“I had developed a very sun-damaged décolletage and, having had three treatments of Fraxel, I have been very pleased with the results. I now have a much smoother, younger-looking chest area and the Fraxel has really regenerated my skin. The results are truly noticeable”
LD 29.09.06
"I can't get over all the comments I've had about how much younger I'm looking and my friends can't put their finger on it. " Have you had any surgery?" But they can't see the scars.
I'm thrilled!"
Shalani M.
Fraxel is the new laser treatment for
sun damaged skin, stretch marks,
age spots & acne scars
YOUR GOALS
- Repair sun damage
- Combat the effects of time
- Skin rejuvenation
"When it comes to cosmetic surgery, there's one name
literally on the A-list's
lips: Dr Rita Rakus" Tatler
FREE FRAXEL CONSULTATION Call +44 (0) 20 7460 7324
or contact
Dr Rita Rakus
Please visit our Fraxel After-Care & Fraxel FAQs pages
Combine with Thermage for best results
Introduction to Fraxel®
Fraxel is the latest state of the art skin rejuvenation for sun damaged skin, stretch marks, age spots and acne scars.
Just as a damaged painting is delicately restored one small area at a time, or a photographic image is altered, pixel by pixel, Fraxel Laser Treatment improves your appearance by affecting only a fraction of your skin at a time with thousands of tiny microscopic laser spots.
Fraxel Laser Treatment
Think of pixels in a photo when you think of Fraxel Laser Treatment (FLT). If you look at a newsprint photo up close, you'll see that the image is actually comprised of thousands of tiny spots of ink. Similarly, Fraxel Laser Treatment produces thousands of tiny treatment zones on skin, known as Micro Thermal Zones (MTZs), in the emerging science of Fractional Photothermolysis.
These MTZs penetrate deep into the dermis and eliminate old epidermal pigmented cells. Just as important, though, are the areas of skin the Fraxel laser leaves untouched. The Fraxel laser is so precise that it penetrates through the stratum corneum, as if it was a window, and leaves it completely intact.
For every MicroThermal Zone the laser targets and treats intensively, it leaves the surrounding tissue unaffected and intact. This "fractional" treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, using the body's natural healing process to create new, healthy tissue to replace skin imperfections.
Turn Back the Clock on Aging with Fraxel
After your very first Fraxel Laser Treatment, you will begin to feel the difference in your skin, as it gradually becomes softer, smoother and fresher. Fine lines around your eyes will noticeably fade. So will uneven colouring and the brown spots caused by aging and sun exposure.
After several Fraxel treatments, your friends and family will marvel at how youthful and healthy your skin looks. The results are so discreet and natural that only you and your doctor will know you've had a Fraxel laser surgical procedure.
Patient's Guide to Fraxel Treatment
Before starting your Fraxel treatment, you and your doctor will discuss which area(s) of your skin is appropriate for treatment, what kind of results you can expect, what to look for after your Fraxel treatment, and how often Fraxel treatment will be scheduled. Because Fraxel Laser Treatment spares healthy tissue, it is effective even on delicate skin areas, such as the neck, chest and hands.
Clinical studies suggest that an effective Fraxel treatment regime is three to five sessions, spaced about four to seven days apart. However, Fraxel treatment plans can be very flexible and effective, even spaced by weeks or months if that best meets the patient's needs. By design, each Fraxel treatment session targets between 12-20% of the skin's surface, depending on the clinical parameters selected. Results after your Fraxel treatment are immediate and progressive. Fraxel treatment optimal improvement is usually visible in about two to three months.
If you are having a significant area of your skin treated, your doctor will develop a pain management approach to maximize your comfort during the procedure.
Preparing for Fraxel Treatment
Fraxel Laser Treatment can be performed right in your doctor’s surgery using only topical anesthesia in most cases. The treatment area will be thoroughly washed prior to the Fraxel procedure and a contact gel applied.
The new Fraxel laser machine does not require the application of the blue dye anymore.
What Happens After my Fraxel Treatment?
After your Fraxel treatment you will experience a mild sunburn sensation for about an hour and then virtually no discomfort. The skin will have a pinkish tone for five to seven days. This is a normal sign that the skin is healing deeply, that dermal tissue is being repaired, and there is good blood circulation. Swelling is minimal and generally resolves in two to three days.
New epidermal skin develops immediately, within 24 hours after the Fraxel treatment. This process of skin repair involves:
- Bronzing: Your skin will have a bronze appearance that lasts anywhere from three to 7 days, depending on the Fraxel treatment level.
- Dry Skin : Your skin will naturally exfoliate as the reorganised epidermal skin replaces dead tissue. The dry skin is similar to that of minor sunburn, but without the associated pain. Use of a moisturiser will mask the appearance of the dry skin.
- Sunscreen: Be sure to use sunscreen at least twice daily to protect your skin from sun exposure during both the healing phase and for several months after your Fraxel treatment. Apply a moisturising sun block with an SPF of at least 30-plus. For added protection, use wide-brimmed hats when in direct sunlight.
Over the following weeks and months, the body repairs the deeper dermal tissues that have been affected by the Fraxel treatment, producing longer beneficial changes associated with a healthy, youthful appearance.
You may apply make-up or shave soon after treatment but you should avoid saunas, swimming and any exercise for 1 week and do NOT have any other form of facial treatment or therapy until authorised to do so by your practitioner, nor should you use products on your face that will irritate the skin or block the pores.
Typically patients find they can go back to work soon after the Fraxel treatment or the next day.
Due to the unique delivery of the Fraxel laser system there are very few risks associated with the treatment with minimal downtime. However, skin can be highly sensitive and care must be taken to minimize any adverse reactions. Complications include, but are not limited to the following:
- Swelling/redness/blanching/burns/blisters/scabbing/hyper or hypo-pigmentation changes/bruising/mild to moderate discomfort/itching/cold sores/infection/keloid formation/punctuate bleeding/skin textural changes/milia/acne eruption/permanent scarring.
Most of these effects will normally disappear within a few days or weeks of treatment, but please contact your practitioner if you experience any of the above effects.
Fraxel® Laser Science
Until today, most lasers treated the skin with high power levels and macroscopic spot sizes. The problem with this approach is that healthy tissue is often damaged along with the skin that is being treated. In addition, there was no overriding technological intelligence for controlling the amount of thermal injury that the skin receives.
Reliant's approach is based upon the evolving science of Fractional Photothermolysis. This has been developed by Drs. Rox Anderson and Dieter Manstein of Harvard's Wellman Laboratories in collaboration with Dr. Scott Herron and Len DeBenedictis, of Reliant Technologies.
Treating the skin fractionally with patterns of microscopic laser spots, each of which is 70-100 microns in diameter, results in a unique wound healing process. This is aided by the fact that each laser spot (known as a MicroThermal Zone, or MTZ) is surrounded by healthy tissue. Many of the stem cells and melanocytes in the papillary dermis are spared. Fractional wound healing results in both rapid reepitheliazation of the epidermis as well as collagen remodeling to depths of 400-700 microns.
Fraxel® SR Laser
Working through a technologically advanced system of optics, the Fraxel SR Laser delivers 2,000 MicroThermal Zone (MTZs) per square centimeter in a regular treatment session. After several treatments, friends and family will marvel at how youthful and healthy your skin looks. Finally, there is a proven, safe approach to repairing aging and sun-damaged skin
FREE FRAXEL CONSULTATION Call +44 (0) 20 7460 7324 or contact Dr Rita Rakus
For more information on Fraxel Treatments visit
and the Fraxel® website www.fraxel.com
For optimum results combine Fraxel with
Thermage treatment
