5 Signs You’re a Candidate for Fraxel

When it comes to fighting the signs of aging in your skin, you have a lot of options. The problem is that some treatments only focus on one particular issue, such as skin laxity or wrinkles.

That’s not the case with Fraxel. A laser skin resurfacing treatment, Fraxel does more than minimize the appearance of wrinkles. It can also help to improve the texture of your skin, make your skin tone more even by eliminating dark spots and can even reduce certain scars.

But Fraxel isn’t necessarily the right treatment for everyone. Could it be right for you? Here are 5 signs you might be a good candidate for this powerful procedure.

1. You’re in Good Health

Generally speaking, Fraxel treatments are best suited for people who are in good overall health. If you have any untreated medical conditions, your provider will most likely recommend that you get those issues under control before you consider laser treatments.

Having a medical issue can increase your risk for complications or side effects during or after Fraxel treatment. For example, if you have a medical condition that interferes with blood flow or wound healing, it might take you longer to bounce back after a laser treatment.

If you smoke, it’s often recommended that you quit a few weeks before Fraxel, even if you’re getting the non-ablative treatment. Smoking interferes with your body’s ability to heal. Plus, it makes you age more quickly, undoing the results you’d get from the laser treatment.

2. You Have Some Signs of Aging

While you can have Fraxel treatments when you’re in your 20s or 30s, you do need to have some signs of aging to actually benefit from the procedure.

That said, you don’t have to have extensive signs of aging to get some benefit from the treatments. Usually, the non-ablative form of the treatment is ideal for people who are just beginning to show some signs of aging, such as fine lines, some spotting or discoloration or some unevenness in skin texture.

3. You Have Some Scarring

Fraxel isn’t just for fighting the signs of aging. The laser treatment can also help to reduce scarring, caused by surgical incisions or acne. The laser helps to reduce the appearance of scars by encouraging the production of new skin cells and by triggering a reaction that causes the damaged scar cells to slough off.

It’s important to note that Fraxel isn’t ideal for all types of scars. It won’t help depressed scars, such as pockmarks, for example. The non-ablative laser might also not be strong enough to effectively treat large or keloid scars.

4. You Have Realistic Expectations

What are realistic expectations, anyway? When it comes to Fraxel, being realistic means having an understanding of what the treatment can and can’t do. It also means having a realistic idea of what to expect afterward.

Let’s start with describing what Fraxel can and can’t do. Although the laser treatment does help to reduce signs of aging such as dark spots and wrinkles, it’s important to understand that it won’t transform or reshape your face. After the treatment, you’ll still be yourself.

Although recovery time after non-ablative laser treatments is relatively short compared to after ablative lasers or surgery, you should still be ready for some downtime. Usually, it takes about a week before people feel ready to go back to work. After recovery, it takes a bit longer before results appear.

5. You’re Patient

The Fraxel treatment itself doesn’t take very long and the recovery is relatively brief. The tradeoff is that you often need to schedule a series of treatments, spaced anywhere from a month to two months apart before you get the full and final results. That can take some patience.

How many treatments you need will depend in large part on the current condition of your skin and what you hope to get from the laser treatments. Your provider will give you a good idea of what to expect during your consultation.

Are you a good candidate for Fraxel? If you think you are, schedule a consultation at Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique today to learn more about the laser treatment. Call 281-810-9083 to book your appointment.