What is the downtime for Fraxel?

Fraxel is a laser skin rejuvenation treatment that resurfaces your outer skin, erasing imperfections. It also encourages the production of collagen, a protein found in connective tissue.The result is clearly visible lines, folds and wrinkles. Fraxel laser skin rejuvenation is a non-invasive technique that affects only about 20 percent of the facial skin exposed to it. The most common side effects of Fraxel laser treatment are swelling and skin redness, which should subside within a couple of days. Other temporary side effects may include minor itching, dry skin, peeling or flaking, and a bronzed skin appearance. The risk of infection or scarring is very limited. You should stay out of the sun 2-4 weeks

The downtime with Fraxel can vary depending on the settings the depth and coverage the technician or doctor used for that particular procedure. The deeper the treatment is the more downtime you might have, redness and swelling immediately following the treatment can last 3-5 days. Once the skin starts to flake and peel there might be slightly pick skin left after the dead skin falls off and that can last up 5 days. From our experience with our patients the downtime is about 7-10 days in total for the skin to be back to normal after a Fraxel Procedure.

Everyone’s different, but most people have a red face after ablative Fraxel for up to two weeks. For some people, that’s enough to keep them indoors during the healing phase. Others don’t mind at all showing a red face in public! Just be sure to wear plenty of sun screen and a hat at all times. No sun bathing, of course (ever). Be sure to consult a board-certified dermatologist who can spend time with you so that you understand the post-procedure care you need to give your face to get the most out of your Fraxel treatment.

Good afternoon,Downtime from redness with Fraxel treatments will depend on a few things - including the sub type of Fraxel laser used - (Dual, Re:pair, Re;store) and the actual energies applied. This will also balance with your skin type and the goals of your treatment.Specific to redness and the treatment of fine lines - usually redness is significantly reduced by 5 days (easily masked with makeup) and gone within 7 days.Some patients will continue to experience areas of dryness or mild irritation for up to two weeks. This usually responds well to mild moisturisers.Excellent sun protection is key to getting your best result.Hope you find this helpful.Take care.Dr. Nodwell

Thank you for your question. Downtime for a Fraxel laser treatment depends on the type of treatment and the intensity of treatment being delivered.  For instance, the Fraxel DUAL laser offers two different wavelengths - the 1550 wavelength is best to treat fine lines/wrinkles, acne scarring and general skin resurfacing, and, the 1927 wavelength targets dark spots, or hyper-pigmentation, caused by sun damage. The treatment for fine lines/wrinkles is typically five days of downtime and the treatment of darks spots is usually about seven days of downtime. An office that performs many of these types of treatments will be able to discuss in greater detail what to expect after a Fraxel laser treatment. Undergoing any surgical procedure requires careful attention to detail and consideration for different options.  Trust your face to a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, a board-certified plastic surgeon or a board-certified dermatologist with very extensive laser skin resurfacing experience.

The downtime you can expect from your Fraxel treatment will depend the settings used, how aggressive the treatment was and how quickly your skin recovers.  Generally speaking the initial redness (similar to a sunburn) will subside after 1-2 weeks depending on the area treated (neck, chest and arms tend to take a little longer). That being said, if you have any questions or concerns regarding any treatment option, there is no substitute for an in-person consultation with a certified medical provider.  

Hello and thank you for your question about the Fraxel laser treatment. Recovery from a Fraxel laser is minimal.  Most patients are able to return to work four to five days after their treatment. Symptoms of your treatment will include some redness and swelling resembling a sunburn that will quickly subside. Your downtime may be a little shorter or longer depending on how much treatment you received and how much skin was treated. Talk to a board certified facial plastic surgeon during an in-person consultation to get more information about the Fraxel laser resurfacing treatment and learn more about your recovery. Good luck!- Elbert T. Cheng, MD

I cannot give you an exact time frame for this question.  Redness depends on a lot of factors.  Depending on how aggressive the provider was on your treatment and the coloring and type of skin you have will determine how long it will take your skin to heal.  On average, patients need 5-7 days of downtime.  To help reduce the redness we recommend and encourage vinegar and water soaks (1 tsp of white Vinegar to 2 cups of water) as many times a day as desired.  This will help heal the skin post laser and take out the redness more quickly.  Also, we love Alastin Skin Nectar for pre and post laser treatments.  Hope this helps.

The downtime after Fraxel depends on the machine/wavelength used and the settings on that device, the topicals used before and after and whether any other treatments are done at the same time.  The Fraxel Dual laser contains both a thulium (1927 nm) and erbium (1550 nm) laser fiber which can be used separately or in combination.  Swelling with either is the worst the first 2 days.  After the Erbium, the skin is quite red and feels sandpapery for 3 - 5 days.  About 2 days after the Thulium, the skin gets a bronze appearance which flakes off gradually.  In both cases, the skin looks smoother and glowing afterward.  You can also do what I call a 'rapid repair fraxel' or 'RRF' treatment which reduces the downtime to 2 - 3 days by adjusting the parameters.  RRF does require more treatments but 2 RRF can give the results of 1 regular fraxel.  Often patients having a Fraxel Dual treatment will have other treatments at the same time such as qswitched Nd:YAG laser for the darkest brown spots or even cryotherapy for waxy spots called seborrheic keratoses to speed the results seen.  If so, there may be small bruises or even little scabs at those sites for a few days.What you put on your skin can shorten or lengthen your healing time.  Most physicians recommend a bland ointment for the first 2 - 3 days then a heavy cream until the skin feels less dry.  Sun protection is critical throughout healing and after.  In addition, there are cosmeceuticals that have been shown to prime the skin before and speed healing afterward via direct effects on collagen and elastin.  So be sure to ask your physician what she recommends.I hope this answered your question.  Best wishes.

This can vary between 1-7 days based on your skin type, area treated,  the intensity of treatment and the actual type of Fraxel used (dual 1927/1550nm or Re:pair CO2).  Your physician will be able to advise you.