The FDA clearance was given partly because of data from a six-month study of 21 patients with AK, each of whom underwent a series of two to four laser treatments, spaced two to four weeks apart. Results showed that the treatment yielded a mean 83.5 percent decrease in age spot lesions on the face and other areas of the body, including the arms, hands and chest. Improvements in skin texture and pigmentation were also reported.

“In our study, we found the Fraxel re:store Dual to be the most effective treatment of multiple facial AKs, as it is safe and requires minimal downtime while simultaneously improving other signs of photodamage,” said Dr. Roy G. Geronemus, director of the Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York, in a news release. “While the 83.5 percent removal rate was comparable to other topical therapies and AK treatment options, Fraxel was overwhelmingly well-tolerated by all the patients and offers the added benefit of improving a patients’ overall skin quality, color and texture.”

Fraxel re:store Dual has a 1927 nm wavelength in addition to a 1550-nm deep-penetrating Erbium fiber laser. The 1927 nm wavelength is optimized for treatment of pigmentation and other superficial skin conditions, such as AK.

The FDA has also cleared Fraxel re:store for:

• Skin resurfacing
• Eye wrinkles
• Acne scars
• Surgical scars
• Skin discoloration and pigmented lesions, such as age spots and sun spots

Patients frequently travel to Dr. Stacy Cosmetic  in Bellevue, Washington, from across Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon for Fraxel re:pair laser resurfacing treatment. Fraxel re:pair treatment has FDA clearances for wrinkles, irregular texture, sun and age spots and sun-induced redness.

According to a recent press release, the company was awarded the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America in the category of “Best Special Events and Observances.”

Why Solta Was Given the Award – via PR Newsire

The illumiNATION tour introduced the two latest advancements in the aesthetic industry – the Thermage CPT and Fraxel re:store Dual – to physicians and consumers in over 45 cities in the U.S. and Europe in Fall 2009. The tour was comprised of an on-line and on-the-road communications program. It produced unprecedented results, including more than 200 million media impressions, thousands of visitors and increased sales for the Thermage and Fraxel systems throughout the effort. Due to the success of the program, a Canadian tour followed in the spring and stopped in 8 cities across Canada, generating the same great results Solta experienced in the first tour.

Correction of facial skin laxity was the goal with both cosmetic treatments.  To measure the results and compare the two, a randomized, blinded, comparative trial was designed.  Doctors mixed photos of patients who underwent both facelift surgery and fractional radiofrequency treatment, then graded them on a 4-point skin laxity scale.

2 findings from the study are especially useful in comparing these two treatments:

• Mean skin laxity improvement of the RF treatment was 37 percent of the surgical facelift
• Patients in the RF group returned to normal activities 24 hours after treatment, while those in the facelift group did the same after 7 to 10 days.

Read more about this study on PubMed.gov

Are you and your BFF local celebs?  Write your own version of True Hollywood Story, explain why the two of you are best friends, and enter it with a photo for a chance to win.  Four pairs of BFFs will walk away with complimentary VIP Fraxel and Thermage treatment packages.

Check it out here on the Fraxel Facebook page.

Fraxel is FDA approved to treat conditions such as sun spots, acne scarring, melasma and eye wrinkles.  Only a small fraction of your skin is treated with each session.  The surrounding area is not affected.  This way, the skin can heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once.

The laser penetrates through skin like light through glass, reaching into the dermis below to create thousands of tiny, microscopic areas of thermal damage. Your body’s own wound healing response is stimulated to produce new collagen production and replace damaged skin layers.

Most treatments use topical anesthesia.  At Dr. Stacy’s Maple Valley office we need about 30-45 minutes to perform a typical facial treatment.

Age/Sun Spots

It’s hard to escape the damage caused by decades of harmful sun exposure. To reduce the appearance of sun spots, Fraxel treatment awakens and revitalizes the subsurface cells in your skin.  Sun spots (also known as age spots or liver spots) are flat, uneven patches that appear on sun-exposed parts of your body.  The most common areas are the face, chest, hands, shoulders and arms.

Your skin reacts to sun exposure by producing pigment called melanin.  The purpose of the melanin is to shield your skin from UV rays. This increased pigmentation can cause darkened spots – making you look much older than you really are.

Acne Scarring

Acne scarring can make a negative impact on one’s self-image, particularly if you are entering adult life while carrying these outward symbols of your teenage years. Fortunately, a Fraxel treatment can reduce or soften the appearance of acne scars and improve your appearance significantly.

Scars happen when acne advances to the point of injuring the tissue.  This discolored fibrous tissue has abnormal collagen function.  It may appear as a red raised area or indented mark. For treatment, the top layer of skin must be removed and the production of new collagen must be stimulated.

Traditional acne scar treatments blended topical agents, abrasion therapies, surgery and conventional lasers. Most of these treatments get moderate results and can be aggressive, resulting in a long, painful recovery period.

The FDA approved Fraxel for treating acne scars once research showed that Fraxel could be more effective than traditional acne scar treatments. The powerful, yet precise laser effectively encourages the skin to create new collagen to replace the scarred epidermis.

Melasma

Pregnancy can take a toll on your skin. With stretch marks, melasma and hormonal changes, it can leave some lasting reminders that most women would prefer to erase.

Melasma is a common disorder estimated to affect about 6 million women in the United States. Melasma typically appears as brown spots and darkened pigmentation on sun-exposed facial areas, notably the cheeks, forehead, upper lip and nose.  Melasma is most common in women of childbearing age and among male and female adults of dark-skinned races.

Fraxel is effective in treating persistent melasma that has been unresponsive to treatments like bleaching creams, microdermabrasion, selective photothermolysis laser and light therapies, and laser ablation.

Think of your skin as a wall made up of tiny tiles. If you have melasma, every third tile on this wall would be brown in color. With Fraxel fractional resurfacing, every brown tile is “zapped” and eliminated making your skin more uniform.

Wrinkles around the Eyes

Your wrinkles may signify a life rich with laughter and experience, but most people would prefer to keep the memories and lose the crow’s feet.  With Fraxel, we can naturally rebuild and restore your skin in this area, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The skin around your eyes is much more delicate than other areas of the body and tends to age more rapidly. The tiny wrinkles that develop (crow’s feet) develop from years of contracting the muscles that display our emotions when we smile, squint, contemplate, show surprise or laugh.

There are several therapies for reducing crow’s feet, including Botox, chemical peels, injectable fillers, collagen, dermabrasion or traditional laser treatment.  If Fraxel is not an ideal treatment for you, one of these therapies may be a better solution.

Click here to learn more about Fraxel laser treatment in Bellevue and Maple Valley.  To stay in touch with our office and be notified about future Fraxel specials and exclusive offers, subscribe to Dr. Stacy’s email list.

Links

• Smartlipo versus Traditional Lipo: What’s the difference?
• Body Areas Sculpted With SmartLipo
• Smartlipo Before and After Pictures

Smart Lipo is a method of liposuction that uses a laser to assist in the removal of unwanted body fat. A small laser attached to the liposuction cannula is used to melt fat cells before removing them, effectively contouring and reshaping your body. Popular areas of treatment include the abdomen, love handles, backs, thighs, hips, knees, arms, neck, and chin.

The Fraxel system will be used to reduce the appearance of scarring caused by traumatic thermal damage. The Burn Center is a worldwide leader in innovative treatment and care for burn patients and their families.

In making the donation, the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Solta Medical, Inc., Stephen J. Fanning, applauded the Grossman Burn Foundation’s efforts to provide highly-skilled non-profit reconstructive surgery to treat patients’ scars and help their recovery, adding that “The Grossman Burn Foundation is well known for their humanitarian efforts to assist burn victims and their families throughout the world…”

And it’s true. The Grossman Burn Foundation provides burn care and medical resources in developing countries all over the globe, including a burn center in Kabul and a physician triage training program for doctors in underdeveloped countries. The Foundation is also involved in the development and distribution of satellite based telemedicine equipment to doctors and first responders all over the globe. The donation of the Fraxel system, therefore, was a natural fit for Solta Medical, a world leader in the laser skin resurfacing technology.

“The goal of restorative burn care is to return the patient to as close to pre-injury status as possible…” said Rebecca Grossman, the Chair of the Grossman Burn Foundation. “We plan to use the cutting-edge Fraxel technology to restore our burn-injured patients and play a key role in providing better and faster patient outcomes.”

Advances in Technology

Skin resurfacing is a part of a growing trend in the medical aesthetics field. In fact, the same Fraxel technology being put to use in the Burn Center has been FDA-cleared to treat a wide-range of skin conditions including: age spots, acne scars, surgical scars, actinic keratoses, sunspots, melasma, and even wrinkles around the eyes. And, as the technology gets better, so do the results.

Today’s lasers are a gentler and safer alternative than those used in the past. As usual, however, there are a number of variables and options to consider when it comes to laser skin resurfacing and the type of treatment that may be right for each patient. Always consult with a surgeon who has performed a wide range of these procedures and is familiar with the many choices that are available.

• Read more about Fraxel laser treatment in Maple Valley and Bellevue

a) Distract tigers
b) Treat acne scars
c) Remove unwanted hair
d) Project giant image of Britney Spears into the stratosphere
e) All of the above

Click here to listen and find out.

The basics, courtesy of skin care expert Suzan Obagi:

• We gradually lose collagen, causing skin to become thinner and more fragile.
• We gradually lose elastin and glycosaminoglycans, causing a loss of moisture.
• Sun, smoke, and pollutants thicken parts of the skin, causing lesions, cancers freckles and age spots.

What can be done about wrinkles?

• Apply sunscreen (containing zinc or titanium) daily – at least SPF 35
• Use an anti-aging cream that contains tretinoin
• Try to stimulate collagen growth with regular peels or laser treatments.

Here’s a video montage of Fraxel & Thermage media coverage that has been aired recently, courtesy of Solta Medical. You won’t find much information, but it’s still worth checking out if you’re considering treatment.