Fractional Resurfacing

A process of laser resurfacing that creates microthermal vaporization zones of the epidermis and leaves areas of untreated tissue to promote a healing response that is much shorter than conventional laser resurfacing treatments.  A series of laser spots cover an area of epidermal tissue, similar to a printing process that uses the pixels of an ink jet printer or newspaper printing device, leaving untreated tissue between the spots.
Fractional resurfacing is often referred to as "Fraxel" due to the marketing machine that has created a "buzz word" in the English lexicon.  There are several types of fractional devices and the idea to "fractionate" energy delivery to the tissue using a laser is not limited to ablative devices such as the CO2, but can be used with non ablative modalities as well.