FRAXEL re:pair Laser
***This is not the Fraxel re:store which has been out for 4 years***
The Fraxel re:pair is a one treatment procedure.
There is confusion with other doctors offices as well as with
the general public about the differences between the
re:store and re:pair. There are only 30 of the Fraxel re:pair Lasers in
the country, NONE are within hundreds of miles of the Aesthetic Clinique.
There is also misinformation regarding the Affirm and the Fraxel Laser. Newscast have said that the Affirm is better than the Fraxel. They are comparing the Affirm to the Fraxel re:store, which are very similar lasers-similar wavelengths (Erbium), and similar amount or treatments (4-6). There is no comparison between the Affirm and the Fraxel re:pair. The re:pair goes much deeper, is only one treatment, and has much better results. The Affirm might be better than the re:store for acne scars, but I know that there is no better laser on the market for wrinkles, scars, and tightening than the Fraxel re:pair!
Touted by WebMD :
"#1 Beauty breakthrough product of the year"
New York Post:
"Best Quality of Life Breakthrough" for wrinkles
Fractional Ablative CO2 laser
Only laser ever approved by the FDA for all the listed below:
NOW HERE AT THE AESTHETIC CLINIQUE
We have one of the 1st 25 in the nation.
(This laser was introduced January 31, 2008. This is not the older Fraxel Laser called either the Sr1500 or re:store which has been around for about 4 years.)
VIDEOS
As Featured on the Today Show
Fraxel re:pair Laser in action
Watch immediate tissue contracture with the Fraxel re:pair Laser
The Fraxel re:pair is the most technologically advanced laser ever made for cosmetic procedures. It is classified as a Fractional Microablative CO2 laser. In laymans terms, this means that the laser vaporizes microscopic columns of tissue (microthermal zones or MTZ), each less than 1/10th the diameter of a hair, and then vacuums this tissue away. The result is removal of tissue that amounts to up to 25% of what a face lift would remove surgically, but in all areas of the face, not just around the ears. Although some severely aged skin might need 2 treatments, in general, this is considered a "ONE AND DONE" procedure. Using fractional technology, the Fraxel CO2 laser has much less downtime than its CO2 predecessors, with only 5-7 days of wound care.
Fractionated Deep Dermal Ablation (FDDA), which the Fraxel re:pair uses, results in only a portion of the skin being ablated, from 5-70%, depending on the degree of correction needed. Leaving portions of unaffected tissue, allows for much faster healing of the adjacent thermally injured tissue. This is compared to the previous CO2 lasers which caused total ablation of the upper layer of skin, resulting in prolonged healing and increased risks of scarring and pigmentation problems. Also, FDDA technology allows for much deeper penetration of the laser, 1.6 millimeters versus 0.3 millimeters (with the older technology). Deeper penetration means better corrections of wrinkles, scars, and pigment.
The procedure is done in the office with topical anesthesia, and oral medications for sedation and pain control. Typical times to do a complete face are about 30 minutes. The laser is also approved for treatment of neck, chest, hands, and other areas. Treatments can also be limited to around the eyes or mouth area. When doing the procedure around the eyes, numbing drops are placed into the eye, followed by a metal corneal shield. This allows for treatment to include the upper and lower eyelids in addition to the lower eye wrinkles, and excess tissue overhanging into the eye area. This is included when the entire face is treated.
There should be no concerns regarding pigmentation problems (lightening or darkening of the skin) with having a Fraxel re:pair treatment. There is currently data from 500 patients over a 2 year period and there have been no cases reported of any pigmentation problems. To my knowledge, no other laser has been as extensively studied before FDA approval as the Fraxel re:pair Laser.
Frequently asked questions:
What is the difference between the Fraxel re:pair and the Fraxel re:store?
The Fraxel re:pair is a CO2 laser and the re:store is an erbium laser. The re:pair requires usually only one treatment, whereas the re:store is usually a series of 4-6 treatments. The re:pair will tighten the skin, the restore will minimally tighten, even after 6 treatments. Wrinkle control is also far superior with the re:pair over the restore. The reason that the re:pair causes more wrinkle control and tightening is because it actually removes tissue, whereas the re:store thermally heats the tissue. Also, CO2 lasers cause more thermal injury to the surrounding tissue which leads to more collagen and better wrinkle control. The cost of 4 or more treatments with the Fraxel re:store is more than the cost of 1 Fraxel re:pair treatment. The Fraxel re:pair was introduced at the American Academy of Dermatology on January 31, 2008. The Fraxel re:store received FDA clearance July, 2004.
Why not get a facelift instead of a Fraxel re:pair treatment?
A facelift usually is done in the operating room under general anesthesia. The re:pair is done in the office with oral medications and nerve blocks (injections). A facelift has difficulty (little or no effect) correcting the areas around the mouth (including smokers lines) and chin area, and without also doing a blepharoplasty (eye surgery), does very little to the eye area. The Fraxel re:pair removes tissue from the entire facial skin, thus improving all areas of the face, including the eye area. A facelift will do nothing to improve the quality of the skin of the face - pigmentation, vessels, texture - and the Fraxel re:pair will improve all these conditions. The costs are less for the Fraxel re:pair than for the facelift as well. While nothing can last forever, the results from CO2 lasers in the past have been noted to be from 5-10 years, comparable to a full facelift, and better than those "mini-lifts".
What does your office do for pain control?
Prior to starting the procedure, a topical cream is place to numb the skin. Also clients are given an oral pain medication and sedative. They are also given a shot of Ketorolac (a medication similar to Motrin).Just as we start the procedure, additional pain control is obtained by injected numbing medication to several areas of the face (nerve blocks). Our clients now describe the pain as a 3 or 4 (out of 10) during the procedure. Afterwards, universally, there has been no pain, and no need for any medication prescribed other than Tylenol.
What other lasers are similar, and why would you want to choose the Fraxel re:pair?
There are a couple lasers on the market now that are fractional ablative CO2 lasers. These are the Lumenis Deep Fx and the Lasering Mixto. Both of these lasers have minimal research behind them. They are riding on the coattails of the research that Fraxel has done. One cannot assume that the research of over 2 years of clinical data from Fraxel can be applied to these lasers. The Aesthetic Clinique feels extremely confident in Fraxel, the company, the number one recognized aesthetic laser company in the world. The Lasering Mixto has been FDA approved only for Fine Lines. The Deep Fx has been approved only for soft tissue coagulation. The Fraxel re:pair has been approved for 4 different indications - wrinkles, pigment, textural problems, and vascular abnormalities and will most likely be approved for scars (as its other laser, the re:store was, after the initial FDA clearance). It is very difficult, time consuming, and unusual for a laser to be approved for multiple indications. Fraxel has gone above and beyond what other laser companies have done by getting approved for several indications. Most companies get approval for a single indication, and then the laser is used "off label" for all the other indications. The depth of penetration is deeper with the Fraxel than the other 2 lasers (Mixto is 0.4 mm, and the Deep Fx is 1 mm - the Fraxel is 1.6mm) making its treatments most effective. Also, the density of treatment (the amount of tissue affected) is variable for the Fraxel re:pair - from 5-70%. For the Mixto, this is fixed at only 25%, and for the Deep Fx, its upper limit is 30%. It's your face, why take a chance, go with the research, go with more density and deeper treatments, and go with the Fraxel re:pair.
The Fraxel re:pair is clearly the best cosmetic laser ever developed.
Please call for a complimentary consultation.
850.622.1214
What other prominent physicians are saying about the Fraxel re:pair:
Zakia Rahman, Stanford University
"Fraxel re:pair treatment provides dramatic results that patients and clinicians want without the considerable risks and recovery time that come with traditional CO2 lasers and surgical procedures," said Zakia Rahman, M.D., clinical instructor of dermatology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, and medical director of the Fraxel Laser Clinic.
"For patients who have spent years in the sun or smoking and wish to have tighter, smoother, and more even skin tone, the Fraxel re:pair laser provides a safe and effective resurfacing solution."
A. Jay Burns, University of Texas Southwest Medical Center
"In my 20 years of using lasers, I have not seen an ablative technology safely capable of targeting all of the elements of severe photodamage on and off the face, including the delicate neck and chest regions. It is now possible with the Fraxel re:pair system," said A. Jay Burns, MD, assistant professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and past president of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery
Christopher Zachary - Department of Dermatology UC Irvine
"The results we are achieving with the Fraxel re:pair system are remarkable by any standard. Results approach that of a facelift, with very few complications and limited downtime," said Christopher Zachary, FRCP, chair of the Department of Dermatology, University of California at Irvine.
"The Fraxel re:pair system produces significant tissue tightening, wrinkle reduction and textural improvement, both on and off the face."
Roy Geronemus - Director, Skin Laser Division, Department of Plastic Surgery, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
"We are getting results from the Fraxel re:pair Laser around the eyes that approaches blepharoplasty (surgery for the aging eye) results."
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Dr. Steve Weiner is a board certified Facial Plastic/Head and Neck Surgeon. His services include BOTOX cosmetic, Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane, Juvederm Ultraplus, Radiesse, and Artefill injections. He also performs laser resurfacing with the new Fraxel re:pair (Repair) Laser, 1540 Fractional Laser, IPL for photofacial, Laser Hair Removal, Laser for Spider veins, and IPL for acne and precancers. He services: Destin, Panama City, Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Watercolor, Watersound, Crestview, Niceville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, and Sandestin.