Why Celibre Prefers Erbium Over Fraxel

Laser resurfacing with Fraxel has gotten a lot of media buzz in the past (2006 – 2008).  So, it’s very natural that patients who come to us ask if we offer it. The answer is that we don’t.  The question that follows is usually, “Why not?” The reason that we don’t offer Fraxel to our patients is because we don’t believe that it can do a better job than the technology that we currently use for fractional laser resurfacing which is the erbium.  We won’t say that Fraxel doesn’t work or that it’s not a good choice. We are simply saying that in our experience and through feedback we’ve gotten from patients who’ve had it, we feel that what we currently offer is safer and better.

First, let’s understand that Fraxel is a “fractionated” laser resurfacing treatment. This means that during the treatment, a portion or “fraction” of the top layer of skin (the epidermis) is removed.  For our fractionate laser resurfacing, we use the Sciton profractional.

If you take a look at Realself.com, there’s a good-sized group of people who’ve had Fraxel who weren’t exactly thrilled with their results. In some circles, it only got about a 52% approval rating. On the other hand, we’ve found our patient’s satisfaction rate with fractional erbium laser resurfacing (Sciton Profractional) is at or above 80%.

With lasers, newer doesn’t always mean better. When we’re are asked about why we don’t offer technologies like Fraxel, Pearl or fractionated CO2 with plasma or erbium, we always point back to the fact that for our practice, fractional erbium laser resurfacing is a tried and true technology that is versatile and familiar in our hands. We have over 15 years of experience with it, and we know it in and out. We’ve seen what it can and can’t do and we feel it’s the best available technology for the patients who come to our office for improvement of wrinkles and acne scars. Our goal is to be the best at what we do…even if that means not having every type of technology that’s out there.  At Celibre Medical, you will not find the “jack of all trades, master of none” mentality. Patients like you come to us because we are the laser experts and we provide superior value by offering the most effective and safest treatments available.

We’ve found over the years that the wavelength of erbium (2940) is ideal for resurfacing because it penetrates into the dermis with little risk of hypo-pigmentation for darker skin types.

There are many newer devices that get a lot of media attention for being “FDA-approved” for skin rejuvenation. While FDA-approval is important, mainly because it ensures the device is safe, it doesn’t always mean it will be effective. This is where hands-on experience comes into play. Being able to see how a device works on a variety of different skin types (colors) for a variety of different problems is really proof of efficacy. We believe this is why Celibre Medical should be your first and only choice for laser skincare. We don’t offer any and all treatments out there, but we do offer time-tested, safe and patient-approved ones that can help you achieve a better, younger looking you!

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