Fractional Resurfacing: This resurfacing procedure is used for the following indications:
a. Lines and wrinkles around the eye.
b. Lines and wrinkles around the mouth.
c. Elastotic, wrinkled and sun-damaged skin of the cheeks.
d. Rejuvenation of the neck and chest—for improvement in dyspigmentation, redness and wrinkles.
e. Acne scars or acne scarring…especially the “rolling” scars.
f. Scars from picking or scratching your skin. This is often seen in people with olive-toned skin who like to pick at their faces. This picking tends to leave a whitish, hypopigmented spot on the skin that looks like a scar. The most common area it is seen is on the cheeks, the angle of the jaw, and the upper part of the neck by the jaw. This procedure is one of the only effective treatments for this type of scarring.
g. Treatment of precancerous lesions called actinic keratoses. Can be used almost anywhere on the body for this indication–the face, neck, chest, arms, back etc…Actinic keratoses are a precursor to squamous cell carcinoma and can be a significant problem for some people because they have so many of them and because they do lead to skin cancer. This procedure has been shown to actually reverse or correct the genetic mutations that are seen in the actinic keratoses. This procedure may also decrease the number of skin cancers you will get in the treated area in the future. Some people have so many actinic keratoses that other treatment options are not very effective and we have seen some significant improvements in our patients who undergo this procedure for that reason.
Fractional resurfacing has nearly replaced deep resurfacing procedures because it has significaly less down time than traditional deep resurfacing. Fractional resurfacing is kind of like aerating your lawn, but we are aerating the skin. With the ProFractional XC laser (the first one in Utah!) we are also able to heat or tighten the skin to different depths during the procedure to get even more improvement and tightening. In addition to the benefits in appearance that one can get from fractional resurfacing, there are many studies that have shown the reversal of mutations in precancerous lesions called actinic keratoses after this procedure. So, you can get the benefit of youthfulness as well as fewer wrinkles and age spots and possibly skin cancers too!
If you are employing Fractional Resurfacing for wrinkles, a series of three to five treatments is usually recommended. The down time is usually about four to six days of pinkness where you need to keep a nice layer of Vaseline on the skin until it has recovered. We recommend you exercise great sun precaution for 21 days after the procedure.
