Dr Ophelia will assess your skin type, texture, scarring, pigmentation, photoageing, and treatment goals. VISIA skin analysis provides objective baseline measurements of pigmentation, UV damage, texture, pore size, and skin quality.

A full treatment plan is created specifying the wavelength combination, treatment density, energy level, number of sessions, and spacing. The plan also incorporates any prescription skincare to be used between sessions to support and extend results.

A topical anaesthetic is applied for up to one hour before treatment to ensure comfort. At Dr Ophelia's clinic, a particularly strong 23% lidocaine with xylocaine cream is used and adequate time is always scheduled for it to take full effect.

The treatment area is thoroughly cleansed to remove make up, SPF, oil, and surface impurities before laser energy is applied.

For treatments not involving the periorbital area, certified laser safety goggles are worn throughout the session. For patients having Fraxel treatment around the eyes, intraocular eye shields are placed directly on the eye under topical anaesthetic drops, allowing the laser to be used safely across the full periorbital zone right up to the orbital rim.

The Fraxel Dual handpiece is passed smoothly and continuously over the treatment area, delivering fractional laser energy through the patented smooth delivery system. Treatment time varies depending on the area and the density of treatment selected.

Built in cooling helps reduce discomfort during treatment. You will receive full written aftercare instructions covering gentle skincare, strict sun avoidance, and SPF application.

At each subsequent session, VISIA imaging is used to track treatment response objectively and Dr Ophelia reviews the clinical result to determine whether the treatment parameters for the next session should be adjusted.

Because Fraxel is the best fractional resurfacing laser available, and the evidence supports that conclusion. Every device at her clinic is purchased at full cost because it is the best option for the purpose it serves.

Recent research from Harvard has demonstrated that Fraxel treatment produces measurable reversal of UV induced molecular changes in the skin, including epigenetic and cellular changes associated with the early stages of photoageing and skin carcinogenesis.

Yes. The 1927nm wavelength of the Fraxel Dual system has an established evidence base for the treatment of actinic keratoses, the UV induced pre cancerous lesions that accumulate with chronic sun exposure.

Fraxel Dual can treat acne scarring, post surgical scarring, and traumatic scarring. Fraxel's ability to remodel scar tissue and stimulate new collagen within the dermis makes it one of the most effective non surgical options for these indications.

Fraxel's handpiece moves continuously across the skin rather than stamping in a fixed grid pattern, distributing energy smoothly and uniformly across the treatment zone. This eliminates the grid marks that stamp based fractional devices can produce, which is particularly important in skin of colour, where uneven energy distribution carries a higher risk of post inflammatory pigmentation.

Fraxel's patented smooth delivery system and the extensive published evidence base on its use across a range of skin types make it one of the safer resurfacing laser options for skin of colour. Resurfacing laser treatment in darker skin types requires careful parameter selection and conservative initial settings, both standard at Dr Ophelia's clinic.

Dr Ophelia performs more Fraxel treatments than any other practitioner in the UK, across a genuinely wide range of indications and over a long period of clinical practice with the device.

Intraocular eye shields are sterile shields placed directly on the surface of the eye under topical anaesthetic drops, providing complete protection of the globe and allowing the laser to be used safely right up to the orbital rim and across the full periorbital skin. Most laser clinics do not use intraocular shields because their practitioners are not trained or qualified to place them, which produces a panda eye effect where the skin immediately adjacent to the eye receives no treatment at all.

For selected patients, yes. Improvements in fine lines, skin quality, and mild laxity around the eyes can be meaningful enough that patients considering surgical intervention, including blepharoplasty, achieve a satisfactory non surgical result instead.

Clear and Brilliant is a lighter fractional laser treatment in the same device family as Fraxel, offering a gentler resurfacing effect with minimal downtime, suitable for maintenance and mild texture improvement. Fraxel Dual offers a significantly more intensive resurfacing effect, with greater depth of collagen stimulation, at the cost of more downtime. Many patients at Dr Ophelia's clinic use both, with Clear and Brilliant for ongoing maintenance between Fraxel courses.

Fraxel can feel hot and prickly during treatment. At Dr Ophelia's clinic, a strong numbing cream (23% lidocaine with xylocaine) is applied for up to one hour before treatment, with enough time built in for it to take full effect.

A course of 4 sessions spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart is most commonly recommended. The precise number depends on the concern, its severity, the treatment intensity, and the individual skin response.

Strict sun avoidance and broad spectrum SPF 50 are essential throughout the recovery period and beyond. Active skincare ingredients including retinoids and exfoliating acids should be avoided until advised.