00:04When we do a procedure like laser resurfacing like Fraxel, it peels some skin off but it's
00:10stimulating your skin to repair itself. In a person who has a significant amount of sun
00:16damage and even precancerous spots, it can give you healthier skin in the long term.
00:24My name is Suzy, I'm 33 and I'm getting Fraxel done today. I've thought about getting Fraxel
00:29for a while and I started noticing the texture of my skin changing right around
00:34when I hit 30. So I did a little bit of research and this kept coming up as a way
00:38to smooth out my skin. I have not done any lasers in the past. I've done a lot of
00:42different facials but this will be the first time that there's actually like a
00:45laser involved. Typically I wear concealer, foundation, and a little bit of powder and
00:50blush so I'm hoping that with this I'm going to be able to cut back a little bit on all
00:55that stuff.
00:55My name is Dr. Nancy Sammelitis. I'm a board-certified dermatologist at Fasil in
01:01West Hollywood and Pasadena, California. I've been practicing for 13 years. The
01:07Fraxel laser is what's known as a fractionated resurfacing laser. That means
01:12it stimulates the skin to peel so you actually can get rejuvenated new skin to
01:18grow and that improves thickening of collagen and improves discoloration from sun damage.
01:24It can also stimulate collagen production to fill in old acne scars. The Fraxel has
01:30even been used to treat precancerous spots. Some people are better candidates than
01:36others for treatment. It depends on how much recovery time they're able to have.
01:41The Fraxel is a good option for her because it will give her a significant
01:45improvement with just one session.
01:50I'm really nervous right now.
01:53Dr. Sam said that the first couple days it just kind of feels like a sunburn and then it
01:57starts scabbing and that sometimes this triggers like a breakout but I'm hoping that I can avoid that.
02:02I have told every single person I know that I'm getting this done so I really hope
02:08that the results are as good as I'm hyping them up to be because I just I told
02:13everyone that they're not gonna even recognize me.
02:15When we start doing the laser treatment the patient numbs with a topical
02:20anesthetic cream for about 30 to 60 minutes prior to the procedure. The
02:26patient's eyes are covered with goggles.
02:34The Fraxel procedure itself takes about 10 or 15 minutes. I always use my hands to
02:40touch where their skin is going to be treated so they know what to expect.
02:47I usually start on the forehead because patients tell me they feel that the most.
02:56they feel a little heat and a little bit of a prickly sensation.
03:02It just got really real.
03:06Oh I think I might need a break.
03:08Okay. Hold the air out here for a minute.
03:11At one point I actually had to ask her to like pause when she got to the other side and
03:15started doing the same thing because she's too much.
03:28So why would you be at home?
03:30I wouldn't wanna go for her.
03:30I'm going for her.
03:31I'm gonna go for her.
03:31I'm gonna go get the way out you can go for it.
03:31I'm gonna go.
03:31I'm gonna go for your room.
03:35What's up?
03:44What's up?
03:46What's up?
03:58Immediately after we were finished doing the Fraxel treatment on Susie's skin, she was
04:03slightly red, her skin felt very warm, which lasts for about 24 hours, and she had a little
04:08bit of swelling.
04:09All those things are normal and expected after that treatment.
04:12I pride myself on having a pretty high pain tolerance for whatever reason, but it was
04:18painful.
04:19So here I am about 12 hours after the procedure, I'm really red, you can very clearly see the
04:25definition of where the laser stopped.
04:28As far as how it feels, it's not too hot right now, it's just a little bit itchy and a
04:34little
04:34bit uncomfortable.
04:35I'm really excited to see what this looks like tomorrow though.
04:37Over the period of the next week or so, the laser dots will turn into brown spots that
04:44look kind of like coffee grounds.
04:46And those little dots will gradually exfoliate off and the patient will see new skin healing
04:52in.
04:52It's really important to do the post-procedure skin care appropriately to maintain your barrier
04:58and to not use anything that's too irritating for your skin.
05:01At about the two week point after the treatment, you will notice your skin is plumper, smoother,
05:08more even toned, and healthier in general.
05:12It's been over two weeks since I had a fractal procedure done and I love the results.
05:18I feel like I was really glowing right after the final phase of it and I feel like I've really
05:24kept most of that glow and most of the clearness of my skin.
05:28We can accomplish a lot in the office with a laser treatment like the Fraxel, but if you
05:34don't go home and take good care of your skin, you could have complications from the laser,
05:38you could get more discoloration, or the problem that you're fixing can come back pretty quickly.
05:43Your skin is really your barrier that protects you from the environment.
05:47If you don't take care of it, it won't take care of you.
Comments