Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing

Every so often, a significant breakthrough comes along in Plastic Surgery - and this, I believe, is one of them. It's a new twist on a familiar theme. In this case, the new twist is a gadget called a "fractional laser scanner". This is an optical-mechanical device that manipulates an incoming laser beam, creating a polka-dot pattern of laser dots. Normal, untreated skin is left in-between the treated / lasered areas, rather than zapping the entire surface of the skin.

Since only a small fraction of the skin is treated, the technique is known as fractional resurfacing. It can be thought of as a kindler, gentler way to do skin resurfacing. It's not as dramatic a result as the traditional CO2 laser - but the recovery is also far, far easier. The down-time is about 3-7 days, with very little pain. I've been using a european machine, called the Ellipse Juvia, for my treatments since march 2007. (I believe we had the first Juvia unit in the entire South-East.) While laser resurfacing is not a replacement for a facelift, it does a nice job improving texture problems, fine wrinkles and clearing up sun damage.


There are about a dozen machines out there that use this fractional co2 laser technology - and to be honest, they are all fairly similar, whether they are called "Active FX", "DOT therapy", "mixto" or "Juvia". What's confusing for the consumer, however, is that the original "Fraxel" machine - isn't a CO2 laser. It uses a different, less powerful wavelength - so the results with the original Fraxel have not been as impressive.

There are also 2 machines - the Fraxel Repair and the Deep FX - that are designed for deeper treatments. The jury is still out on these...as the complication rate may be higher, and as yet, the treatment parameters have not been optimized.

If you decide to have this treatment done, make sure you go to a physician with plenty of CO2 laser experience. While fractional treatments can be done very lightly, all of these machines can be turned up to give a very intense treatment. They are by no means "goof-proof". Experience of the laser operator is the key to a good result.