Three years ago Wrinkle Free Friday first unveiled the latest technology to rejuvenate the skin. The new Fraxel laser didn't burn the skin away, but heated it up, so when the skin repaired itself, it was better.  But now the old technology and all that blue cream is obsolete.

Plastic surgeons and dermatologists who have used the new Fraxel and are familiar with the latest scientific data say studies prove it's a quantum leap over past lasers, for being safe and effective.

“This machine can be tailor made to the individual patient’s problem,” said dermatologist Mary Lupo. 

“There are variations, not just in the energy settings, but you can vary the depth of the thermal injury so that if someone has profound scarring and really deeper wrinkles you can do a deeper treatment level.”

Doctors say the new Fraxel, called the Restore. requires little downtime.  The next day patients may have some redness, as if they had received a sun burn.

Doctors say it can be used for a variety of skin problems.  That includes melasma, often called the mask of pregnancy, which causes brown patches on the skin.

The Fraxel works on many types of scars, including those caused by acne, cosmetic surgery or even a traumatic injury.  It also relieves brown spots, not only on the face but also on the hands, or spots on the neck and chest area caused by sun exposure instead of age. 

There are also wrinkles also caused by the sun that can be helped by the Fraxel, on the face and even around the eyes.  That is because it can be used all the way up to the lower lash line.  It can help with stretch marks and tests show it can also grow collagen and tighten the skin.

Local doctors Mary Lupo and Kamran Khoobehi use the Restore Fraxel and say another improvement is that, unlike others. it can be used on dark skin without leaving  pigment discolorations.

“It does give the result; it's reproducible, it's predictable and also you can use it on any skin type,” said Khoobehi, a plastic surgeon affiliated with LSU Health Sciences Center.

Doctors say that some people will use the Fraxel treatments in conjunction with a facelift .

“I think you'll see improvement in fine lines and wrinkles,” said dermatologist Patricia Farris, a local doctor affiliated with the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

“I think you'll see a little bit of tightening, again not a surgical result but a little bit of tightening,” she added.

But what about the costs?

“It is expensive but it's not as expensive as doing a facelift and getting general anesthesia,” said dermatologist Elizabeth McBurney.

The Fraxel Restore can cost up to $1,000 for each session on the entire face but less if only one area is done, for example around the eyes.

“A lot of people don't want that dramatic change, they just want to look better and have people saying, ‘Oh, you look rested, you look nice.’  And this definitely will give it to them,” McBurney said.

Depending on your skin needs. the Fraxel Restore may take anywhere from a couple to several treatments to be effective.

As a busy recovery room nurse, Brenda Bennett says she likes that the social down time only lasts for a long weekend and with the numbing cream used before to take care of any discomfort, she says it's worth it.

After three treatments, Bennett said she noticed the difference.

“Just looking younger, feeling younger.  I get compliments from patients quite often asking, ‘What do you do to your skin?  Your skin looks beautiful.”