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Phone 512.401.2500 | Fax 512.401.2501
2745 Bee Caves Road, Suite 101
Austin,
Texas
78746
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Question:
Can you explain the difference between fraxel restore and fraxel repair? Is one best for wrinkles?
Answer:
Fraxel restore is a fractionated erbium laser. Fraxel repair is a fractionated carbon dioxide laser. A carbon dioxide laser causes more thermal injury to the skin and is therefore better for wrinkle reduction. It also has a longer recovery. However, we utilize Fraxel restore of to resurface the skin for conditions such as acne scarring or even melasma. This does have a shorter downtime but the results will not be seen as much for wrinkles.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I was surprised to hear that Fraxel re:pair can help with wrinkles. How much improvement can I expect?
Answer:
Fraxel re:pair is a fractionated carbon dioxide laser. We can certainly help with wrinkled reduction. How much improvement you will obtain depends upon the settings used as well as conditions unique to your skin
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
What is a fractional laser?
Answer:
A fractional laser is a laser that leaves small islands of untreated skin in-between larger islands of treated skin. The reason for doing this is that the small remaining islands can then bud and restore the epithelium to the surrounding treated areas. In the case of fully ablative laser or chemical peels the new skin must bud from the depth of the hair follicles and oil glands, which in most instances requires more time than in the fractional cases.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
Someone recently told me how great the fraxel laser is for resurfacing the skin. Are there different types of fraxel lasers?
Answer:
There are 2 different types of Fraxel lasers. One is in erbium laser referred to as Fraxel re:store. The other is a carbon dioxide laser referred to as Fraxel re:pair. The erbium Fraxel laser usually requires more than one treatment and has approximately 1-2 days of swelling followed by 4-5 days of redness. The patient can apply makeup almost immediately following the procedure. The carbon dioxide fractionated laser is intended to be a one-time treatment, although it can be repeated. Depending on the level of treatment it could require 5-10 days of ointment on the skin. The results are better with the carbon dioxide laser however the recovery is more significant.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I’ve heard of a few different types of Fraxel lasers. What are the differences between them and is one more effective?
Answer:
Fraxel is a brand of laser. They have two main types, the Fraxel re:pair and the Fraxel re:store. Fraxel re:pair is a fractionated CO2 laser while re:store is an fractionated erbium. The CO2 tends to have better results for wrinkles, but has more recovery time. The erbium variety has less recovery, but takes multiple treatments and is less effective on wrinkles.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
What is the difference between the fraxel laser and the erbium laser? Is one considered best?
Answer:
Fraxel is a brand of laser. They produce two different types. The Fraxel re:pair and the re:store. The re:pair is a CO2 laser and the re:store is an erbium. There are also other types of erbium lasers so your question is difficult to answer. Comparing fractionated erbium and CO2, the CO2 tends to be more efficacious; however the recovery time is also longer. The erbium is intended to be performed as a series of treatments at one month intervals. It works very well for pigment and fine lines. The real advantage of the erbium however is that the recovery time is limited to a couple of days.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
What is the Erbium laser? What does it best treat and how does it compare to other types of lasers?
Answer:
The Erbium laser is a family of lasers that use the laser medium Erbium to produce monochromatic light. The wavelength produced varies somewhat from devise to devise, but the chromophore or target of the energy in each circumstance is water. The Erbium laser is very strongly absorbed by water and has less collateral thermal injury than a CO2 laser. This has the effect of allowing faster recovery, but also may not have as much tissue tightening. We use two different Erbium lasers, the Whisper, which is a very superficial skin treatment and the Fraxel re:store. This laser is useful for pigment, fine lines and acne scarring. It requires multiple treatment sessions to be effective. We also have a fractionated CO2 laser that provides a greater degree of improvement, but also a longer recovery in appropriate patients.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
In my line of work, I spend a significant amount of time in the sun. If I were to have a Fraxel laser treatment, when would I be able to return to work?
Answer:
There are two types of Fraxel laser, re:pair and re:store. The ability to return to sun exposure is limited to when the skin will tolerate sunscreen, however even with this there is a risk of hyperpigmentation if not careful. The re:pair is a CO2 laser and has a longer recovery. Depending on what treatment level you use it may be 2-4 weeks before sun exposure is advised. The re:store is an erbium wavelength and the recovery is much quicker. Usually sunscreen can and should be worn immediately after the procedure, but sun exposure in any quantity should probably still be delayed for 4-5 days. At that time a hat should also be worn.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I have severe Rosacea, so bad that I don’t even want to leave the house some days. Would a Fraxel laser treatment be able to eliminate the redness and blotchiness of my skin?
Answer:
Fraxel is not the best treatment for Rosacea. Severe Rosacea is best treated with a combination of good skin care and a vascular laser such as a pulsed dye laser.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
Aside from a facial spider vein treatment, are there any creams or serums that would help eliminate the appearance of spider veins in my cheeks?
Answer:
There are creams that can improve spider veins. Some of them are prescription and others part of skin care lines. Usually though these will only be partially effective and often laser therapy is needed as well. These creams can then be beneficial in maintaining the result.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
