Fractional laser skin resurfacing (ablative and non-ablative) appears to achieve skin improvements that can get close to conventional ablative laser skin resurfacing but with fewer potential side effects. Examples of branded devices include Fraxel and Pixel, but there are many others. The process of directing a light source to target a selected area of the skin to damage it is technically known as "selective photothermolysis"; where “thermolysis” refers to ‘decomposition by heat’ and “photo” refers to ‘light’. Unlike with selective photothermolysis, where the whole of the selected target area is damaged; “Fractional Photothermolysis” seeks to only damage certain zones, (producing tiny dot-like treated areas on the skin), leaving the other zones within it perfectly intact; hence only causing fractional damage. This allows the skin to heal much faster than if the whole area was treated. The costs for fractional laser skin resurfacing depend on the area(s) being treated and the type of device being used plus any additional single patient disposable items required by some systems.