Melasma Treatment: Fraxel Laser

Several individuals are now selecting Fraxel Laser as a melasma treatment option. Melasma affects more than 45 million people around the world. This dark, almost tanned, skin discoloration has the appearance of a mask. These dark patches of skin are more common with women of darker skin color, with pregnant women and with women between 20 to 50 years of age. It can also be found among men, but is infrequent.

Melasma is caused by excessive melanin (pigments in the body that account for color) and can be caused by medications, sun exposure, melasma inherited by the family and increased levels of progesterone hormones. These brown patches of skin will sometimes fade on their own, but this is not always the case and treatment is often necessary.

How Fraxel Laser Helps with Melasma

Fraxel Laser treats the affected area and helps with melasma as it stimulates the body’s own collagen, eleminating the old skin cells and promoting healthy new skin. Because this fractional laser treatment method only treats about 20 percent of the area at once, there is little downtime. Fraxel Laser treatment improves melasma by improving the texture and lightening the pigmentation of the skin in as little as just a few weeks.

In order for Fraxel Laser to be effective, a low setting must be selected and repeated treatments must be performed. Other methods such as bleaching creams, chemical peels, steroid creams and dermabrasion can minimize melasma, but often with unsatisfactory results and unpleasant complications.

FDA Approved

Fraxel Laser treatment has been approved by the FDA for melasma treatment and has been shown to significantly reduce melasma.