Is the Pearl a Fractional Laser?

Hi Sue,
Pearl is a laser that treats the entire skin surface; it is not fractional. Pearl is a superficial treatment of the skin which allows for relatively rapid recovery. Cutera, the laser company that manufactures Pearl, has developed an additional technology which is a fractional ablative YSGG (should be available in the second half of the year) to treat deeper levels of the skin, and to jump on the "fractional" band wagon.
Be well and good luck with your rejuvenation.
Dr. P

Cutera has introduced a competitor to its own Pearl laser called the "Pearl fractional". It's confusing so I'm not sure why they named it that way. I use the non-fractional Pearl which is excellent and well tolerated for color variegation resulting from sun damage. I remain skeptical of any fractional system for acne scars or deep wrinkles. In my estimation, the results have been disappointing.

This is a confusing thing for a great many patients.  There are two types of Pearl....Pearl and Pearl Fractional. We have both in our office (as well as Fraxel).  The 'regular' Pearl laser is not fractional like Fraxel...in fact we can vary the way the spots are fired and actually have them overlap by as much as 20% (rather than treat only a fraction of the skin) . Regular Pearl is good for evening out the skin tone and color, sun damage and some textural improvements.  The Pearl Fractional, though utilizing the same wavelength of laser and YSGG technology, penetrates significantly deeper than Pearl and is excellent for the treatment of fine lines, wrinkles, texture, mild to moderate acne scarring, collagen stimulation.  The Pearl Fractional is more similar to the Fraxel in its delivery of the laser energy, treating a fraction of the skin and not the entire surface. With any of these treatments, we can vary the amount of spots in a given area to increase or decrease the intensity of treatment.  We have had great results with both treatments (and Fraxel too) and are extremely pleased to have both options because one size does not fit all.  We pride ourselves in being able to offer the most appropriate treatment for each patient.


Dr. Grant Stevens            

This may be confusing to you and to other patients looking for reviews and information on Pearl Laser.
Now Cutera has two Pearl Laser Treatments. The original Pearl Laser is more superficial and designed for general photo damage. The new Pearl Fractional Laser penetrates deeper into the dermis and addresses deepwrinkles and acne scars.
We chose to bring in the Pearl Fractional to our office, rather than the original Pearl, because there are other treatments designed to treat your fine lines and the clarity of your skin. But there wasn't a good way, without a long recovery time, to reach deeper lines and perfections.
Pearl Fractional is a new, fractional, single treatment laser designed to improve imperfections due to aging and sun damage. It is FDA approved. The Pearl Fractional procedure volumizes skin by creating new collagen and we think it offers the best balance of safety and patient experience with recovery time.
Most people have heard of fractional lasers but many are confused about what exactly that means, and why it is a good thing. The term "fractional" does not have anything to do with the strength or the wavelength of the laser. Fractional therapy describes a treatment that affects only a fraction or small percentage of the skin.
During the procedure, the laser uses heat to create tiny holes, the size of a pore, deep in the skin thus ensuring maximum results in one treatment. This fractional treatment selectively removes columns of sun-damaged tissue leaving surrounding skin intact. This stimulates the growth of healthy, new skin, full of fresh collagen, plumping the skin from below.The healing time is shortened because the laser is fractional. Still, you should expect to have at least a week's social downtime with Pearl Fractional.
Great for: Improving significant sun damage and deep, dermal imperfections with a single treatment.
Not for: Darker skin tones and those whose schedules won't allow a week's recovery time.