Fraxel laser treatment
The Problem: Stubborn pigmentation, fine lines, skin dullness
The Solution: Fraxel Laser Treatment. Until now, lasers worked on settings between 530 and 710 wavelengths. The Fraxel, which has only been around for two years, is a skin repair laser that works on a setting of 1550 wavelengths. To put this in perspective, you need 300 wavelengths for hair removal and 500 wavelengths for zapping blood vessels. This laser goes much deeper than any other.
Downtime: Full recovery takes two to three days. You’ll be swollen and look like you have a bad case of sunburn, so it’s best to get the treatment on a Friday night, then go home with ice packs. On the weekend of my first treatment, I didn’t leave the house due to the swelling and redness. But by Monday morning I was fine to go to work – with the help of make-up.
A Little History: The CO2 laser made popular in the ’80s and ’90s was an ablative laser administered in hospitals and it required a month of recovery. Fraxel eliminates this downtime, but gives the same, if not better, results.
How It Works: Where acid peels burn the skin and encourage it to flake off, the Fraxel allows new collagen cells to form. Each procedure treats 20 per cent of the surface area of the skin, which is why you need to have five treatments, five-to-six weeks apart.
What The Experts Say: “The Fraxel produces thousands of tiny but deep columns of treatment in your skin, known as microthermal treatment zones,” says Dr Garry Cussell of The Facial Rejuvenation Clinic. “This treatment resurfaces the skin, eliminating old and scarred tissue as well as old pigmented cells. Just as important, though, are the areas of skin the laser leaves untouched. For every microthermal zone the laser targets and treats intensively, it leaves the surrounding tissue heated (producing collagen stimulation), but intact.” This “factional” treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area is treated at once.
Is It Suitable For You? Dr Cussel recommends Fraxel for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s with acne and surgical scarring, as well as deep-set pigmentation. Using Fraxel to treat age lines and sun damage in your 30s, 40s and 50s is also recommended.
The Treatments: Five 30-minute sessions, five weeks apart.
Cost: The total for five treatments, including post-Fraxel facials, is $7000.
Where To Go: In Sydney, visit The Facial Rejuvenation Clinic, 1300 889 935, or facialrejuvenation.com.au. To find out where to receive treatment in other states, visit astoz.com.
Note: Your skincare regimen must include vitamins A and C, 30+ sunscreen and a pigment inhibitor/lightening product for the Fraxel treatments to be effective. A good range of affordable products is Aspect, 1800 648 851.
Try the Aspect Starter kit, $65. This contains a cleanser, moisturiser, vitamin C serum and exfoliating serum and will give you about two months’ worth of products.
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