In addition to volume restoration of the face to soften lines and deep wrinkles, it is often necessary to enhance the skin’s appearance by improving the fine texture and removing unwanted brown pigmentation. Lasers are extremely useful in this regard and are important tools to further enhance and rejuvenate the face. Laser resurfacing can restore your skin to a healthy state, similar to that of skin that has not experienced sun damage or scarring. With proper sun protection, results can persist for more than five years. In areas where muscle activity is strong, lines may begin to reappear sooner. As your skin continues to age at a normal rate, you may need to maintain results with a 'touch-up' resurfacing treatment. Fraxel re:store can definitively "turn back the hands of time" to reveal more youthful, refreshed you.

Fraxel re:store technology enables the laser to precisely treat thousands of microscopic areas of the skin using pinpoint laser beams that penetrate beneath the skin's surface to eliminate old, damaged skin cells. The Fraxel laser stimulates the body's own natural healing process, which replaces damaged skin with fresh, glowing and healthy skin. The original and most popular Fraxel treatment, Fraxel re:store, can resurface damaged skin and uncover the skin of your youth, all with minimal impact on your daily routine. By targeting only 5 to 50 percent of the skin's surface with each Fraxel re:store treatment, the remaining untreated skin is available to quickly heal the treated areas. The entire skin is treated over a few sessions to allow for rapid healing and little to no downtime. Most patients return to regular activities within a day or two. Since Fraxel laser treatment is so precise, it's safe and effective on delicate skin areas like the face, neck, chest and hands.

Fraxel re:store highlights:

• Pinpoint laser beams treat thousand of microscopic areas of skin
• Eliminates old, damaged skin cells
• Entire skin is treated over a few sessions
• Rapid healing and little to no downtime
• Safe and effective on face, neck, chest and hands

ActiveFX Benefits:

• Smoother, fresher, younger-looking skin
• Improved tone and texture
• Erasing of unwanted brown spots
• Reduced fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes
• Improved appearance of acne scars and surgical scars

First, your skin will be cleansed. Then, about 60 minutes prior to treatment, a topical anesthetic cream will be applied to the treatment area. While receiving the laser treatment, most patients describe an increased sensation of heat during the treatment. To minimize discomfort, cold air is blown on the treated area during the procedure. After the treatment, you may feel like your skin haa a sunburn, which usually diminishes in 1 to 3 hours. The Fraxel re:store procedure takes 20-25 minutes for a full face.

Fraxel re:store is FDA approved for skin resurfacing procedures and the treatment of periorbital wrinkles, acne scars, surgical scars, dyschromia and pigmented lesions, such as age spots, sun spots, actinic keratosis and melasma. Potential side effects include prolonged redness, swelling, blistering, scarring, infection, pigmentary changes (hyperpigmentation), herpes reactivation and acne flare-up.

During the first 24 hours after treatment, your skin may feel as though it is sunburned, and it will appear pink or red. You can wear make-up to reduce the sunburned appearance. Your skin will naturally bronze over the next week or two, and as you continue treatment, the sunburned-to-bronzed appearance will repeat. As with a sunburn, your skin will flake and exfoliate naturally. Use a moisturizer to reduce the appearance of dry flakes.

You can expect two levels of results, immediate and progressive. Immediately after initial healing is complete, the surface of your skin will feel softer, look brighter, and the overall tone will start to become more even. Progressive results occur over the next 3-6 months as the deeper layers of skin continue to heal.