Fraxel or Thermage treatment at your local day spa?
If you’re looking for a way to provide a smooth new texture to your face, there are many treatments to choose from at your local spa, as they often now employ the services of dermatologists and plastic surgeons, as well as estheticians.
There are a wide variety of options you can try to reduce irregularities and imperfections on the facial surface. The day spa menu can now include facials, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, as well as Fraxel and Thermage treatments.
Fraxel treatment is a non-surgical procedure that uses a laser system to achieve results. A laser is a high beam of light that is emitted intermittently to rejuvenate the skin. It produces microthermal zones that in turn stimulate the production of collagen.
Collagen is a protein building block in the body that is present internally and externally in cells. It is sometimes known as the glue that holds various parts together. One of its extremely important features is elasticity, something desired in skin rejuvenation.
The Fraxel method is used to fade scars, wrinkles, reduce pore size, and remove discoloration and age spots. Treatments last from a few minutes to over an hour, depending on the area to be covered.
Typically, three to six procedures are recommended for optimal effect. Each application should be spaced four to six weeks apart. Improvement in patchy color may be noticeable immediately, but reduction of wrinkles and scars usually takes several weeks to a few months before the full effect is achieved.
Sometimes it is recommended to combine other treatments with this flashing light treatment to achieve the best result. For example, Botox can relax the most defined wrinkles and fillers such as Restylane can be injected to fill in wrinkled indentations.
Thermage treatment is also a non-surgical method to renew the skin. Radio frequency waves are used instead of light to achieve the results. Like Fraxel, this is done to stimulate and increase collagen production. Radio waves are sent through a hand tool that heats deep layers of skin tissue, encouraging it to tighten as it heals. The top layer is sprayed with a cooling substance and to keep it protected.
With Thermage, it only takes one treatment to see results and recovery time is shorter. This procedure has a similar application time factor and can also take a few minutes and up to an hour to complete. Your results can take up to several months to be visible.
Both treatments have side effects of swelling and reddening of the skin. It is highly recommended that you protect yourself from sun exposure before and after both types of procedures for optimal healing and healthier skin.