Why Don't Multiple Fraxel Treatments Destroy New Collagen?

Question

I am having a series of 4 Fraxel treatments. I understand Fraxel Restore treats 20% of the skin, then there is aprox 1 month healing time between treatments. Why doesn't the second treatment destroy the progress made on the first treatment since the laser is passing over the same area? How does the laser "know" which area has not been treated?

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

The Fraxel restore laser induces new collagen by stimulating fibroblasts, cells that produce collagen, in the dermis. Subsequent treatments stimulate more collagen but without being an ablative , destructive treatment, you can build up more and more collagen with Fraxel Restore subsequent treatments

Grace Liu, MD · Answer

Hi,

	You have a good question!  Fraxel Restore is a non-ablative or non-destructive erbium laser so no tissue is destroyed with the treatment.  Instead depending on the degree of energy or penetration, the heat process stimulates skin cells to create new collagen which starts immediately after the procedure and continues for several months after the procedure.  The microscopic studies have shown the increase in collagen production after each Restore treatment.  Clinically, what you see matches in that with repeated treatments, you see more of a dramatic improvement!

	Best,

	Dr. Liu

Susan Van Dyke, MD · Answer

Good question! Fraxel Restore is non ablative, that means it does not "vaporize" tissue. It does however generate heat in the collagen layer that causes denaturization or collagen shrinkage. This alteration in the extisting collagen stimulates fibroblasts to generate more collagen over weeks and many months after treatment. The continuous fibroblast stimulation with repeat treatments generates far more collagen than is denatured. So, clinically the overall effect is more collagen. Really, it works, patients see the improvement.

Lori A. Brightman, MD · Answer

Fraxel is a laser of specific wavelength, which targets certain structures in the skin. This remains only on the top of your skin layers. It is actually stimulating collagen to be produced. It does take up to 90 days for new collagen to develop and that is the time frame for which you will be able to appreciate your fraxel treatment results

Bruce K. Barach, MD (retired) · Answer

while there is certainly a small amount overlap each time, the treatments are stimulating much more new collagen formation than they are destroying. the majority of the skin surface (>80%) is not injured each treatment, hence the quick recovery and short downtime. fraxel is an ingenious and effective technology!

Why Don't Multiple Fraxel Treatments Destroy New Collagen?

Answers (5)