You know what happens when you throw caution to the wind and go forth into the summer sun without SPF – you guessed it – BROWN SPOTS.
They can show up on your cheeks, forehead, decolletage, hands, forearms and legs and are the natural consequence of UV exposure. And discoloration, brownish patches, uneven pigment can add years to your appearance.
So what’s a girl to do? If sun damage has caused brown spots, formerly called age spots, to appear on your cheeks, chest and hands, the new FRAXEL RE:STORE DUAL can help reduce the appearance of blotches, melasma and pigmented areas.
According to New York Plastic Surgeon Dr. Bryan G. Forley, “The more superficial Thulium fiber wavelength directly targets pigmentation. In addition, the deep penetrating Erbium fiber can be used in the new FRAXEL system to treat of wrinkles, enlarged pores, and acne scars.”
Having long been a Fraxelista, I couldn’t wait to try out the new Fraxel Dual system, especially since it has been awhile since my last foray into Fraxel. Dr. Forley kindly gave me a shot in the arm of Toradol (an ANSAID) to ease any discomfort and it worked like a charm. I didn’t have any! We decided to do my face and decolletage which was showing some signs of old sun damage. The whole treatment took about 45 minutes and I was pretty red when he was done. He handed me a tube of Aquaphor and applied a layer of SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream all over the treated areas and I was good to go.
Day 1-2 was about swelling. Day 3-4 looked like a sunburn. By Day 5-6 I was flaking like crazy. But by Day 7, although I was still peeling around my hairline, a light dusting of mineral makeup was all I needed. Depending on how fair you are (in my case, very) you should plan on about a week to 10 days of looking like you have done something – I would compare it to a mild TCA peel in terms of downtime which is very manageable.
With Fraxel, a series of 3-5 treatment sessions are needed for great results that last well over time – with good sun protection habits. Treatments may be spaced one month or more apart and the beneficial effects continue to improve for up to 3 months after each treatment. After FRAXEL, wearing an SPF30 daily is essential to maintain the skin clearing and smoothing results.