What is Fractional Non-Ablative Laser?
With less downtime and lower cost than fractional ablative lasers, surface imperfections, wrinkles and scars can be gradually reduced with fractional non-ablative laser skin resurfacing.Fractional lasers deliver thousands of tiny, but deep, columns of heat into your skin, producing microthermal treatment zones.
We select one of our several non-ablative resurfacing lasers based on skin type, type of scar or wrinkles, ability for downtime and other concerns. By customizing our treatments, we can more precisely remove sun-damaged and aging skin, scars, and other skin imperfections to achieve the best outcome for your specific goals.
How it Works
This treatment eliminates old epidermal pigmented cells and deposits heat deep into the dermis to tighten skin and stimulate collagen remodeling. Just as important, though, are the areas of the skin the fractional laser leaves untouched. For every microthermal zone the laser targets and treats intensively, it leaves the surrounding tissue unaffected and intact. This “fractional” treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, using the body’s natural healing process to create new, healthy, tighter tissue to replace skin imperfections.
Results
Recovery
You will experience a mild sunburn sensation for about an hour and then virtually no discomfort. The skin will have a pinkish tone for five to seven days. New epidermal skin develops within 24 hours. The process of skin repair involves:
Bronzing: Your skin will have a bronze appearance that lasts anywhere from three to fourteen days, depending on the treatment level.
Flaking: Your skin will naturally and vigorously exfoliate, as the reorganized epidermal skin replaces dead tissue. Flaking is similar to that of minor sunburn, without the associated pain. Use of a moisturizer will mask the appearance of flaking.
Sun protection: Use sunblock at least twice daily to protect your skin from sun exposure during the healing phase and for several months after treatment. Apply a moisturizing sunblock with an SPF of at least 30-plus. For added protection from sunlight, use wide-brimmed hats.
Over the following weeks and months, the body repairs the deeper dermal tissues that have been affected by fractional laser treatment, producing beneficial changes associated with a healthy appearance of your skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens before treatment?
Before treatment, you and your doctor will discuss which area(s) of your skin is/are appropriate for treatment, what kind of results you can expect, what to look for after treatment, and how often treatment will be scheduled. Because fractional laser treatment spares healthy tissue, it is effective even on delicate skin areas, such as the neck, chest and hands.
Fractional laser treatment can be performed right in your doctor’s office using only a topical anesthetic. Right before the procedure, the treatment area will be thoroughly cleansed prior to the procedure. A light film of tracking gel is applied to the area, and the laser is gently “rolled” across the skin.
What Lasers are used?
Fraxel DUAL 1550/1927®