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Health Watch: Treatment Removes Wrinkles Without Facelift

Wrinkles are the kind of blemishes that has a lot of people undergoing facelifts. They are hopeful of having a fresh, new look. However, there is a new procedure that can give you that look without having to go under the knife.

As Gwen Polk began to age, she didn't like what she was seeing on her face.

"The skin was starting to sag. My problem wasn't so much wrinkles, but I had a lot of sun damage with the brown spots," said Polk.

She thought about a face lift, but that would not help her get rid of the brown spots. So she decided to try a new laser procedure called fraxel, whereby a fraction of your skin is re-surfaced with each treatment.

"What that means is that if look at a TV screen and it has a bunch of pixels, if you're treat one out of every five pixels and make them look better, and you do that for the entire TV screen. We're doing that same thing for the face with the Fraxel resurfacing," said dermatologist Dr. Ramsey Markus.

After a numbing agent is applied, a blue dye is also used to help the laser read how quickly it is tracking over the skin. But is it painful?

"With the heat, it feels like someone is pricking your skin with something that is hot, and you just feel these little pricks, like if someone was coming along with a pin and pricking your skin," said Polk.

"Fraxel has great potential, with some limitations. The typical patient we treat: people with wrinkles, brown spots and redness, or a combination of the above, and it basically helps to smooth the surface of the skin," said Markus.

Gwen has already seen an improvement in her skin. Her brown spots are virtually gone, and she's hoping for even better results after two more treatments.

"Just a more refreshed and youthful look, instead of a tired saggy look," said Polk.

According to doctors, the procedure is nothing like a face lift because that procedure improves the quantity of the skin, while the fraxel improves the quality of the skin.

From the latest in cosmetic treatments to dealing with skin cancers, you can find the latest medical news, treatments and technology at our medical partners’ Web sites. Just click on any of the links below:

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

The Mayo Clinic

Baylor College of Medicine