Skin Resurfacing - The Complete Review
Introduction to Laser Skin Resurfacing
Maintaining beauty and a youthful appearance date back several thousand agedness to the ancient Egyptian. However, the advances in technology have never before awarded congeneric a choice of modalities. Non - surgical skin rejuvenation, laser skin resurfacing, wrinkle treatment, fillers, face lift, and skin tightening are common approaches for contributive the look of your skin. Particularly, the introduction of a multitude of skin resurfacing devices has caused a lot of confusion amongst consumers. Among these options, laser skin resurfacing is the most effective non or semi - invasive surgical approach to carry out harsh results.
First of all you must know that every new resurfacing laser or device is measured against the industry’s most powerful engine for the elapsed 40 senility, the replica dioxide ( CO2 ) laser. It was fabricated in 1964 and has been the most widely used laser in medicine. In the area of dermatology, its use has been predominantly for facial resurfacing. It regularly achieves well-suited results in a single treatment, works on fine and intermediate lines and acne scars, maximally tightens the skin and delivers results that last a number of senescence. Its drawback is a stretching, 10 - 14 day social downtime, making it less noted for any working person. To overcome this handicap and minimize healing time, many devices that do not bully the greater layers of the skin ( non - ablative ) have recently been developed by the tasteful industry. The single most important advance was the creation of fractional technology. Onset small islands of normal skin behind, the skin regenerates much faster than with the traditional full ablation of skin.
You will learn about the current industry recognized ablative and non - ablative strategies that renovate your skin and about the benefits and downsides of each of these techniques.
Fractionated Ablative lasers
Carbon Dioxide Laser - CO2 Laser
As an ablative laser, it vaporizes the tissue and is able to eradicate fine and intermediate lines, smoothes overall skin texture and acne scars, eradicates jagged pigmentation as well as tightens the skin. It lets you appear about 10 years younger and regularly replaces the need for a face lift unless skin sagging is severe. Preparation and postoperative care most closely resembles a full fletched surgical procedure, however, CO2 laser resurfacing can be performed under local anesthesia. The price you fee for the results is one to two weeks of social downtime while the skin reepithelializes. In addition, the resurfaced skin may appear pinkish for several months thereafter.
Fractional CO2 Laser
Since the installation of 2007, filtered systems with incomplete degrees of ablation that leave small islands of normal skin from which the skin can treat much faster, have revolutionized the resurfacing marketplace. Amongst these, the combination of DeepFx and ActiveFx, manufactured by the controller in CO2 technology ( Lumenis ) give results that most closely compare to the traditional laser resurfacing. This new technology offers faster healing times with still excellent results. In the meantime, a character of laser companies have now developed their own permutations of a fractionated CO2 laser and names include Fraxel re: Couple, Slim MIxto / SX, Exelo 2, Multiple.
Erbium: YAG Lasers
The traditional erbium laser has produced results that were indeed comparable to the CO2 laser yet it fell out of favor for of meaning post operative hurting. As with the fractional method developed for the CO2 laser, today’s erbium laser treatments are halfway exclusively fractionated and may and be called pixelated. Names that you may read about are Treasure, Pixel, ProFractional and Starlux 2940. However, with the exception of the Jewel, these do not deliver results that repercuss the opening. While downtime is typically limited to 1 - 4 days, the downfall of most of the fractionated erbium technology is the very superficial essence of the resurfacing results, being excellent at improving sun damage, and skin texture, but will cynosure solitary the finest lines. They are special more like an energetic peel. Several treatments are usually essential to obtain equaling results. These fractionated lasers do not significantly accommodate to skin tightening, removal of wrinkles, let personalized acne scars.
Non Ablative Fractional Lasers
Protecting the epidermis, the upper most layer of our skin, and thereby minimizing outgoing downtime, non - ablative lasers produce energy in the inferior layers of skin, ideally single causing incorporation which is socially much more tolerable than oozing. Amongst the non - ablative lasers, FRAXEL is the most marketed. Other brands include Rest assured, StarLux - Lux, Mixed.
Using a gesture coil lesser than that of a CO2 laser, these lasers assailing energy into the skin, prolific collagen production and thereby tightening skin. Results after a particular treatment are deficient and it can easily take 4 - 8 treatments to regard an sequence. While its effects on wrinkles and lines after 4 - 8 treatments is rather airless to the results of a disparate CO2 laser treatment, it does not seem to solve on scars as well. In addition, the Fraxel has been FDA prepossessing for the treatment of melasma, again known as the mask of ripening, which shows as symmetric pigmentation on the face as a arrangement of sun exposure with other estrogen levels.
Non - Laser Fractionated Resurfacing Devices
Plasma and radiofrequency devices belong to this conglomerate. As of the more convincing results, plasma technology will be discussed here. The plasma device is not based on laser principle. Plasma is pushed into the skin to induce limited ablation of the epidermis and renewal of collagen under the surface of the skin. Treatments can be delivered in 1 - 2 vitalizing sessions, results mimicking almost those of fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing. When energy levels are minimized to allow for as a little as a few - hour lasting florid, several treatments will be needed for an issue. With the later approach however, results boost to be much less dramatic. Having gained FDA go in the second half of 2007, the technology is fairly new and continued interval results are not known yet.
In aggregate, many exciting technologies are available nowadays. The general rule of little downtime little results still applies. Non - ablative technology rarely achieves noticeable results in a single treatment and the overall outcome even after several treatments is often below expectations. Ablative devices appear to deliver best, have need one a small character of treatments results and social downtime can effectively be lowered by the uses of fractional technology. Somewhere, your goals, your talent to discern social downtime and your pouch will run you and your treating physician to a resurfacing plan that is tailored to you.
CO2 Laser * * * *
ActiveFX * * *
Fractional Lasers * *
TCA Peel * *
Glycolic Peel *
Microdermabrasion *
Social downtime
CO2 Laser 5 - 14 days
ActiveFX 3 - 5 days
Fractional Lasers 1 - 6 days
TCA Peel 5 - 7 days
Glycolic Peel None
Microdermabrasion None
# Treatments
CO2 Laser 1
ActiveFX 1 - 2
Fractional Lasers 4 - 8
Glycolic Peel 6 - 8
Microdermabrasion 6 - 8
Lasting results
CO2 Laser 10 elderliness
ActiveFX 10 oldness
Fractional Lasers Unknown
TCA Peel 2 years
Glycolic Peel 1 year
Microdermabrasion 1 year
Average Cost
CO2 Laser $3000
ActiveFX $3700
Fractional Lasers $5000
TCA Peel $500
Glycolic Peel $700
Microdermabrasion $1000
