Fractionated Laser Therapy (FRAXEL)

Many people are confused as to what fractionated laser therapy is and think all machines are the same. Fractionated laser is a delivery system not a type of laser. It means a fraction of the skin is treated at any one time (treating the skin in dots) leaving the rest of the skin intact. This delivery system was developed to try and reduce the complications caused by lasers treating 100% of the skin at any one time. With fractionated lasers you can get different strengths of lasers using the fractionated delivery system. It is thus different fractionated lasers will treat different conditions, have differing amounts of downtime and side effects At U Skin Clinics we use the Palomar Lux 1540 Fractional Non Ablative Laser. This is a medium depth laser and treats the skin with small dots or micro beams which keeps the skin intact and reduces side effects and healing time. Historically, the whole skin was treated at once, causing many side effects, lots of time off work and often fear that we will never look normal again. Also, treatment was only for the face but not the body. As a medium depth erbium laser our machine is great for fine lines (not wrinkles) skin texture, stretch marks, scars and acne scars. The skin will be red and swollen for 24 to 48 hours, but not raw, so healing can progress quickly.  Other ablative fractionated lasers penetrate deeper, giving dramatic results, but more side effects, including leaving the skin red and raw, which can lead to infection and embarrassment about being seen in public.