What is a Profractional Laser?
“ProFractional is Sciton’s solution for achieving excellent resurfacing results with minimal downtime. Unlike full field resurfacing which removes the entire surface area of a treatment site, ProFractional ablates narrow-diameter channels into the skin, covering a fraction of the total treatment area. This action initiates the body’s wound healing response, while leaving the surrounding tissue intact for rapid healing. The benefits of ProFractional include increased patient comfort, shorter healing times, and tunable results that can range from subtle to dramatic.” (ProFractional Therapy™, 2013)
What does Profractional Resurfacing treat?
“The Profrational system provides excellent treatment for:
• age spots
• sun damage
• uneven pigmentation
• wrinkles
• fine lines
• scarring
• uneven or rough texture
• stretch marks” (Profractional Resurfacing – Laser Facial Rejuvenation, 2013)
What is the Profractional Treatment Like?
A Profractional treatment, I would say, rates at a 7 on a scale of 1-10 as far as pain. However, there are ways to help numb the skin before the actual procedure. You have the option of having a nerve block done along with a topical anesthetic. I highly recommend the nerve block. Since I have experienced this procedure twice, my advice to you would be to get the nerve block done! It won’t numb your entire face, but it will numb about 70% of it.
What to do after the treatment?
After the treatment is done your face will feel like it has been severely burned. The sunburn feeling does calm down after about 30 minutes. You will have some bleeding that usually stops within 48 hours. You will also have swelling for about 48 – 72 hours. You will want to keep a thick ointment on your skin for the first 2 days, such as Aquaphor or Vaniply or even Vaseline. It is better to keep this ointment in your refrigerator to keep it cold; this will help calm the burning sensation. Usually by day 3 your skin will make a huge turn around. The bleeding should have stopped and the swelling will have started to go down. You will still be red, but more of a pink color. Within a week your face should look “normal” again! Your skin will still be healing over the next 4 months, as collagen is still being stimulated over this time period. Usually we recommend 2-4 treatments; I would advise that you wait at least 4-6 weeks between procedures, so your skin has some time to heal.
From my personal experience…
From my experience with this treatment, I highly recommend it to anyone that has acne scarring, fine lines, wrinkles etc. With in my 2 procedures my acne scarring has improved by 70%. Yes, the procedure is a little scary and painful. But, it only takes about 15 minutes to do and you will thank yourself once it has healed. This procedure is best done in the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons only because you do not want to be out in the sun after having a ProFractional done. Sun exposure too soon after this treatment can cause some areas to turn brown or hyper pigment. Cost for this treatment can range from $850 – $1500 per treatment. Call us today for a personal consultation to find out if this treatment would be good for you.
Before Profractional Laser Treatment
After 2 treatments of ProFractional Laser treatment
