Lidlift Kenneth D. Steinsapir, M.D.
Cosmetic, Facial & Eye Plastic Surgery

My cosmetic surgeon tells me that chemical peels are obsolete and has recommended that I get a series of Fraxel® laser treatments instead. What does Dr. Steinsapir think of Fraxel®?

Fraxel® is fractional CO2 laser resurfacing. In general, these are relatively mild treatments designed to be well tolerated and with no down time. Because they are mild, the degree of improvement is limited. It will freshen the complexion but does not create a lot of tightening. The equivalent treatment with a chemical peel might be a 20% TCA peel of the face. The good news is that you are unlikely to be harmed by this type of treatment but you may also not feel that you got your monies worth depending on what you were charged. In defense of the fees charged for Fraxel®, the device is very expensive and this is reflected in what is charged for the service. By the way, peels are not obsolete, it is just that very few surgeons are trained to perform chemical peels like Dr. Steinsapir.