FRAXEL LASER IN LEEDS
Fraxel Laser
Fractional laser resurfacing for sun damage, pigmentation, scarring and texture.
Fraxel is a fractional laser that resurfaces the skin from the inside out, replacing sun-damaged, pigmented or scarred skin with new, healthy skin over a short course. We offer Fraxel laser in Leeds for age spots and freckling, melasma, acne scars, rough texture and enlarged pores, and fine lines around the eyes.
The laser treats thousands of microscopic columns of skin and leaves the skin around them untouched, so healing is quick: a few days of redness and flaking rather than weeks of recovery. Most people have three to five sessions, two to four weeks apart, and the results keep building for two to three months after the last one.
A medically trained practitioner carries out every treatment, and every course begins with a consultation. If your skin would do better with a different treatment, we will say so.
Treatment Length
20–25 minutes, after numbing
Number of Sessions
3–5, 2–4 weeks apart
Results
Build over 2–3 months
Downtime
3–5 days
How Fraxel works
Sun damage, pigmentation and scarring sit in layers of the skin that creams cannot reach. Fraxel reaches them with a laser beam split into thousands of microscopic columns, each one treating a tiny core of skin and leaving the skin around it intact.
Over the following days the skin clears away the treated columns and replaces them with new skin, while the heat in the deeper columns prompts it to make new collagen. The untouched skin in between does the healing, which is why the downtime is measured in days rather than weeks.
Fraxel DUAL has two wavelengths. The 1927 nm beam works in the upper layers, where pigment sits, and clears sun damage, age spots and melasma. The 1550 nm beam goes deeper to treat acne scars, surgical scars, texture and fine lines. Your practitioner can use one or both in the same session, depending on what your skin needs.
Fraxel laser at Park Square Clinic, Leeds
Fraxel has been in clinical use since 2004 and is cleared for age spots, melasma, acne and surgical scars, wrinkles around the eyes, actinic keratosis and skin resurfacing. We chose the Fraxel DUAL for Park Square Clinic because it treats pigmentation and texture with one device, and because every setting can be adjusted for the patient and the area in front of us.
We use it for people who spent years in the sun and are now seeing it on their face, chest and hands; for melasma that creams have not shifted; for acne scarring left behind from their teens and twenties; and for skin that looks dull and rough however well it is looked after. It also works alongside skin boosters and medical-grade skincare, which we will plan with you.
What to expect at your appointment
Your practitioner will cleanse the skin and apply a numbing cream and leave it to work for around an hour. The treatment itself takes 20 to 25 minutes for the full face, with cold air blown across the skin as the laser passes to keep it comfortable. You will feel heat and a prickling sensation, and for a day or two afterwards the skin feels as though it has caught the sun. It then looks bronzed and feels rough as the treated pigment lifts away over three to five days. Make-up can usually go back on after two days, and SPF every day is essential for at least six months.
Fraxel laser in Leeds for face, neck, chest and hands
Fraxel suits most skin types. We treat darker skin tones with adjusted settings after a test patch. We treat the following concerns and areas.
Sun damage and pigmentation
- Age spots and freckling on the face, chest and hands
- Melasma (assessed at consultation)
- Uneven skin tone and a dull complexion
- Actinic keratosis, the rough patches left by sun damage
Scarring and texture
- Acne scarring and pitted scars
- Surgical and injury scars
- Enlarged pores and rough texture
- Stretch marks
Lines and crepey skin
- Fine lines around the eyes
- Crepey skin on the neck and décolletage
- The backs of the hands
At your consultation we will examine your skin, tell you plainly what Fraxel can and cannot do for it, and set out the number of sessions you are likely to need. Where pigmentation is the main concern we may start with the 1927 setting alone. Where firmness has gone as well as texture, we may combine Fraxel with Thermage FLX or a skin booster such as Profhilo. Results vary from person to person.
FAQs
FAQs
- What is Fraxel?
Fraxel is a non-ablative fractional laser used to resurface the skin. It treats the skin in thousands of microscopic columns and leaves the skin between them untouched, so the skin heals quickly while sun damage, pigmentation, scarring and fine lines are replaced with new, healthy skin. Fraxel DUAL combines two wavelengths, so pigmentation and texture can be treated in the same session.
- Does Fraxel hurt?
Numbing cream is applied an hour before and cold air is used throughout, so most people describe heat and prickling rather than pain. For 24 to 48 hours afterwards the skin feels as though it has caught the sun.
- How many sessions will I need?
Most people have three to five sessions, two to four weeks apart. Sun damage and pigmentation often show a clear change after one or two; acne scarring and texture usually need the full course. Your practitioner will set out a plan at your consultation.
- What is the downtime?
Plan for three to five days. The skin is red and a little swollen for the first day or two, then looks bronzed and feels rough, like fine sandpaper, as the treated pigment lifts off. You can wash gently and use the aftercare products we give you, and make-up can usually go back on after two days.
- When will I see results?
Pigmentation and sun damage improve as the skin flakes, usually within a week of each session. Texture, scarring and fine lines improve gradually as new collagen forms, with the best results two to three months after the course. Results vary from person to person.
- How long do the results last?
Pigment that has been cleared does not come back by itself, but sun exposure creates new pigmentation and melasma can return, so daily SPF matters. Improvements in texture and scarring are long-lasting, and many patients have a single maintenance session once a year.
- Is Fraxel suitable for darker skin?
Yes, with care. Fraxel is used on all skin types, but darker skin tones carry a higher risk of pigmentation after any laser treatment, so we use lower settings, a test patch and a longer gap between sessions. We will assess this at your consultation.
- How should I prepare, and what is the aftercare?
Avoid sun exposure, self-tan, retinoids and exfoliating acids for a week before. Afterwards, keep the skin cool and moisturised, avoid heat, exercise and direct sun for 48 hours, do not pick at flaking skin, and wear SPF 30 or higher every day for at least six months. Retinoids can usually restart after one to two weeks.
- How is Fraxel different from the Etherea MX laser or microneedling?
Fraxel is a dedicated fractional resurfacing laser with two wavelengths, which makes it our first choice for sun damage, pigmentation and acne scarring. Etherea MX is a multi-platform laser we use for hair removal, thread veins, pigmented lesions and other concerns, and microneedling treats texture and scarring without heat or light. At your consultation for Fraxel laser in Leeds we will tell you which suits your skin.
- Can I combine Fraxel with other treatments?
Yes. It pairs well with Thermage FLX for firmness, skin boosters such as Profhilo for hydration, and a medical-grade skincare routine, which does much of the work of keeping pigmentation away. We leave sensible gaps between treatments and plan the order at your consultation.
