Laser Skin Resurfacing

FRAX 1550: Laser Skin Resurfacing Overview

Proven: Consistently delivers great results for texture problems, and overall skin rejuvenation.
Customizable: Tailored treatment plans for each patient’s unique needs.
Safety: Reliable for varying skin types and tones.
Downtime: Minimal downtime and aftercare.
Comfort: Minimal discomfort. Very well tolerated.
Pigmentation: We have packages that pair FRAX with IPL to treat stubborn pigment and superficial veins.
Laxity: Helps with minor loose skin issues. RF Microneedling is more appropriate to treat more advanced laxity.
Treatment Schedule: We see the best results doing two or more treatments spaced one month apart.
Treatment Time: 15-30 Minutes depending on treatment area size and necessary passes.

Why Laser Skin Resurfacing Matters

Skin resurfacing is a transformative aesthetic procedure designed to improve the texture, tone, and overall quality of your skin. Over time, factors like sun exposure, aging, and environmental stressors can lead to skin imperfections such as fine lines, wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, and acne scars. Skin resurfacing treatments target these concerns, helping you achieve smoother, more youthful skin.

FRAX Is Safer Laser Skin Resurfacing

The Nordlys laser by Candela is a gentle multi-applicator laser system that uses laser and light treatments that use specific wavelengths to target skin concerns including pore size, redness, wrinkles, sun damage, pigmentation, texture problems, mild skin laxity issues, and dull skin. FRAX was specifically created for skin resurfacing.

“Frax” is a shorthand term for fractionated or fractional laser treatment, which breaks a high energy laser into smaller micro injuries rather than one large beam that creates excessive injuries and downtime. The FRAX system allows for many of the great benefits found in ablative (meaning it removes skin) CO2 laser systems, and instead accomplishes very similar results with less pain, downtime, and fewer risks of side-effects like Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (“PIH”).

Because the system creates less damage, we are able to use FRAX for on almost anyone by specifically tailoring the treatment toward individual skin types and concerns. FRAX does not fully replace CO2, because it still has many great uses when properly selecting patients. FRAX offers many of the same compelling results without the many risks associated with fully ablative laser resurfacing treatments.

Benefits of Candela Nordlys Frax 1550

Precision and Control: The Candela Nordlys Frax 1550 system employs advanced fractional laser technology, allowing for precise and controlled treatments. It treats only a fraction of the skin at a time, leaving surrounding tissue untouched. This precision enables our experienced professionals to tailor treatments to your specific concerns. The precision of this hand-piece also allows us to easily target a specific are with focussed energy where it’s necessary, while avoiding areas where it’s not necessary.
Collagen Revival: The Frax 1550 system’s remarkable capability to stimulate collagen production deep within the skin is a key benefit. Collagen is the essential protein responsible for skin’s volume and elasticity. Increased collagen leads to a reduction in fine lines, wrinkles, and overall skin rejuvenation.
Versatility: This versatile system can address a wide range of skin concerns, including pigmentation irregularities, acne scars, sun damage, and rough texture. It can be applied to various areas, such as the face, neck, chest, legs, arms, and hands, ensuring comprehensive skin rejuvenation.
Minimal Downtime: Patients love the Candela Nordlys Frax 1550 system for its minimal downtime. While you may experience some redness and mild swelling, these effects typically subside within a few days. You can return to your daily activities without significant disruption.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Patients typically experience some redness and mild swelling immediately after the procedure. These effects usually subside within a day or two. The downtime is relatively minimal compared to other skin resurfacing methods.

Results vary, but many patients notice improvements in skin texture and tone within a few weeks after treatment. Collagen production continues over several months, leading to gradual and long-lasting improvements.

The Nordlys FRAX 1550 is effective in treating a range of skin concerns, including fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation irregularities, sun damage, acne scars, and overall skin texture.

Most patients describe an increased sensation of heat during the treatment. Discomfort during the procedure is typically minimal and is managed with topical numbing cream and cooling. Most patients find the treatment to be tolerable. If a patient has a low pain tolerance we can always leaving the numbing cream on longer.

It depends on your overall skin health and goals. It’s generally recommended to undergo a treatment plan consisting of 3 or more sessions if you want full facial rejuvenation or resurfacing, with intervals of approximately 2 to 4 weeks between each session.

However, everyone’s body handles treatment differently. We’ve seen great results from one or two treatments, some patients just want a surgical scar or stretch marks improved. Results become noticeable immediately after treatment and continue to improve gradually, with the best outcomes typically becoming visible within 2 to 3 months. This treatment timeline and strategy support the healing process and the generation of new collagen.

Post procedure care products are included in your treatment price. Getting great results requires simple aftercare, so we provide patients a kit made by AlumierMD. The kit is formulated to help keep you comfortable (nobody wants itchy or red skin!), as well as helping skin recover quickly.

Patient Kits Include:

SensiCalm, 15 mL
SensiCalm is a smooth, hydrating cleanser that delicately removes impurities and excess oil while calming skin. Yucca root extract is a gentle natural cleanser; niacinamide, ceramides, vitamin E and sunflower seed oil moisturize, leaving skin smooth, soft and intensley hydrated. Aloe soothes skin and calms redness.
Intensive Recovery, 15 mL
Specifically formulated for post-procedure recovery and packed with soothing, anti-irritant and antioxidant ingredients, this moisturizer relieves redness and calms skin. 1% hydrocortisone relieves irritation and redness. Hinokitiol, sea whip and boswellia soothe and copper peptide improves the look of skin.
Sheer Hydration Broad Spectrum SPF 40, 15 mL
A silky and sheer physical sunscreen that provides powerful protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays. It uses a combination of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, while moisturizing with vitamin E. This formula is also packed with free-radical quenching antioxidants, including a stable vitamin C, Vitmin E, resveratrol, grapeseed extract and glutathione, to protect skin from UV damage.

This depends on the concerns being treated, and on the patient. One way to think about this is that a laser is a top down approach using light energy to target layers of the skin closer to the surface. RF Microneedling is using needles to do a “bottom up” approach going much deeper into the layers of skin, and focussing energy down.

We like both technologies, and there are very few blanket statements that define when one technology always makes more sense. There is some overlap in what they can accomplish, for instance in terms of collagen production and addressing texture, but they are different procedures getting results in very different ways. For an ideal treatment, sometimes we do both procedures. We often create affordable hybrid packages where we attack concerns in a few ways hoping to get the absolute best results we can.

There are scenarios though where one technology is clearly better for a particular concern. Laxity (loose skin) is an example where we find that RF Microneedling gets the absolute BEST non-surgical result possible of any treatment out there. FRAX won’t get as quick of a result for laxity, but it’s also not using needles to do so, which is something one patient might not be able to tolerate. Likewise, it’s hard to beat the ability of FRAX to treat some types of scars and texture issues, and that’s the scenario we often suggest FRAX as a best 1st line procedure.

Traditional CO2 is a great technology for a variety of reasons – but like anything – it has downsides and requires matching the correct patient to it. C02 is not as well tolerated (hurts more), has more downtime (extended time avoiding sun/can cause visible redness for weeks/visible laser pattern damage while healing), requires more post-procedure care since it’s ablative (removes skin), and is not typically advisable for patients with darker skin because of the risk of burns and pigmentation.

FRAX does a lot of the same great things a C02 laser treatment will do when it comes to texture improvements and overall rejuvenation, but without many of downsides of CO2. It’s better tolerated (hurts less), it has very little downtime (a day or so of redness versus many more), no difficult post procedure care, and it carries fewer risks because it’s non-ablative (doesn’t remove skin).

The trade-off, however, is that FRAX isn’t going as deep and removing skin. A harsh CO2 treatment can get a great result if a patient has lighter skin and deep wrinkles or scarring. While FRAX outcomes are incredibly similar to CO2 for a much wider spectrum of patients, C02 still has a place in aesthetics when selecting the right patient. In cases where we need a more aggressive treatment we can do more passes, more sessions, and couple FRAX with other technologies and techniques.

Yes, this is a similar treatment. FRAX treatments use laser energy very similar to these erbium laser treatments. The goals is to target aging and sun-damaged skin with microscopic laser columns that penetrate deep into your skin to expedite your body’s remodeling of collagen. The depth these treatments target, and the goals these technologies have are all very similar.

However, having a knowledgable medical provider, realistic treatment plan, and great post care treatment will affect the outcome in a meaningful enough way where the results will vary even if the technologies are similar.

FRAX is a fractional laser. The term was created by Candela, the manufacturer of the Nordlys system.

Laser Skin Resurfacing Orlando @ Vitality Aesthetics

A premiere med spa serving Orlando, Winter Park, and Greater Central Florida.