Fraxel treatments have been very successful for treating pigment and acne scars. Results for wrinkle removal have been less dramatic. Multiple, deep, higher energy Fraxel treatments can improve wrinkles but most agree a different type of laser skin rejuvenation therapy is better for wrinkle removal.

I use the ActiveFX laser skin peel for wrinkle removal and have been happy with the results. The ActiveFX is an ablative laser which means it ablates or removes dead skin and wrinkles during treatment as opposed to the Fraxel which is marketed as a non ablative laser treatment.

Please read the related blog on wrinkle removal for a more complete discussion of wrinkle removal.

For more information on wrinkle removal, laser skin rejuvenation, and non-surgical facial rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me.

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Fortunately there are many exciting new methods available today for non-surgical facial skin rejuvenation that do not require a face lift. While a face lift, called a rhytidectomy in medical terms, is still the “gold standard” and a face lift will give a very beautifully rejuvenated facial result, newer high tech non-surgical facial rejuvenation methods are appropriate for people who just don’t want a face lift.

Laser skin rejuvenation called laser resurfacing is the gold standard for skin wrinkle removal, but again laser resurfacing is a surgical procedure.

There are many non-surgical laser skin rejuvenation procedures available, but they require many treatments over 5-6 months to see a result. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatments, also called photo facial skin rejuvenation can also help wrinkles but it takes many treatments over 5-6 months to see a result. LaserGenesis® is a popular laser treatment. A newer product, the Lumenis® Aluma® with FACES® is the newest high tech wrinkle removal and skin tightening system and looks very promising. For pure wrinkle removal and skin rejuvenation the new ActiveFX laser skin peel is an excellent laser skin rejuvenation procedure which provides wrinkle removal as well as skin tightening.

The most important thing for you to do is to find a board certified plastic surgeon who is expert at skin and facial rejuvenation. Ask your friends what doctors they have had a good experience with. If you can, read Chapter 10 of my book Save Your Face entitled “Don’t Let Just Anyone Touch Your Face” for information on how to choose a doctor you can trust to give you good advice.

Also, don’t neglect the basics. Use sun block, eat healthy, exercise, and see your doctor for a good anti-aging, corrective skin care program. These latter alternatives are very important and less expensive than the high tech solutions.

For further information on facial rejuvenation, skin tightening, and face lift techniques visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me.
Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Peabody, Massachusetts

Both Fraxel and LaserGenesis are popular new non-ablative skin laser rejuvenation treatments for wrinkle removal and non-surgical facial rejuvenation. Laserresurfacing is the gold standard.
Although both Fraxel and LaserGenesis are laser skin rejuvenation techniques used to remove wrinkles by stimulating new collagen growth in the deeper layers of the skin, they work in very different ways.

The Fraxel laser skin rejuvenation is a “microablative” technique which means that small areas of the skin are ablated or injured to stimulate the skin to grow new collagen so some skin exfoliation occurs. A topical anesthetic is required and you will be red for several days and your skin may peel. Multiple treatments are required for a result.

Lasergenesis is a non-ablative laser skin rejuvenation technique which means the surface of the skin is not ablated or injured, thus peeling and redness do not usually occur, thus no skin exfoliation is produced. Rather lasergenesis gently heats the deeper skin layer the dermis to stimulate new collagen production. Topical anesthesia is not required. Again multiple treatments are required for a good result. Published studies of the lasergenesis technique have shown new collagen production and impressive results in correcting pink flush, shrinking enlarged pores, improving skin texture, and fine wrinkle removal after multiple treatments.

Most plastic surgeons experienced in non-surgical facial rejuvenation and laser skin rejuvenation agree that there are other more aggressive laser techniques which are more effective for wrinkle removal. The activefx laser skin peel and the microlaserpeel an erbium laser peel are ablative lasers, which means that the skin surface is ablated for deep skin exfoliation, an important first step in wrinkle removal. While these ablative laser skin rejuvenation and wrinkle removal treatments require 4-6 days of downtime for redness, they are generally more effective for wrinkle removal in my opinion.

If it is important to you that you have no redness or down time then the laserGenesis may be the better option or if you chose the Fraxel tell your doctor your concern and opt for a more superficial Fraxel treatment.

As always consult a board certified physician who is experienced in the use of lasers.

For more infromation on non-surgical facial rejuvenation and wrinkle removal visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me.

Thank you .

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Peabody, Massachusetts

Skin wrinkles and crows feet on the face are a classic sign of facial skin aging but they are not inevitable for everyone. Many people do not develop facial wrinkles and crows feet as they age, and I have seen patients who are in their 50’s who have facial skin that looks better than that of some people in their late 20’s. The good thing is that there are many new non-surgical facial and skin rejuvenation techniques available today for prevention of facial skin aging, removal of crows feet and wrinkle removal.

There are 2 major factors that determine whether or not you will develop facial skin wrinkles and crows feet as you age. First and most important is your inherited skin type. Look at your mother and father and whichever parent you most resemble will likely have a facial wrinkle and crows feet pattern that will be similar to yours when you reach their age. Typically people with darker skin, thicker skin and more oily skin age have fewer wrinkles and less skin aging. The pigment, thicker skin and skin oils protect the facial skin from the aging effects of the sun and environment.

The second major factor which determines the amount of wrinkles you will develop on your face is the preventative anti-aging skin care, dietary and lifestyle steps that you take during your life, especially now that you are starting to see wrinkles and crows feet on your face. There are many very important wrinkle prevention and wrinkle removal steps that you can take to prevent premature skin aging.

First, sun block and avoiding sunburn are the most important skin rejuvenation and wrinkle prevention steps to prevent facial wrinkles. Buy a sun block that contains Vitamins A, C, and E as these anti-oxidant vitamins triple the protective UV screening ability of sun block. Second, avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol use; smoking cigarettes causes terrible facial wrinkles at a very early age. Third, a healthy diet rich in anti-inflammatory ingredients high in deep water fish oils and anti-oxidant vitamins will help prevent facial wrinkles. Drinking water is very important, 2 liters a day for most healthy people. Exercise and staying fit, especially avoiding fluctuations in weight is very important. Frequent weight gain and loss stretches the skin and then loosens the skin with weight loss. Finally, avoid stress whenever possible. Studies have shown that the stress hormone cortisol directly damages the collagen in your skin that leads to wrinkle formation. Hormonal support as you enter menopause is very important and there are holistic alternatives to HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) that are safe and can be found in my book Save Your Face, The Truth About Facial Aging, Its Prevention and Cure.

These steps will not only prevent wrinkles but also will improve your general health and make you feel much better.

For wrinkles and crows feet that are already present there are many wonderful, new non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques that can safely remove wrinkles and crows feet from your face. Check my other posts in the column to the right under the categories wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation.

Finally, Botox® is a very effective agent for removing the crow’s feet which you are seeing now. In answer to your question, if not treated now the crow’s feet will likely become permanent as you grow older.

For further information on non-surgical facial rejuvenation and wrinkle removal visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Peabody, Massachusetts

Yes there is a very effective method for skin exfoliation to remove facial wrinkles with minimal down time. It is the MicroLaserPeel® is a laser skin rejuvenation peel using the Sciton Erbium laser. The Erbium laser is called a cool laser because it does not burn the skin like the CO2 laser does, thus after a MicroLaserPeel® the skin heals much faster than after a laser resurfacing with the CO2 laser.

The other big difference with the MicroLaserPeel® is that this laser skin rejuvenation peel does not go as deep as a traditional CO2 laser resurfacing. A CO2 laser resurfacing removes 450 to 600 microns (a micron is much thinner than a human hair) while a MicroLaserPeel® usually only removes 20 to 40 microns of skin. Thus following a MicroLaserPeel® the skin heals very quickly, you are only pink for 4 to 5 days and your face returns to normal but with new smoother skin. I recommend 3 to 4 MicroLaserPeels® done 6 weeks to 3 months apart for effective wrinkle removing exfoliation.

You are smart to focus on skin exfoliation for wrinkle removal. Many wrinkle cures today try to remove facial wrinkles with creams, lasers, IPL, photo fcaial therapy, radiofrequency waves and infrared waves. These non-surgical facial rejuvenation methods attempt wrinkle removal by stimulating the deeper layers of the skin to form new collagen. The problem is that if you don’t exfoliate the old wrinkled skin first, you will still have wrinkled skin even after you form new collagen in the deeper skin layers.

I call my technique sequential MicroLaserPeels®, meaning several superficial erbium laser skin rejuvenation peels done over the period of a year. The MicroLaserPeel exfoliates up to 5 or 6 times as deep as a microdermabrasion. You just need to be willing to be pink fro 4 or 5 days. For further information on facial rejuvenation and the new non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques read Save Your Face or contact me.

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

You have asked the question that most of my patients ask in my plastic surgery practice today.

Everyone wants to look younger and have wrinkle removal but most people do not want to have surgery. Happily there are many excellent non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques for wrinkle removal available today. Facial aging is not just the presence of facial wrinkles. Facial aging involves several different skin aging changes on the face, and no one facial rejuvenation treatment alone can rejuvenate the face.

Wrinkles, brown spots, small blood vessels around the nose, crow’s feet, frown lines, worry lines, deep nasal-labial fold lines, Marionette lines, and loose sagging skin in the cheeks, along the jaw line and the neck all contribute to an aged facial appearance and thre are non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques available which not only remove wrinkles but also remove brown spots, blood vessels and tighten skin.

If you attempt to rejuvenate the face by correcting only one of these changes the face will still look aged. Some doctors try to do non-surgical facial rejuvenation by using only one treatment such as the laser, Botox, Restylane, or IPL. Some only suggest diet and skin creams for the same reason. I call this the when your only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail approach.

Because there are so many different facial aging changes you need to address each one for a truly youthful appearance. I approach non-surgical facial rejuvenation in an organized effective 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program, which corrects each of the facial aging changes:

Skin Exfoliation – You must exfoliate or remove the aged dead skin cells which are on the surface of the face and which give the skin a dull appearance. Some creams, microdermabrasion, and microlaserpeel are very effective exfoliation techniques. The result of skin exfoliation is fresh new glowing skin, and the wrinkle removal creams I use can penetrate better.

Stimulation of new collagen formation - The main thing that causes our skin to age is the loss of collagen. It is important to stimulate the skin to form new collagen. Many creams, lasers, microlaserpeel, IPL, Radiofrequency devices and other techniques can start this process.

Removal of Pigment and blood vessels – Brown spots are called age spots and the blood vessels around the nose also contribute to an aged appearance. Many prescription creams can help remove pigment and vessels, as can lasers and IPL. Microlaserpeel, ablative lasers and IPL or photofacial treatments are also very helpful for pigment and blood vessels.

Relaxation of lines of facial expression – Botox is a miracle drug for removing crow’s feet and frown lines, wrinkles caused by the contration of the facial muscles.

Filling of deep facial lines – Many new fillers such as Radiesse, Restylane and others can soften the deep facial lines.

Skin Tightening – The most effective way to tighten facial skin is with a face lift. However new non-surgical skin tightening is on the horizon. Radiofrequency and Infrared waves, and some lasers are being used to tighten the facial skin but they are not perfected and do not give a good enough result for me to use them at the present time. I anticipate there will be effective skin tightening technology available in the next few years.

This is a very long answer to your question, but it is important to understand that no one treatment or wrinkle cure is effective alone. Effective non-surgical rejuvenation is a complex multi-step process.

You must find a board certified doctor who has the experience and skill to offer you the options you need for non-surgical rejuvenation of your unique face.

For further information on facial aging and non-surgical facial rejuvenation procedures visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice,  read Save Your Face or contact me.

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

The microlaser peel, often spelled MicroLaserPeel is one of the most effective new laser skin peel treatments for removal of fine lines and wrinkles on the face. Results of laser resurfacing for wrinkle removal can be beautiful! The chief benefit of the MicroLaserPeel skin peel is first that it actually works, unlike the majority of new ” no down time ” facial rejuvenation laser treatments being offered today. Secondly, unlike laser resurfacing, the ” gold standard ” for facial rejuvenation, wrinkle removal and skin peel during the past 10 years, the MicroLaserPeel can be done effectively with “minimal down time” – pinkness that lasts only 4-5 days as opposed to weeks required by the older laser resurfacing techniques.

The reason the MicroLaserPeel works so well is that the procedure actually performs a deep skin exfoliation removing dead damaged skin cells that dull the facial skin and provides effective facial skin rejuvenation. It then recontours the skin surface removing wrinkles and fine lines. Finally MicroLaserPeel stimulates the deeper skin layers to produce new collagen to replace the damaged aged collagen which “plumps ” the skin and helps remove wrinkles and rejuvenate the skin.

Nearly all of the modern “no down time’ or “non ablative” laser, IPL and photo facial skin rejuvenation treatments and photofacial treatments attempt to remove wrinkles by doing only deep collagen stimulation without the crucial first step- skin exfoliation-which is why after 5-6 treatments over 7 months you still cant see the difference with many non-ablative skin rejuvenation methods.

MicroLaserPeel includes the crucial first step – skin exfoliation – and the deeper collagen stimulation and in my opinion is the most effective minimal down time wrinkle treatment available today.

For more information visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me.

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Peabody, Massachusetts

Ablative laser Resurfacing with the CO2 or Erbium laser is the “Gold Standard”  for plastic surgeons and dermatologists for skin rejuvenation, lip rejuvenation, removing lip wrinkles and lipstick lines and wrinkle removal for the entire face.

The Fraxil is a non-ablative laser and would need to be repeated several times to achieve a similar wrinkle removal result.

Both the Sciton Erbium laser and the ActiveFX laser can also be used for laser skin rejuvenation, wrinkle removal, and to rejuvenate the lip and remove lip wrinkles and lipstick lines. Both of these lasers are newer and produce fewer complications than traditional laser resurfacing with the “old” CO2 laser. Then Sciton Erbium and the ActiveFX are effective but because less heat is generated than with a CO2 laser the healing time is quicker and there is less chance of hypopigmentation or whitening of the skin following treatment.

See my “What’s New” article on the newer laser skin peel options available today including Fraxel and other non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques.

For more information contact me or read Save Your Face. Visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice for more information on laser skin rejuvenation.

Best wishes,

Dr. Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Peabody, Massachusetts

Thank you for the email!

The alpha hydroxy acids, including glycolic acid are excellent skin rejuvenation, anti-aging skin products for age management and wrinkle removal, and I use them on everyone. I would keep using the one you use as a non-surgical facial rejuvenation program.

The tretinoins-RetinA and Tazarotine are a bit more powerful skin exfoliation and skin rejuvenation agents, migrate into the dermis and stimulate new collagen, but are irritating and less well tolerated by patients although they are more powerful for wrinkle removal.

Vitamin C serum is also excellent and well tolerated by people with sensitive skin and can be used in conjunction with the glycolic acid products for effetcive skin rejuvenation.

I would stay with what you are using. You can try to add a vitamin C serum (L form) to your daily regimen. VitaminC, E, and A should also be in your sun block-they triple the effectiveness of sun block Sun block, a heal;thy lifestyle and a healthy diet are essential to any non-surgical facial rejuvenation program.

The only reason to change to a tretinoin would be if you have had precancerous lesions such as Actinic Keratoses on your facial skin, as the tretinoin’s powerful skin exfoliation effect and promotion of new epithelial cell growth are beneficial under these circumstances. Under these circumstances I would of course recommend that you were under the care of a board certified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon.

For more information contact me or read Save Your Face.

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Thank you for your very important question.

Renova® contains tretinoin, the most effective anti-aging, skin rejuvenation,and wrinkle removal skin cream on the market today. Keep using it! Tretinoin, the active ingredient in Renova®, has been for many years the only skin rejuvenation and anti-skin aging topical cream approved by the FDA which has been shown to be effective for wrinkle removal.

Many published scientific studies have proven that tretinoin stimulates the growth of healthy new skin cells and helps the skin form new collagen which helps rejuvenate the skin and remove fine lines and wrinkles.

StriVectin is a new cream which is supposed to remove wrinkles and rejuvenate the skin by a completely different mechanism. Unfortunately I have been unable to find well documented studies in the scientific literature proving its effectiveness for wrinkle removal and skin rejuvenation. Furthermore, the feedback I have received from my patients and other plastic surgeon colleagues who have chosen to use Strivectin on their own is that they have been disappointed with the results.

Don’t stop using a proven, effective skin care cream-Renova® or retin A for skin rejuvenation and wrinkle removal.

For further questions  visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice orcontact me or read Save Your Face.

Dr. Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

Peabody, Massachusetts