It is a nonablative fractional laser.
Clear + Brilliant treats selected cosmetic skin concerns.
Clear + Brilliant vs Fractional CO2 Laser
Clear + Brilliant: A low-energy fractional laser aimed at dullness, early fine lines, and rough texture. It is the gentlest treatment in this family, with about a day of downtime and a correspondingly small change per session.
Fractional CO2 Laser: An ablative laser that vaporizes thousands of microscopic columns of skin, leaving untouched skin between them to heal from. It is the most effective in-office treatment for indented acne scars, and the one with the most downtime and the highest pigment risk.
Choose Clear + Brilliant if…
Choose for gentle brightening and smoother texture with about a day of downtime — small change per session.
- Dull skin or uneven tone
- Early fine lines
- You want minimal downtime
Choose Fractional CO2 Laser if…
Choose for the biggest single improvement in indented acne scars or deep sun damage, accepting the most downtime and pigment risk.
- Boxcar or rolling acne scars
- Deep sun damage or wrinkles
- You can take a week or more off
Alternatives, not combined
Can you have both?
Both are fractional lasers at opposite ends of strength. CO2 is a deep, one-time treatment; Clear + Brilliant is a gentle maintenance option afterwards.
Key differences
● Clear + Brilliant
● Fractional CO2 Laser
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
1–2 days
1–2 weeks
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Mild
Needs anesthesia or sedation
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
Within days
1–3 months
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
3–6 months
Years or permanent
Visits neededOne → Every few months
A longer series (4–6+)
A short series (2–3)
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$$
$$$$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
No, fades slowly
No, permanent
What is it?
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
What is it?
Treatments vary.
Options depend on the system and handpiece.
“Gentle” is not risk-free.
Burns and pigment changes can still occur.
History matters.
Tanning, pigment changes, herpes and skin disease should be discussed.
It is an ablative laser.
It creates microscopic columns of injury in the skin.
Untreated skin speeds healing.
Skin between the columns supports recovery.
It is intensive.
It is stronger than a facial but less than fully ablative resurfacing.
History matters.
Pigment, keloid, herpes and isotretinoin history need assessment.
What it treats
Evidence level
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
Strong evidenceMost established uses
—
Acne Scarring
Major improvement in many scar types.
Boxcar Scars
Smooths wide scars.
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Tightens and smooths.
Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
Uneven Skin Tone
Evens tone with a series.
Sun Spots
Clears sun damage.
Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Enlarged Pores
Smooths texture.
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Softens fine lines.
—
Not effective
Deep Wrinkles
Too gentle.
Ice Pick Scars
Too superficial.
—
Can make it worse
—
Melasma
High risk of darkening.
Rosacea
Can worsen redness.
Treatment areas
Treatment areas
Face; the selected area depends on the concern and treatment plan.
Face; the selected area depends on the concern and treatment plan.
Skin tones
Skin tone
● Clear + Brilliant
● Fractional CO2 Laser
Lighter skin
Low risk
Brief redness.
Some risk
Prolonged redness possible.
Medium skin
Low risk
Gentle settings suit most.
Higher risk
Dark marks are common; pre-treatment helps.
Deeper skin
Some risk
Lower risk than stronger lasers; ask about dark-mark prevention.
Higher risk
Highest pigment risk of these treatments; low-density settings and an experienced provider are essential.
How it works
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
How it works
Diagram explanation
Creates tiny heat zones: Fractional energy treats small columns while sparing nearby tissue. Supports surface renewal: Healing can help improve uneven tone and superficial texture. Remodeling develops gradually: A course may improve skin appearance; response varies.
Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.
Creates tiny treatment channels: Laser energy absorbed by water removes narrow columns of tissue. Untreated skin supports healing: Skin between the channels helps the surface repair. Collagen remodels over time: Repair can improve selected scars, lines, and texture.
Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.
Before your treatment
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
2–4 weeks before
2 weeks before: Sun and tanning: No tanning, self-tanner or sunburn.
2 weeks before: Sun and tanning: Tanned skin risks blotchy pigment and usually gets the treatment postponed.
Sun and pigment cream: No sun, and do not arrive tanned.
Sun and pigment cream: On deeper skin tones a pigment-blocking cream usually starts two to four weeks ahead.
Plan ahead: Time off and supplies: Book the time off, arrange a driver if sedation is planned, buy plain petrolatum and a gentle cleanser, and plan a week at home.
The week before
Actives and hair removal: Stop retinoids, retinol and exfoliating acids about 3 days before.
Actives and hair removal: No waxing, threading or hair removal creams on the area.
Actives and smoking: Stop retinoids, benzoyl peroxide and acids.
1 to 2 days before: Antiviral tablets: Antiviral tablets start a day or two before and continue for several days after, since an outbreak in healing skin can scar.
Day of treatment
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
Before you arrive
Clean face: Clean face, no makeup.
Not specified
Arrival & prep
Skin is cleaned, and the provider checks what you have stopped using and whether you have had sun.
Skin is examined and photographed.
Treatment
The cream comes off and a roller handpiece moves over the face in overlapping passes, usually four to eight per area.
It feels warm and prickly and builds with each pass. It takes 15 to 20 minutes. Most people call it a strong tingle, much milder than Fraxel.
The handpiece is passed or stamped over each zone.
Expect rapid clicking, a burning smell, and a smoke evacuator running. Heat builds fast and feels hot rather than sharp. A full face takes 30 to 60 minutes, genuinely painful without proper anesthesia. The burning carries on for an hour or two.
Before you leave
Pink, hot, sometimes slightly swollen, like a mild sunburn.
Skin is deep red, hot, swollen and weeping clear fluid, with a fine grid pattern visible.
After your treatment
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
First 24 hours
Days 1 to 4: Skin feels dry, tight and faintly like fine sandpaper, and often looks duller before it looks better.
Days 1 to 3: Swelling peaks on the first or second morning and can partly close the eyes.
Days 2–7
Days 5 to 7: The rough layer is gone and skin looks brighter and smoother.
Days 3 to 14: The skin turns bronze or grid-patterned brown, then flakes and sheets off, showing bright pink skin.
Weeks 2–4
Week 2 onward: The fresh look softens over the next few weeks unless another session follows.
Week 3 to Month 12: Redness fades slowly, a month on light settings and three months or longer on aggressive ones.
Time to results
About 1 week
1–3 months, improving to 6
How long results last
Months with maintenance
Years
Risks
Risks
- Dark patches
- Redness that keeps increasing
- A cold sore outbreak
- A breakout or small white bumps
- Dark patches
- Redness that will not settle
- Pale or white patches
- An acne or milia flare
- Itching that is severe
Cost
Per session
A full-face session runs about $300 to $600 in the US, with neck, chest or hands extra.
A full-face session in the US usually runs $1,000 to $3,000, varying by city, device, depth, and whether sedation or an operating room is involved.
Insurance
Insurance does not cover this.
Insurance does not cover resurfacing for acne scars, which is classed as cosmetic.
Questions
Clear + Brilliant
Fractional CO2 Laser
Individual Questions
Is Clear + Brilliant worth it?
Depends what you are buying. For generally good skin already on a retinoid and sunscreen, it is reasonable maintenance. For acne scars, established wrinkles or sagging, it is not, and the money goes further elsewhere. One session buys a glow lasting a few weeks.
How is it different from Fraxel?
Same manufacturer, same principle, far less energy. Clear + Brilliant is shallower and gentler, about a day of downtime and much less change per session. Fraxel goes deeper, does more for scars and lines, and costs about a week of downtime.
Is it really a lunchtime treatment?
Redness settles within hours, which is where the phrase comes from. But days two to four bring dryness and fine flaking, and skin looks best five to seven days later. Book a week before an event.
How many sessions do I need?
Four to six, two to four weeks apart, then maintenance every one to three months to hold it. One session gives temporary brightening.
Does it help acne scars or large pores?
Not indented scars — they sit deeper than this reaches. Pores can look smaller because the surface is smoother, but the pore does not change size and the effect fades.
Is it safe on deeper skin tones?
One of the gentler light-based options, used across skin tones, but not risk-free. Dark patches can still happen, settings should be adjusted, and the Permea handpiece carries more risk of worsening pigment.
How much downtime does fractional CO2 really need?
Five to ten days at home. Swelling and oozing days one to three, bronzing and sloughing days three to seven, and by day seven to ten the surface has closed and mineral makeup is usually allowed. Redness then fades over weeks to a few months.
Will it get rid of my acne scars?
It improves them substantially, more than any other single treatment, but it does not remove them. Rolling and boxcar scars respond best, icepick scars least, and mixed scarring usually needs subcision or TCA CROSS too.
Is it safe on deeper skin tones?
Experienced providers do it using lower density, longer intervals, and pigment creams before and after. Dark marks are common and fade over months. The rare risk of permanent pigment loss is why many people with deeper skin tones choose microneedling instead.
How many sessions will I need?
One to three, 6 to 12 weeks apart, judged six months after the last one.
Does it hurt?
Yes, without proper anesthesia. Numbing cream alone is not enough for a full face, so nerve blocks, injected anesthetic or oral sedation are standard, and burning continues for an hour or two afterward.
Can I have it before a wedding or a big event?
Only with months of margin. Skin looks worse before it looks better, and redness can last one to three months. Six months ahead is a reasonable minimum.
Keep exploring.
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