Fraxel Repair Laser Look Ten Years Younger in Ten Days

By, Kimberly Moskowitz, MS, MD

Let’s face it; whether we are 25, 35, or 55, we are all aging. Rather than “aging gracefully,” most of us have a “kicking and screaming” attitude evidenced by the fact that last year Americans spent more than 40 billion dollars on anti-aging products and nearly nine million people underwent age-reversing plastic surgery. What if we could repair our skin, diminish wrinkles, tighten sagging jowls, lift eyebrows, and eliminate sun spots &

dilated capillaries without going under the knife? Recently reported as one of the “Best Quality Of Life Breakthroughs” is today’s most sought after

Laser technology, the Fraxel Re:pair.

Fraxel technology, first patented and released in 2004, uses an optical tracking system that precisely reads the contours of the face and body to safely resurface skin a fraction at a time. The two newest of the Fraxel laser family, the Fraxel Restore and the Fraxel Repair, work similarly, but deliver different types and depths of laser energy. The Fraxel Restore is wonderfully suited for patients in their 20s and 30s, to treat fine lines around the eyes, sun spots, melasma, acne scarring & stretch marks. Fraxel Restore generally requires 4-5 treatment sessions with only 3-4 days of down time (redness and swelling).

As we reach our 40s, 50s, and 60s; however, our collagen levels rapidly decline causing deeper wrinkles, skin laxity, sagging, and the ever dreaded jowl lines. Fortunately, technology evolves as if to satisfy our need for instant gratification… and so, the Fraxel Repair was released less than two years after its predecessor, the Restore. Perfection has arrived… and the Fraxel Repair CO2 laser will likely remain, for at least the next decade, as the “greatest breakthrough treatment for wrinkles and sagging skin.” It is now the “gold standard” for treating moderate to deep wrinkles and sun damaged skin. It has laser experts like myself excited that we have finally found a technology that may one day make surgical face lifts obsolete.

Unlike traditional ablative CO2 resurfacing lasers that vaporize the entire epidermis, yielding weeks to months of down time, the Fraxel CO2 device treats a fraction of the skin’s surface at a time. As the laser hand piece glides over the skin, it delivers thousands of microscopic columns of laser energy, like pixels in a digital image, 1.7mm deep into the dermis where our collagen resides. This heat energy destroys old unhealthy cells in the dermis and epidermis and causes immediate contraction and tightening of the skin. These tiny “dots” of laser energy are surrounded by healthy “nests” of untreated cells that rapidly heal the treated areas. This stimulates the body’s own natural healing process to replace aged cells with healthy glowing fresh new skin. Old sluggish collagen contracts immediately and fibroblasts are stimulated to secrete abundant, plump new collagen.

Dr. Kimberly Moskowitz: Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine; Residency: Georgetown University Hospital Board Certified: Internal Medicine & Venous & Lymphatic Medicine Skin and Laser Medicine Specialist American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery American Society for Cosmetic Physicians

Overlying skin immediately becomes tighter, supple, youthful, and radiant. This fractional technology provides dramatic results without the prolonged down time or complications seen with other resurfacing techniques. Most patients achieve maximum results with a single 20 minute treatment that is performed comfortably in my office. These results wipe the slate clean at any age, making your skin ten years younger, on the inside and out. People often ask “How long will these results last”? Our magic wands can turn back time but they cannot stop the clock. Your skin will continue to age but you will also continue to look ten years younger than if you had not had the treatment. For this reason, many people desire a maintenance treatment within 5 to 10 years.

The science of aging medicine continues to evolve in the direction of natural, less-invasive, non-surgical procedures. Surgeons are beginning to lay down their scalpels and rely on lasers to improve the quality of the skin not just the sagging and wrinkles.

Aging gracefully is measured by your wisdom and your

attitude, not just the number of lines on your face.

The Cosmetic Vein & Laser Center 651 Grand Panama Blvd Suite 102

(850) 233-0264 www.skinandveins.com