Will Fraxel Help Hypopigmentation in Scars?

Fractional CO2 laser is an excellent tool for skin rejuvenation in our center in Santa Monica. We use the fractional multi-depth ablative approach to help resurface the skin, recontour acne scars, improve incisional plastic surgery scars, and reduce surface irregularities from skin tone to dark pigmentation. Our approach utilizes a multi-depth approach that targets melanocytes in the epidermis and collagen fibroblasts in the dermis. This approach can be combined with a TCA Peel in a process known as a sapphire peel. Fractional laser is excellent for acne scars and contour scars in the skin. Patients are advised to undergo skin protocols with Melarase creams before and after treatment to help reduce pigmentation. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. After the laser, we expect redness for a few weeks as the skin improves. PRP and Hydrafacial enzyme facials can further improve skin quality after fractional co2.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Fraxel cannot bring back the natural color to your skin if it is scarred and white but it can feather (blend) it in with the surrounding skin, as Dr. Lupo mentioned, which makes it look less noticeable.  If you have any dark patches nearby it might be a good idea to do some photo-facials (IPL) which will lighten them.  Having dark patches near white skin accentuates the white scars and makes them more noticeable.

Unfortunately once a scar has hypopigmented, there is no way to return the pigment to the skin. Treatments therefore rely on lightening the surrounding skin to blend the scar better. For this, Fraxel can be helpful though I prefer dermabrasion, medium depth local chemical peel, or classic carbon dioxide laser.

Once scars (usually from severe picking) are hypopigmented, nothing helps a lot, but Fraxel does improve the surrounding skin and the area blends better. Sometimes, IPL works well too. Use good sunscreen to prevent the color differential from worsening. Good luck.

  If the scars are scars due to hypo-pigmentation or loss of pigment there may be some relief with Fraxel and even more hope with the use of the Eximer laser. However, scars that have substance to them due to the laying down of collagen---thickened scars--- would be either impervious or at best moderately improved by Fraxel.