Fraxel for 5 Year Old Surgical Scars

Fraxel Re:Store breaks up scar tissue and stimulates the production of collagen, which will improve the appearance of scars – including ones that are years or even decades old. You will probably need multiple treatments spaced from a month to a month and a half apart, depending on your healing process. The scar will not be totally removed, but will blend much better into the surrounding skin. Depending on how deep and discolored the scars are, you may need additional therapies, such as microneedling and chemical peels. Please consult a board-certified dermatologist to have your scars evaluated and find out which treatment options will give you the best results.

Scar tissue is made of thickly arranged collagen fibers. So Fraxel can help improve the appearance of scars since it works by enabling your skin to create normal new collagen fibers that gradually override the scar tissue.

There are several types of Fraxel laser systems. Fraxel Repair works by creating tiny columns of laser light in the skin. This acts to vaporize the surrounding tissue. The overall skin area shrinks. The laser energy turns into heat energy which causes the deeper layers of the skin to produce normal collagen fibers that help fade out the scar tissue. 

Hi Sparkle,

Fraxel laser is effective in the treatment of old traumatic scars.  It will likely take a series of treatments.  Either Fraxel restore or Fraxel repair may be used depending on how aggressive you wish to be, and how much recovery downtime you can afford.  Choose your treating physician most carefully. Good luck and be well.

Dr. P

Encino,CA

Fraxel is a good treatment for scars and will improve a scar even if it is several years old.  The older and larger it is, the more treatments you will need.  Fraxel will not completely erase the scar, but will blend it with your normal skin and likely significantly improve the appearance of the scar.

I have had the Fraxel re:store skin resurfacing laser since 2004. I use this laser on all the incisions I make on the face to optimize the healing result. The Fraxel re:store (erbium:glass) is also helpful to improve mature scars, although the best results are seen when the laser resurfacing is done early in the wounding.

My protocol is to do 4-6 treatment sessions, spaced up to 4-6 weeks apart (depending how long it takes for the redness to fade between treatments). I like to use topical silicone gel and topical silicone sheets to the scars between treatments to optimize the healing results. I have consistently seen modest results in mature scars. Patients who prefer not to have any more surgery especially appreciated the improvement.

You should see a dermatologist or plastic surgeon with extensive experience in seeing and successfully treating many types of scars both with surgery and energy based technologies including lasers.  The best treatment for you may be a combination of treatments depending on the nature of the scars.