 Laser (as opposed to Fraxel) and we've found it to be exceptional for skin improvement.

Fraxel had been the pioneer in fractionated laser resurfacing technology, first with re:store utilizing Erbium technology. However, the original Fraxel was found to be more helpful for pigmentation but with rather modest results for acne scarring even after 5 treatments. The new standard of care is Fractional CO2 Laser, e.g. Fraxel Repair, ActiveFx, Mixto if one can afford 6-7 days of downtime where the depth and the energy released are more optimal for acne scarring, rejuvenation, and skin... more

The Fraxel laser uses "fractionated" laser technology to deliver laser energy to the skin. Imagine that you want to treat acne scars. Traditional Erbium and CO2 laser resurfacing work to correct acne scars by removing the whole upper layer of skin (epidermis) and part of the lower layer (the dermis). When the skin heals, it heals without the memory of these scars and thus they are improved. With Fraxel, imagine that instead of removing 100% of the surface area of the skin (like... more

Fraxel is one of the best for "fractional resurfacing". To understand what fractional resurfacing means, imagine an eraser that wipes away the skin- this would be the old CO2 and erbium lasers. The newer fractional ones remove "fractions" of skin leaving behind islands of normal skin that can repair the adjacent areas. Fractional is great for improving the texture and fine lines of the skin. In addition, it is great for some types of scars such as certain acne and burn... more

Fraxel is the name of one brand of fractional laser. Fractionated lasers treat a fraction of the total skin surface at each treatment session as opposed to total skin resurfacing, allowing for much less downtime and fewer potential side effects. There are different types of fractionated lasers, but in general they are best for fine lines and wrinkles, freckles and sun spots, uneven pigmentation, scarring such as acne scarring, and sometimes can improve the appearance of stratch marks.... more

Fraxel is a fractionated form of Erbium laser which means it doesn't completely remove the entire top layer of skin also known as the epithelium. It is best for mild sun damage, uneven pigmentation and brown spots, and very mild wrinkles (usually the crepey appearing wrinkles under the eyes). It is slightly more aggressive than a strong TCA peel (like an Obagi Blue Peel) and often requires more than one session for best results. It can be done with topical anesthesia only in a spa or... more

Fraxel laser resurfacing is one of many techniques that can be used to resurface the skin in a fractional mode. Today’s lasers are much less invasive than the lasers used many years ago. However, there are multiple versions of fractional lasers—even the Fraxel laser itself comes in 2 versions: one is the Fraxel Restore laser, which is a non-invasive laser that improves sun damaged skin over a series of treatments and has essentially no downtime. The second Fraxel laser is the... more