Pre/Post Treatment Guideline: Fraxel Laser

Fraxel Pre Treatment

Stop all irritating products such as acids, retinas, peels or any exfoliation devices 2 weeks before and after treatment.
Drink plenty of water 1 week before and after treatment. Start using a light, oil free moisturizer such as the PerfectionsMD Super Hydrator Serum 5 times a day for 1 week before treatment for the best outcome. Sleeping and hydrating well before treatment will speed the recovery process afterwards.
Avoid sun for 2 weeks to prevent collagen breakdown on the skin and pigmentation. Always take precautions to avoid overexposure to sunlight by applying sunscreen such as PerfectionsMD UV Defense every 2-3 hours.
Use skin-lightening agents as prescribed. Most patients with ethnic skin will need this pre-treatment for 4 weeks to greatly decreased the chance of hyperpigmentation (based on evaluation).
Topical numbing will be applied an hour before treatment. Massage cream for 30 minutes in a circular motion only into areas that are to be treated. Request reapplication after 30 minutes.
You may take your own Tylenol or Xanax, but make sure someone can drive you home if needed. Do NOT take Motrin or Advil.

Pre Treatment Instructions

Use a 4% Hydroquinone brightening pad once every night. Dab gently over affected areas, looking out for redness. If you experience persistent redness lasting through the next morning, skin a day and apply PerfectionsMD Super Hydrator throughout the day until it subsides. Stop pads 5 days prior to treatment.

Use PerfectionsMD Hydrating Mask for 2 days before treatment. After removing the mask, apply the remaining serum from the package onto the face. There is no need to rinse or wash the face after application.

Fraxel Post Treatment

Fraxel is a unique skin resurfacing laser. You may experience redness, dryness, tightness, and/or swollen skin. Small dark spots may appear. These are dead skin cells that will begin to slough off after a few days. (No dark spots or crusting should occur if you are getting treatment for scars because the laser works at a deeper level of the skin for these types of treatments.)

** Avoid sun for the next two weeks. Use a sun visor available at our clinic.

Apply ice after treatment for 15 minutes every hour for four hours.
Wash with water or non-irritating cleanser such as PerfectionsMD Hydrating Gentle Cleanser.
Apply PerfectionsMD Super Hydrator or a thin layer of light, oil free moisturizer 5x’s a day to avoid clogging pores and creating irritation pumps. Keeping skin moist will allow for quick healing and will decrease the chance of side effects such as hyperpigmentation.
Five days after treatment, restart the use of 4% pad at night. Follow the instructions above in section 7 of the pre-treatment instructions.
Use PerfectionsMD Hydrating Mask 2 times a day for 3-6 days after treatment, following the same instructions as listed in the Pre-Treatment
If you see a thin layer of crusted skin, please do not rub off. Let it fall off by itself (sometimes when you wash your face, then it comes off naturally).
Do not use a scrub or irritating products to exfoliate the dead layer of skin for 2 weeks.
After 2 week, return to the clinic for evaluation. Once evaluated and cleared, restart PerfectionsMD Trinity Line daily.
Some see results after 1st treatment. However, the best results are typically seen 4 months after the last treatment.

Pigmentation Treatments Guideline