How does Fraxel laser work?
The penetrating nature of Fraxel laser provides a unique way to treat tissue under your skin without cutting or injections. Such non-invasive treatment drastically reduces or removes recovery time, since there are no stitches or other damage that requires healing time.
Most cosmetic laser treatments target the middle layers of the skin, where support tissue such as collagen and elastin reside. Though these tissues retain their ability to regenerate in the case of tissue damage, they also suffer from slow deterioration that happens below the body’s radar for perceiving damage.
Cosmetic lasers warm the tissue in the skin’s supporting matrix to a point about 5 to 10 degrees Celsius above normal body temperatures. At that point, the body now thinks the tissue has been damaged, which it has been, in a controlled fashion, and the rejuvenating process begins. The Spa at Shenandoah uses the Fraxel laser system, which uses fractional laser light.
What is a fractional laser?
Fraxel laser skin resurfacing is an FDA-approved fractional laser technology to help restore your skin to its original, perfect texture and achieves smoother, fresher, younger looking skin, improved tone and texture, smaller pores, erasing unwanted brown spots, acne scars and surgical scars, and can also reduce the appearance fine lines and wrinkles.
Cosmetic lasers typically use a handpiece to deliver laser light energy. Let’s say that the active portion of this handpiece is a square of one inch. A conventional laser delivers energy over that square inch. A fractional laser, such as that used by the Fraxel system, divides its laser into thousands of tiny beams within that square inch.
One of the key advantages of the Fraxel laser is that these tiny beams greatly reduce the corollary impact that the light energy has on tissue other than that targeted for treatment. Only a fraction of the skin’s surface within that square inch risks side effects from unwanted energy absorption.
What can I expect during a Fraxel session?
The length of your treatment depends on the size of the target area. While Fraxel treatments can take as little as 20 minutes, the Spa at Shenandoah recommends reserving 2 hours for your appointment. The number of treatments also depends on your individual cosmetic goals. Typically, you can expect to meet your desired outcome with three to five treatments. Fraxel skin rejuvenation works best on the skin of the face, neck, chest, and hands.