If acne, aging, or frequent exposure to the sun has caused wrinkles, scars, lines, or blotches, laser skin resurfacing helps to make the skin look healthy and young. It is the perfect facial rejuvenation procedure that can be executed along with other cosmetic procedures or alone on the face.
What is laser resurfacing? Laser skin resurfacing is a popular cosmetic procedure that uses a concentrated beam of light to improve the appearance of your skin. The laser removes damaged outer layers of skin, revealing the healthier, younger-looking skin underneath. It reduces scars and wrinkles, removes lesions (both malignant and non-cancerous), tightens skin, and evens out skin complexion.
Laser skin resurfacing is popularly referred to by several other terms such as laser vaporization, laser peel, or lasabrasion. It cannot eliminate sagging or excessive skin.
There are two kinds of laser skin resurfacing techniques. They are non-ablative laser and ablative laser.
Light source or non-ablative laser: This technique is a less aggressive method than the ablative laser. It has a short recovery time and the results are less obvious. Some of the types of non-ablative laser include IPL or intense pulsed therapy, erbium or Er: YAG, and pulsed dye laser therapy.
Ablative laser: This laser technique clears away irregular skin accurately, layer after layer by evaporating it. Lasers eliminate the epidermis (the outer coating of skin) and heat the dermis (the underlying layer of skin). It stimulates the development of fresh collagen fibers, thus resulting in firmer and smoother skin. Some of the types of ablative laser therapy include an erbium laser, CO2 or carbon dioxide laser, and mixture systems.
Both methods are carried out using a fractional laser. It leaves minute columns of untreated tissue all through the treatment region. The fractional lasers help in reducing the chances of side effects and also have a short recovery time.