Laser Enlightenment

Shedding some light on a new way to combat aging.

When I was a little girl, my gran had a face lift. She was used to looking like a movie star, and aging was just not her thing. I remember seeing her shortly after her op. To this day, I can recall the terror of the sight of her face covered with bandages. It is etched on my mind forever. It was worse than any horror movie. Even through her huge dark glasses, I could make out the swelling and cuts of her butchered face. She was one brave lady, that’s all I know now. And she had the scars, all around her face, to prove it…for the rest of her days.

The seventies were not a good time for aging. The ‘beastly’ side of beauty was all too evident. Thank goodness things have changed. Now, we can walk in and out of a procedure in an hour flat; and kiss aging adiós in the process.

Fraxel is the newest procedure de jour. And everyone that is doing it is keeping it hush-hush. Why share the secret behind your suddenly fresh new countenance, when no one needs to know? The reason is that the down time is much shorter than any other laser resurfacing treatment ever before.

The treatment is done in a doctor’s room. Only a topical anesthetic cream is used and not a general anesthetic. The treatment lasts about thirty minutes in all. Although the procedure is still painful (the brochure gives the pain rating a 5 out of 10), the pain is not as severe as what you experience with other laser treatments.

Fractional Laser Resurfacing, as done by a Fraxel Laser, works by passing a laser through the dry outer layer of skin, and consequently wounds the underlying collagen. The nearby undamaged cells immediately mobilise to heal the wounded area. The area is regenerated, but no visible wound is created. Post-treatment wound care is not needed.

Think of how a damaged painting is delicately restored one small area at a time, or a photographic image is altered, pixel by pixel. Fraxel Laser Treatment improves your appearance by affecting only a fraction of your skin at a time with thousands of tiny microscopic laser spots. The FDA has approved the treatment for wrinkles, age spots, sun spots, and any other resurfacing such as acne scars. And difficult areas such as the thin skin around eyes and lips can be treated. Swelling and redness will occur the day after procedure (and one should definitely not plan any parties for the next day). But unlike other treatments, one can wear makeup over treated areas as the skin won’t be blistered. The skin will appear to be sun burnt for week or so, and will then flake off… just like a sunburn.

Sun damage is the biggest cause of premature aging, and hands, neck and chest have always been problem areas. Fraxel can also be used in these areas. And should you have the inclination (read: lots of money and a bold disregard for pain) Fraxel is excellent for stretch marks.
Yippee for less pain, less down time, and fresher, younger looking skin. My poor gran; I wish she was alive to experience this innovation in combating aging.

To read more go to www.fraxel.com or call Laserderm Morningside 011 783 3110.