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As we age, exposure to years of ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, toxins in our diet and environment, and unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and tanning all contribute to the destruction of collagen in our skin. When collagen is lost, our skin looses texture, elasticity and fullness, and wrinkles and sagging skin result.

Fractional laser skin resurfacing was developed to eliminate many of the problems associated with traditional old time laser skin resurfacing. Fractional laser skin resurfacing is a skin rejuvenation technique which removes dead surface skin cells and pigment and stimulates the deep layer of the skin, the dermis to produce new collagen to replace the collagen that has been lost by facial aging changes.

CO2 laser resurfacing was very effective at wrinkle removal, but recovery was long and difficult and the skin often turned white, called hypo pigmentation, 6 months after treatment. Fractional laser skin resurfacing was developed to remove wrinkles and rejuvenate the skin with minimal downtime, quick recovery and normal skin color and texture after the skin rejuvenation procedure.

CO2 laser resurfacing, called flat beam laser resurfacing produced excellent wrinkle removal and skin tightening, but recovery was very difficult, requiring weeks for the skin to heal. New fractional laser skin resurfacing is effective but much safer than traditional CO2 resurfacing. The fractional laser resurfacing beam is broken up into many small beams so that the laser affects only small focused areas of the skin.

Fractional laser resurfacing leaves skip areas on the skin that are left normal and undamaged. These untreated skin cells are able to rapidly heal the treated skin with new skin cells. The treated areas, called micro treatment zones are healed in 6 hours with the fractional Lux2940 Erbium laser on the Starlux laser. CO2 fractional lasers like the Fraxel Repair and Lumenis ActiveFX and DeepFX take a little longer, up to 48-72 hours.

Non-ablative 1540 or 1440 Laser Treatment

Non-ablative 1540 or 1440 Fractional Erbium Laser to treat the facial skin. There is no down time-your face will have some added color immediately after the treatment for about a day or two. These lasers go deep into the skin and stimulate your skin to make new collagen to compress the pores. You will need 3 treatments scheduled about 3-4 weeks apart. Treatments take about 30 minutes and are done by our medical aesthetician.

2940 Ablative Fractional Laser Resurfacing

At your last non-ablative treatment the doctor will do an additional treatment called a Fractional Ablative Laser Resurfacing. This treatment is an actual laser skin peel. However the new fractional laser is much gentler than the old fashioned CO2 laser resurfacing. Your skin will peel and your skin will be red for 5-7 days. Older CO2 laser resurfacing actually made pores larger.

The new approach using fractional laser technology is much better at building new collagen to compress the pores. We have seen surprisingly good results in even older aged skin.

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Cosmetic laser surgery is relatively a new kind of skin resurfacing method. In the field of skin care, lasers have proven to be big blessing. A laser is a big-energy of light that can selectively transfer energy into tissue to treat the skin. Lasers can be used to reduce wrinkles around the lips or eyes and sometimes the entire face. The laser softens the wrinkles and removes certain blemishes on the face. The laser is used basically to remove the top most layer of the skin which is damaged and affected by aging so that the inner fresh layer can take its place.

You should consult with your doctor or a dermatologist before going for cosmetic laser surgery and let him/her see whether your skin texture is suitable for going through such procedure. The most important problem which can be seen with lasers is the risk that patients have to take. After going through the treatment there is a possibility that your skin may become too sensitive. Your skin type can be a vital factor for this since not all skin types are ideal for going through laser resurfacing. You might face problems like skin discoloration, inflammations for a longer period of time, tenderness. And the most alarming thing is these negative effects can be permanent.

Cosmetic laser surgery may also require a recovery period and after treatment precautions can make it even more complicated. Though the outcome of laser healing is very much noticeable but the side effects it has is something you need to be concerned about before giving it a shot. Have a clear idea before going for the surgery and keep a close touch with the dermatologist. If having cosmetic laser surgery is something that you have been considering, but are not particularly overwhelmed with the thought of incisions and blood, then you are certainly in luck.

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