It’s a hot New Year! Not only is it hot outside, we also have some hot topics for you to consider.
One of the questions often asked is which rejuvenation treatment is best for your skin. With this in mind here are some facts on Fraxel® DUAL treatment and Dermapen needling so you can make an informed decision when choosing which one is best for you.
What does Dermapen and Micropen do?
Dermapen and Micropen use multiple needles in a controlled way that penetrate skin with minimal pain. The automatic, high speed vibrating function does this quickly and clinically with rapid multiple insertions.
What does Micro-needling do to your skin?
Our skin has the ability to repair itself when there is any physical damage and this is where the concept of needling came from.
Needling the skin literally creates tiny controlled injuries to the tissue which sets off a cascade of reactions in the skin:
- It destroys old damaged tissue e.g. where there are wrinkles and scarring from acne and replaces it with new healthy tissue while stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin.
- The result is firmer, younger looking skin, while the body continues to produce more collagen.
- This is a great treatment for scarring, enlarged pores and moderate to severe wrinkling.
What is Fraxel® DUAL Treatment?
As we age, skin becomes damaged by sun exposure, pollution, stress, fatigue, smoking and ageing.
The Fraxel® DUALcombines two lasers in one treatment, which allows both a deep and superficial treatment to repair and restore skin:
- It is an FDA approved treatment for pigmentation, skin tone, lines, acne scarring and poor skin texture.
- It has also been FDA approved for the treatment of pre-cancerous lesions and there is better success in treating hormonal pigmentation.
- The treatment produces thousands of tiny deep columns into the skin; one area at a time, without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
- It penetrates into the deep layers of skin (dermis) only in the targeted areas
What are the main differences and benefits between Fraxel® DUAL and needling treatments?
Both treatments create tiny, controlled, micro-injuries to the skin in order to trigger the natural healing mechanisms of the skin. The main differences are:
- Downtime between treatments
It takes longer between needling treatments (5 – 10 days depending on depth of treatment) than with Fraxel® DUAL treatment (3 – 4 days)
- Number of treatments required for the best result
One Fraxel® DUAL treatment versus about 3-4 needling treatments for the same result. This is because the laser treatment uses controlled thermal heating as well as the ability to utilise 2 wavelengths within the same treatment, as well as the tightening effect of the heat produced by the laser.
- Bleeding with treatment
Needling treatments do have some bleeding and as a result there could be some bruising where skin is thin and fragile.
With the Fraxel® DUAL treatment the heat produced by the laser immediately cauterises the skin so there is no bleeding, but there could be mild bruising in fragile areas.
- Added benefit of heat
Needling devices cannot deliver a thermal injury and the heat is what gives faster results in terms of firming and tightening.
Skin tightening can be seen within 1-2 weeks after Fraxel® treatment, but it would take about 8-12 weeks for the same result with needling treatment.
- Added benefit of treating sun cancers and pigmentation
Fraxel Dual not only treats fine lines and wrinkles, but also is FDA approved to treat pre-cancerous skin lesions, a must for anyone living in sunny South Africa.
- Added benefit of treating pigmentation, sun damage and melasma
Fraxel dual has the added benefit of the Thullium laser which treats all forms of pigmentation including melasma.
- The price per treatment
This is always an important consideration. One should consider the price per treatment versus the number of treatments needed for a great result.
So to summarise…If you want fast, effective results, minimal to practically no downtime, and you want to come in for fewer treatments, then my choice of treatment would definitely be the Fraxel® DUAL . However, if you don’t mind coming in for many treatments, and having longer downtime and bruising is not an issue for you, and you are content to take the time to get to your final results, then needling is a great treatment.