Key Takeaways
- Fraxel is a brand of fractional laser resurfacing, a treatment that heats microscopic columns of skin and leaves the tissue between them intact so recovery stays short.
- Several Fraxel lasers exist, and they differ in wavelength, treatment depth, and downtime.
- Most Fraxel models are non-ablative, and only the CO2 Re:pair model removes the skin's surface.
- Results build gradually over several months as your skin produces new collagen.
- Fraxel improves texture, tone, pigment, and scarring, though it won't lift skin that has begun to sag.
Rough texture, sun spots that have stopped fading, acne scarring that softened but never flattened, and lines that linger after your face relaxes are all reasons people consider laser resurfacing. Fraxel comes up for every one of them. It remains one of the more established options for treating those concerns, and understanding how it works, what recovery involves, and where its limits lie makes the decision much easier.
What Is Fraxel Laser Treatment?
Fraxel is a brand of fractional laser resurfacing made by Solta Medical. It treats thousands of microscopic columns of skin at a time and leaves the surrounding tissue untouched.
Older resurfacing lasers treated the entire surface at once, which worked but left patients with weeks of recovery. A fractional laser treats only part of the area in any one session, often around 15 to 25 percent depending on the settings. The untreated skin between those columns acts as a reservoir of healthy tissue that speeds repair.
What you see afterward comes from that repair rather than from the laser itself. As each column heals, your body lays down new collagen and elastin, the two proteins that keep skin firm and smooth.
What Are the Different Types of Fraxel Lasers?
The four Fraxel models you’re likely to encounter are Re:store, Dual, FTX, and Re:pair. The first three are non-ablative and run at 1,550 or 1,927 nanometers (nm), while Re:pair is an ablative CO2 laser at 10,600 nm.
Solta Medical has built that lineup up over two decades, and most clinics run one or two models rather than the full set. The one your clinic uses shapes what your treatment involves, which is why one review can describe a week or more of recovery and another only a few days of pink, since the first is describing the ablative Re:pair and the second the non-ablative Re:store.
| Fraxel laser | Wavelength | Ablative? | What it treats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re:store | 1,550 nm | No | Texture, fine lines, acne and surgical scars, brown pigment |
| Dual | 1,550 / 1,927 nm | No | The same as Re:store, plus surface pigment and sun damage |
| FTX | 1,550 / 1,927 nm | No | The same as Dual on Solta Medical’s current machine |
| Re:pair | 10,600 nm | Yes (CO2) | Deeper wrinkles, pigment, and textural irregularities, with more downtime |
What Fraxel Treats, and What It Won't
Solta Medical’s cleared uses for the 1,550 nm wavelength cover dyschromia, which is the clinical term for uneven skin color, along with age spots, sun spots, actinic keratosis, melasma, wrinkles around the eyes, acne scars, and surgical scars. Patients also commonly notice smoother texture and more even radiance, both of which follow from the same collagen response.
Firmness is where expectations need some care. New collagen can help skin feel firmer and denser as your results develop. Skin that has genuinely lost its structure and begun to sag is a different problem, and no non-ablative laser will lift it. If sagging along the jaw or neck is what’s bothering you, a skin-tightening treatment or a surgical consultation will serve you better than resurfacing.
Fraxel for Darker Skin Tones and Melasma
Darker skin tones can be treated with Fraxel, and the reason comes down to what the laser aims at. The 1,550 nm wavelength targets water in the skin rather than melanin, so pigment absorbs relatively little of the energy. The heat also stays beneath the surface, which leaves the top layer of skin intact while it heals.
Ablative resurfacing works differently. Lasers like CO2 vaporize tissue, including the skin’s surface, which creates a deeper wound and more inflammation as it heals. Darker skin tends to respond to that inflammation by producing extra pigment, so ablative treatments carry a higher risk of dark patches and, in some cases, scarring. For many people with darker skin, a non-ablative laser like Fraxel is the gentler place to start.
Clinical research on the 1,550 nm wavelength supports its use in darker skin, including one small trial on medium to dark skin tones. During this trial, acne scarring improved significantly at both a lighter and a heavier laser setting, and the researchers concluded the treatment was safe and effective for those skin tones.
Some patients saw mild darkening, called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which faded on its own and appeared more often at the heavier setting. Because both settings worked equally well, a lighter setting is the safer choice for darker skin.
Fraxel for melasma is a more complicated question. Melasma is a cleared use for the 1,550 nm wavelength, though relapse is common, usually three to six months after treatment, and laser used on its own can sometimes worsen melasma rather than clear it. A pigment-targeted laser is usually the more direct option to raise at a consultation for melasma.
What Fraxel Recovery and Results Look Like
Most people need three to six sessions, spaced about a month apart. Recovery from each one follows a fairly predictable pattern.
- The first day Your skin feels sunburned for about an hour, then settles into mild discomfort. You can drive yourself home, and many people return to work the next day.
- Days 1–3 Swelling appears and settles. It’s usually minimal and gone by the third day.
- By the end of week one Pink tone fades, and the first visible changes start to show. Makeup is fine once the initial redness calms.
- Up to two weeks Your skin takes on a bronzed look and flakes as it exfoliates. How long that lasts depends on how aggressively you were treated, and moisturizer masks most of it.
- Up to six months Collagen remodeling continues well after your final appointment, which is when the fuller result arrives.
Sunscreen isn’t optional afterward. Use a moisturizing SPF 30 or higher at least twice daily through healing. For several months beyond it, skip retinoids and exfoliating acids until your skin settles while also leaving the flaking alone. Winter is the easier season for treatment, since pigment from a tan can compromise your result.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fraxel
Is Fraxel a CO2 Laser?
Not the Fraxel most people are offered. Re:store, Dual, and FTX are all non-ablative. Only Fraxel Re:pair uses a CO2 laser, at 10,600 nm.
Is Fraxel Ablative?
Usually not. The 1,550 nm and 1,927 nm wavelengths heat the skin without removing its surface. Re:pair is the single ablative model in the family.
Who Isn't a Good Candidate for Fraxel?
Anyone prone to keloids, currently taking isotretinoin or systemic steroids, or with an active infection at the site. Recent tanning and pregnancy also mean you should wait for an appointment. Confirm your own history with a provider.
Does Fraxel Tighten Skin?
New collagen can make skin feel firmer, though Fraxel won’t lift tissue that has started to sag. Genuine laxity calls for a tightening treatment or a surgical opinion.
Can Fraxel Make Melasma Worse?
It can. Melasma is a cleared use at 1,550 nm, but pigment often returns within months and can darken. A pigment-targeted laser like Pico, paired with topicals, is often a better start.
Is Fraxel Painful?
Most people describe heat rather than pain. Topical numbing goes on about an hour beforehand, cooling runs during treatment, and the sunburn feeling usually fades within an hour.
How Long Do Fraxel Results Last?
Up to a year for most people, sometimes longer with good sun protection. Maintenance every six to 12 months helps hold the improvement.
Find Out Which Laser Suits Your Skin at Dermacare
The right laser depends on what brought you here, whether that’s texture, sun damage, acne scarring, or lines that have started to settle in. Dermacare runs Fraxel II Re:store at the Carlsbad clinic under the medical direction of Jeff Birchall, M.D., and has been recognized as a Black Diamond provider for Fraxel laser resurfacing. A consultation is the best way to determine if Fraxel is right for you.
Read more about Fraxel II Re:store and what a session involves. To find your nearest clinic and book a consultation, see our Dermacare locations.