Non Surgical Facelift: Thermage, Fraxel, DeepFX & CO2 Laser Resurfacing

22 Mar, 2009

Non Surgical Facelift: Thermage, Fraxel, DeepFX & CO2 Laser Resurfacing

Posted by: Laser Clinic MD In: Fraxel| Laser Clinic| Thermage ()

Non Surgical Facelift is the nomenclature that many medical technology companies, skin clinics, plastic surgeons and med spas are using to market laser and radio based skin tightening treatments like Thermage, Fraxel, ActiveFX, DeepFX, and CO2 laser resurfacing. So, what’s the difference?

The non surgical facelift has been the holy grail of cosmetic medical technology. Themage, DeepFX, ActiveFX, Fraxel, laser skin tightening… all have some promise and effects but a surgical face lift will always be the most dramatic. (Of course surgical facelifts have more potential downside; scarring and that overly ’stretched’ look among them.)

Non surgical facelift technologies have come a long way and there is a tremendous amount of research being conducted that goes beyond the current base of Fraxel and Thermage and into bioengineering and potentially even nano-technology that reverses the aging process on a cellular level.

Thermage: Radiofrequency energy is directed just below the surface of the skin into the collagen with no surgery, injections, or incisions. The process heats and contracts the existing collagen and thereby stimulates the production of new collagen.

Fraxel: Fraxel treatments use thousands of tiny beams of light to establish microscopic treatment zones that treat only a predetermined percentage of skin while leaving normal surrounding skin to help with the healing process. This “fractional” treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire surface of the skin were treated at once. Using microscopic treatment zones also allows certain Fraxel® Lasers to penetrate more deeply into the dermis than traditional lasers. This deeper penetration helps to stimulate collagen production helping to make the skin appear more youthful and counteract the effects of aging. Generally, 3 – 5 treatments spaced 2 – 4 weeks apart are recommended.

DeepFX: Fractional DeepFX laser treatments involve treating only a fraction of the skinʼs surface, leaving bridges of untouched skin to aid in the regeneration process. (similar to Fraxel) Each laser pulse removes a narrow column of tissue while simultaneously treating surrounding skin. This deep heating causes immediate collagen remodeling. The result is softening and smoothing of wrinkles and scars, and improved skin texture.

ActiveFX: Active FX laser treatments cover about 80% of the skin’s surface. (Fraxel treats only about 20% of the skin’s surface at a time.) The 80% coverage by Active FX seems to provide a good balance of desired results with amount of down-time. (ActiveFX and DeepFX are cosmetic lasers that are offered by the same company.)

Thermage, ActiveFX, DeepFX, and Fraxel Laser skin resurfacing results are both immediate and progressive. If you respond well, you will see some improvement within days of the procedure as your skin begins to heal. Good skin care can extend the benefits of your Themage or Fraxel non surgical facelift.

CO2 Laser Resurfacing: CO2 lasers are generally older and only recommended in the hands of the most specialized plastic surgeon or cosmetic dermatologist that ’specializes’ in these treatments. CO2 laser resurfacing burns away the entire top layers of the dermis and has significant disadvantages compared to Thermage, Fraxel, ActiveFX and DeepFX.

Medical Spa MD has more information about Thermage vs Fraxel as well as ActiveFX, DeepFX & CO2 laser resurfacing.

Laser Clinic MD