Laser Resurfacing
As we begin to age, our collagen production begins to decline which leads to the breakdown of the skin’s underlying support structure. Time, heredity and gravity all do their part to create fine lines and wrinkles, especially around the mouth and eyes. Daily exposure to the sun’s UV rays and other environmental factors can cause the skin to become discolored and age prematurely as well. Different treatment modalities are available to treat the different aspects of skin damage.
Laser resurfacing, mechanical resurfacing, chemical peels and injectable products can improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles of the entire face or those that develop in specific regions of the face, such as the upper lip and around the eyes. These treatments can also be used to address pigmentation disorders, such as sun and age spots, and they can be used to improve the appearance of acne scars or other skin conditions.
CO2 laser is one option to help reduce the appearance of lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. CO2 stands for carbon dioxide and is considered an ablative laser. During the treatment, the laser uses extremely quick bursts or ultra-pulses of light delivered in a scanning pattern to remove thin layers of the epidermis and dermis. You can treat the whole face or smaller areas like under the eyes and around the mouth. Depending on the area being treated, twilight sedation may be recommend. Following the procedure, the treated area will be swollen, red and tender. For the first week, the area will need to be washed 4-5 times a day and covered with a thick layer of Aquaphor™. After one week the area can be covered with makeup. CO2 laser is a very effective treatment but you will be pink for three to four months following the treatment. This is one reason why patients will wait until the fall and winter months to have this procedure done. We suggest scheduling a consult appointment to see if laser resurfacing is right for you.
Chemical peels can improve the look and feel of your skin. They are used to treat fine lines, wrinkles, mild scars, sun damage, age spots, freckles and dark patches (melasma). Chemical peels can be on the face, chest, neck and hands. You can treat the whole face or treat a localized area, such as under the eyes or around the mouth.
There are superficial, medium grade and deep peels. The superficial peels focus on treating the top layer of skin or stratum corneum. A medium peel goes deeper, penetrating through all five layers of the epidermis to the top layer of the dermis. A deep peel goes past the papillary layer in the dermis, to the reticular layer and possibly to the subcutaneous tissue, depending on the patient’s needs. The recovery will vary depending on the type of peel you receive.
Dermabrasion helps to “refinish” the skin’s top layers through a method of controlled surgical scraping. The treatment softens the sharp edges of surface irregularities, giving the skin a smoother appearance.
Dermabrasion is most often used to improve the look of facial skin left scarred by accidents or previous surgery, superficial acne scars, or to smooth out fine facial wrinkles. Dermabrasion can be performed on small areas of skin or on the entire face. A small area can be treated in the office with a local anesthetic whereas a full face treatment may require twilight sedation. The area(s) treated may be red, swollen and tender, but most patients feel comfortable to return to work after a few days depending on the area(s) treated. After one week, makeup can be applied to the treated areas to help conceal. It could take a series of dermabrasion treatments scheduled several months apart to achieve the maximum results.
