Fractional or fractionated lasers resurface and rejuvenate the skin to treat wrinkles, scars, hyperpigmentation, and uneven tone and texture. While a fully ablative laser removes the entire surface layer of skin in the treated area, a fractional laser for skin resurfacing has beams that are broken up into smaller units, so they target between 25% and 40% of the skin and leave the rest intact. The surrounding intact skin helps jump-start healing, stimulating the production of collagen and the turnover of new cells. Because of this, fractional lasers offer a faster recovery and results that are visible more quickly.

It can be used to treat aging uneven texture, acne scars and wrinkles, often producing significant long-lasting results after a single session.

For optimal results, you can combine fractional laser resurfacing with PRP.

Post-procedure, people see smoother skin after a few weeks, with results that continue to improve for six months afterward. Your skin tone will be more even and your wrinkles will be greatly diminished. Results can last up to three years. People with severe pitted acne scarring (which is difficult to treat) may need more than one treatment to be satisfied with their results.

Because fractional lasers actively injure your skin on a microscopic level, treatment can be somewhat uncomfortable—it can feel hot or like a pinch. To alleviate this, we will apply numbing cream first, which can take up 45 minutes to go into effect. After the cream has fully activated, we will move the laser across the treatment area in a continuous fluid motion. The process takes about 20 minutes for the face and a bit longer for areas of the body.

Your downtime will depend on the intensity of your treatment. Most people experience some swelling, rough spots, and redness for a few days after but see overall healing by days five to seven.

For more intense and deeper treatments on a higher setting or coupled with other treatments (like radiofrequency treatments), you may need a few days off work. You should be fully healed within 7-10 days. These results are more dramatic and long-lasting.

It can take longer to heal from deeper ablative fractional laser treatments, but your recovery will be shorter and easier than from other fully ablative lasers. PRP will help speed up the recovery process.

Anyone can benefit from a fractionated laser resurfacing to rejuvenate their skin. At Physimed MediSpa, we use the Fotona Erbium YAG fractionated laser which can be used on all skin types. However, caution should be used on patients with darker skin complexion in order to avoid hyperpigmentation.

Our fractionated laser for skin resurfacing is primarily used on the face.

Post-treatment, you should avoid direct sustained sun exposure for 1-2 months and wear sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher and a wide-brimmed hat outdoors at all times.

Patients who are on medications that cause increased light sensitivity will need to avoid laser treatments of all types.

This treatment may also trigger an outbreak of cold sores, if you’re prone to them. We will prescribe antiviral medication to be safe.

Depending on the depth of your fractionated laser resurfacing, you may not need any maintenance for a few years.

Alternative procedures include fully ablative laser resurfacing, which requires more downtime but can yield more dramatic results.

Micro-needling with PRP may also be another alternative.