Acne, the most common skin condition in the United States, affects just about every teenager at some point, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, or AAD. Most teens get mild to moderate acne, which often clears up with help from good skin care or an over-the-counter product containing benzoyl peroxide. But for those with more severe acne, Fraxel laser treatment might be an effective alternative.
Acne Causes
Male hormones primarily drive acne, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When these hormones, called androgens, surge, they cause the skin's sebaceous glands to produce too much oil. The oil clogs pores, bacterial infection sets in, and pimples appear. Laser treatment with Fraxel works on both the overactive sebaceous glands and the bacterial infection, potentially leading to clearing of acne lesions.
Fraxel Features
When you receive Fraxel laser treatment for your acne, the energy from the laser beam will penetrate beneath the surface of your skin, heating your sebaceous glands and actually shrinking them, which makes them produce less oil. This heat also will kill some or most of the bacteria living in your clogged pores. Fraxel, a carbon dioxide laser, actually can remove the top layer of skin if used on its most powerful setting, which makes Fraxel effective in treating acne scars. However, for use in treating acne itself, your dermatologist will use Fraxel on a lower setting.
Treatment Details
If your dermatologist does recommend a lower setting for your Fraxel laser sessions, you should have minimal recovery time and you'll likely be able to return to normal activities within a day or even sooner. The laser treatment itself will take less than an hour, and probably will cause minimal discomfort, especially if you use a numbing cream first on the skin you'll be treating. Side effects of laser treatments for acne, including Fraxel treatments, include swelling, redness and occasionally some bruising. Your skin may peel within a day or two of the treatment.
Time Frame
Fraxel laser treatments won't work instantly to clear your acne. Because the treatment is for the root causes of acne--your over-active sebaceous glands and the bacterial infection in your pores--it will take some time for your pimples to begin to clear, according to the AAD. Acne laser treatment patients generally receive two or three treatments, and begin to see clearing within two to three months.
Considerations
The AAD warns that your health insurance may not cover Fraxel treatments for acne, since insurers classify Fraxel and other laser and light treatments as "emerging technology," or experimental. Fraxel laser therapy can be expensive -- treatments can cost between $800 and $1,000 each -- but some dermatologists offer financing arrangements or payment plans for the treatments. If you think Fraxel laser treatments could help you get rid of your acne, your next step is a consultation with a dermatologist who performs the procedure.
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