Palomar Starlux 2940: Cosmetic Dermatology
Fractional laser skin resurfacing aficionados will be hearing more and more about the Starlux 1540, Starlux 2940, Fraxel Repair, ActiveFX, DeepFX, and Fractional Skin Rejuvenation in the future.
A small bit of history surrounding fractional laser treatments and C02 laser ablation treatments provide a place to start when looking at what’s here in cosmetic medicine regarding fractional treatments, and what’s coming next.
Cosmetic Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing’s History
Fraxel was the first non ablative fractional laser for the cosmetic medical market. From the beginning it’s been upgraded and has been improved on by a number of other competing fractional laser skin resurfacing technologies including the DeepFX and ActiveFX from Lumenis, the Starlux 1540, and Starlux 2940 from Palomar Medical.
Fractional skin resurfacing is new area of cosmetic medicine that intersects cosmetic dermatology and traditional plastic surgery
Fractional laser technologies new cosmetic applications are quickly expanding into related cosmetic medical areas like skin tightening, where fractional treatments compete with radio frequency (RF) treatments (Thermage), and are now moving into fat removal and cellulite treatments.
What was a revolutionary advance in 1995, full face CO2 Laser Resurfacing for wrinkle removal using the Ultra pulse CO2 laser, fairs poorly when compared to new fractional laser treatments and although the wrinkle removal results were fantastic, the CO2 laser resurfacing created a very real “burn wound” that took many months of recovery and the need for general anesthesia. After a year, the skin would turn white or show hypo pigmentation. Because of the side effects, few patients today choose to have this very effective wrinkle removing procedure.
The Newest Fractional Skin Resurfacing & Rejuvenation Technologies
Now, cosmetic Fractional Skin Rejuvenation or Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing has evolved and eliminated many of the previous technologies shortcomings. The new erbium lasers are ‘fractionated’ into tiny micro-lasers, treating only a small portion of the skin (think tiny pin pricks) and leaving surrounding skin completely intact, greatly improving healing times.
The ‘fractionated’ treatment areas called micro-treatment zones, cause enough injury to the skin to trigger new collagen production and is used to replace collagen damaged by aging and sun exposure. The new collagen that is produced ‘fills in’ or ‘plumps up’ the underlying tissue and smoothes out skin wrinkles. The untreated skin between the micro treatment zones speeds the healing process to a mere 3-4 days and leaves most of the pigment cells intact, preventing hypo pigmentation.
Starlux 1540: Palomars New Fractional Non-Ablative Laser Resurfacing Technology
The Fraxel and Starlux1540 are non ablative lasers (ablate means to “surgically remove) which means that the skin is not removed by the laser, rather the laser beam instantly heats the skin, causing inflammation and new collagen growth.
With these new treatments, skin laxity and wrinkle smoothing results are less dramatic than with ablative lasers, but the benefit of reduced recovery time and reduced side effects mean that non ablative laser treatments are often the first choice.
Starlux 2940: Fractional Ablative Laser Resurfacings Future
Starlux 2940 fractional ablative lasers now provide the benefits of fractional treatments (less down time and reduced complications) with ablative skin resurfacings benefits (better wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation) offering patients the best of both worlds.
These Starlux 2940 fractional ablative lasers remove tissue in the micro treatment zone instead of just heating the dermis like the old Fraxel or Starlux 1540.
The benefit of this new fractional laser ablation is that a greater amount of wrinkled and sun damaged skin can be removed than with the older laser technologies, and a better medical result is achieved. There is some minor increase in recovery time with redness for around 5-6 days. Still, the Starlux fractional ablative lasers require much less recovery time than the old non fractional erbium and CO2 ablative lasers which actually burned off the top layers of the patients dermis.
Starlux 2940: Competing Fractional Laser Technologies
Reliant (the company that makes Fraxel) has launched a new CO2 fractional laser called Repair
Lumenis: CO2 fractional ablative lasers called ActiveFX & DeepFx
Palomar: Starlux 2940 Erbium fractional ablative skin resurfacing laser.
Medical Spa MD is a medical community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, and Aesthetic Physicians with more than 2,000 physician members and hosts the most current physician discussion forums on Starlux 2940 Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing and non-surgical cosmetic medical technologies and treatments.