Is it necessary to take an antibiotic right after Fraxel to prevent infection? It seems there may be varying opinions.

Hello and thank you for your question. Fraxel Dual is a non-ablative fractional laser used for skin resurfacing. It is a dual wavelength laser and can treat various skin concerns. Because this laser is non-ablative, in our practice we do not typically prescribe antibiotic prophylaxis. Fraxel re:pair on the other hand is an ablative laser, meaning that it removes all layers of the skin within each of the tiny fractions of skin that are treated. This is a more aggressive laser which provides even better results. In our practice we do prescribe a short term course of prophylactic antibiotics for this treatment as the skin barrier is disrupted for a short time. Hope this helps! Esther Litenatsky AGACNP-BC on behalf of Dr. Ran Rubinstein, facial plastic surgeon in Newburgh, NY and Montvale, NJ.