Human skin is the body’s largest organ. It’s also the way we present ourselves to the world. Healthy skin can be a testament to our inner well-being and healthful lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, the skin is also under constant attack from internal and external dangers, from free radicals to collagen loss.
Time and gravity conspire to leave the skin loose and inelastic, while sun damage and pollutants can cause hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and other damage. There are many types of laser resurfacing techniques that can help you to reverse damage and rejuvenate your skin, but which one is right for you?
How Does Laser Resurfacing Work?
Generally speaking, laser resurfacing works by using laser energy to vaporize the damaged skin cells on the surface. Below these cells, the skin is healthy and fresh because it has been protected from exposure.
By revealing these healthy skin cells, the appearance is instantly rejuvenated. The tone and texture are smoother, lines and wrinkles are reduced, and other scarring and irregularities are removed.
While the treatment is essentially the same, there are two main types of laser skin resurfacing techniques: CO2 laser resurfacing and erbium. At Aesthetic Surgery Center, both of these laser skin resurfacing treatments are available to rejuvenate patients’ skin and combat years of aging and environmental damage.
Which Type of Laser Treatment is Best?
At Aesthetic Surgery Center, you can choose either CO2 or erbium laser resurfacing to rejuvenate your skin. Both are ideal solutions for removing dead skin cells and revealing a brighter complexion. Choosing the perfect treatment is easier when you factor in your skin type and specific skincare concerns.
The CO2 laser resurfacing technique is the original and most in-depth cosmetic laser treatment on the market. It is an ablative procedure, meaning that the laser energy destroys the outer layer of damaged cells to encourage new collagen production and prompt the body to create fresh, new skin. Recovery can take several weeks but the results can be dramatic.
If you have dark skin and/or you are prone to infections, your facial surgeon may advise against the CO2 laser resurfacing option as it is fairly invasive and can cause pigmentation issues.
The erbium laser treatment, on the other hand, is a non-ablative procedure with lower pigmentation risks. While it takes less time to heal, you might need several sessions for the desired results as the erbium procedure is gentler than ablative lasers and does not completely destroy damaged cells.
How Does the UltraPulse 5000 CO2 Laser Work?
Since 1995, carbon dioxide lasers have been in use for resurfacing the skin. Today’s UltraPulse 5000 model can be computer programmed to treat the skin at specific levels of depth, various intensities, in specific patterns, and in various sizes. The UltraPulse CO2 can produce very precise and predictable results with a lessened risk of scarring. The CO2 laser is excellent for skin tightening, improvement of fine and deep wrinkles, and to treat spots and keratosis on the face.
What Is the Erbium: YAG Laser?
Soon after the carbon dioxide laser was introduced, the erbium laser resurfacing technique was developed. Using a fine, delicate beam of light, the YAG laser can be used much differently than the wider beam of the carbon dioxide laser. Erbium applications are ideal for treating fine wrinkles, acne scarring, and other facial irregularities. With this type of laser, patients can see incredibly targeted results and experience shorter healing times. The Erbium YAG laser is an ideal choice for those who want to improve and maintain the quality of their skin with very little downtime between treatments.
How Do the Arctic Peel and Arctic Laser Wash Treatments Compare?
There are two other types of erbium laser treatments available at the Aesthetic Surgery Center, called the Arctic Peel and the Arctic Laser Wash. Both are performed using the Sciton Profile Erbium-YAG laser to achieve the patient’s desired results, but each works a little bit differently.
The Arctic Peel or “weekend skin peel” is best suited to patients with sun-damaged skin and the early signs of aging. The procedure involves very minimal downtime and can be performed without anesthetics because of the chilled air that cools the skin during treatments.
Arctic Peel is a deeper resurfacing treatment than a typical microdermabrasion, leaving your skin noticeably smoother after just one treatment. Some patients opt for multiple treatments at spaced intervals to achieve their ultimate results.
On the other hand, the Arctic Laser Wash is an ideal treatment for patients experiencing brown spots, age spots, acne scars, other scars, fine wrinkles, and keratoses. After a topical anesthetic cream is applied to the skin, your clinician will perform local anesthetic nerve blocks and apply the cool air-chiller and begin the laser treatment.
It is a low downtime procedure with many patients healing for about five to seven days afterward. The end results will leave your skin smoother and looking healthier.
Learn More About Laser Resurfacing Today
To better understand the benefits of laser resurfacing and which technique might benefit you the most, contact the Aesthetic Surgery Center to book an appointment with Dr. Anurag Agarwal or Dr. Richard Maloney, our double board-certified facial plastic surgeons. They have been featured on many of the major news networks, including ABC, NBC, and FOX, as recognized experts on a variety of facial plastic surgery topics.
Dr. Agarwal and Dr. Maloney believe that educating and communicating with their patients are the keys to helping them achieve successful, natural-looking results. Book your appointment at the Aesthetic Surgery Center, located at 1175 Creekside Parkway #100 in Naples, FL, by calling (239) 420-8141.