Laser used – Fraxel Dual

What it does – Stimulates collagen production in the indented areas of skin, causing these areas to rise and be level with the surrounding skin creating a smoother surface. For scars that have associated dark pigment, it is possible to use the Fraxel's alternate light frequency to lessen the pigment that can make these scars more apparent.

How it works – The Fraxel laser penetrates the skin deeply enough to stimulate the production of new collagen while it renews the skin surface. These changes cause the skin surface to be more uniform.

Why it's better – Fraxel achieves the amazing results seen with ablative techniques without removing the whole skin surface which can cause additional scarring and require many weeks of recovery. This is possible because Fraxel leaves bridges of skin intact which speed the healing process.

How to prepare – Arrive 60 minutes before treatment with the intended treatment area clean and ready to have a topical anesthetic applied.

How it will feel – Patients can experience heat or a prickling sensation. Pain is limited by a powerful topical anesthetic and the Fraxel's special cooling system which blows cold air across the skin during treatment.

Procedure time – Up to 30 minutes depending on extent of area treated.

Recovery time – 3 days of peeling and swelling, 2 days of which you may not want the treated area to be seen by the public.

Treatments Necessary – 3 to 4 treatments.

Procedure results – After the first treatment, the skin becomes more uniform and this increases with each subsequent treatment. This improvement will continue up to 6 months as the deeper layers of the skin continue to heal and produce collagen making the surface more uniform.

Enhancing results – If the scar is red, the Vbeam Perfecta laser can be used in conjunction with Fraxel to eliminate the redness. Fillers such as Juvederm can be used to further improve the appearance of especially deep scars which do not fully disappear with laser treatment. Juvederm brings the indented area up to the level of the surrounding skin and stimulates collagen formation. Surprisingly, in some cases Botox can make scars less apparent by relaxing the underlying muscles to which the skin is attached and preventing the scar from being creased repeatedly. The Obagi Condition and Enhance System system continues the surface renewal process and collagen building that the Fraxel Dual initiates.