Many plastic surgeons recommend the fractional prickle coral calcium(FCR) procedure for patients with acne, large pores, rough skin texture or darkened skin tone. I also primarily recommend FCR in acne patients. Therapies with 400nm lasers or PDT are used in acne but I get better outcomes by combining these methods with FCR. I have used FCR for over a year in my practice and I can confidently say it is one of the safest acne treatments currently available.
Side effects of peeling used in acne include edema, pain, erythema, local induration, hyperpigmentation and scar, etc. These are common inflammatory reactions that follow peeling procedures. I have not observed any permanent inflammatory reaction such as hyperpigmentation or scar with FCR. In addition, the patient satisfaction is high and the short downtime with only temporary inflammatory reaction makes FCR an easy choice for both patients and doctors.
FCR has excellent safety as it consists of fine and consistently thin prickles. I’ll Global, the manufacturer of FCR, explains ‘FCR is a simple procedure where the mask powder containing 200㎛ coral calcium prickle is combined with one of the two types of activators(DeAC Regentron Activa or Regentron Activa) according to the skin conditions. The mixture is then rubbed onto the skin for the combined effects of fractional treatment, MESO therapy, and peel.
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Another benefit of FCR is that mild rubbing is sufficient for effective exfoliation and patients feel more comfortable during treatment. Forced rubbing raises the risk of side effects. Hyperpigmentation is caused by tissue damage that commonly follows forceful rubbing of the peeling agent in mechanical scrubbing method.
Depending on the patient, post-FCR erythema may last up to a week. Steroid injection can be used to reduce inflammation in some cases. However, I believe that inflammation is part of the natural healing process. Therefore, mild redness that follows FCR treatment indicates that the treatment is effective and smoother skin will emerge.
Instead of steroids or medication, Regenic Mask can be used to effectively minimize the discomfort of inflammatory reaction after FCR treatment. Regenic Mask reduces side effects while not interfering with the effects of the procedure. Instruct the patient to apply Regenic Mask for 20-30 minutes immediately after 7-10 minutes of FCR. If the patient still feels discomfort the next day, add 830nm LED to the treatment. Regenic Mask helps reduce swelling and other laser-related side effects after FCR as well as fractional laser therapy.
In conclusion, FCR’s quick efficacy and affordability make it an attractive treatment choice for patients. Doctors can also confidently recommend this highly safe treatment. I also apply FCR to keratosis pilaris, large pores, black heads, and uneven skin tone, etc.
by Kim Gookhyun, M.D.
Director of Human Plastic Surgery, Korea
-The End-
