What can Laser Resurfacing for for Wrinkles?

*Collaborative guest post

Facial wrinkles, which are the folds, lines, and ridges in the skin, which can make it difficult to recognize yourself after a while, and they don’t just occur overnight. In fact, they surface gradually over time until, one morning, you wake up and look in the mirror and hardly recognize the person staring back at you. Wrinkles can also occur on the neck, hands, and forearms, which can also be just as discomforting.

Wrinkles have many contributors, including smoking, facial expressions, sun exposure, pollutants, and the cruel yet natural process of aging.

Early signs of aging can usually be addressed with a dermatologist-recommended anti-wrinkle cream; however, in more extreme cases, you may find that these anti-wrinkle creams just don’t have the long-lasting effect you need, in which case you may benefit from laser skin resurfacing.

Like New York facial cosmetic expert Dr. Ran Rubinstein says, laser skin resurfacing offers a safe and non-invasive way to treat many signs of aging, including wrinkles, roughness, enlarged pores, skin discolorations, such as age spots and acne scars, and more, for youthful, more radiant skin you can be proud to show off.

 

What is Laser Resurfacing?

Laser resurfacing, also known as laser peeling, uses an instrument shaped like a wand that is equipped with a laser beam of light to peel away the top surface of the skin, which helps remove old skin cells to reveal newer, more vibrant skin cells for an overall improved appearance of the skin.

The intense warmth from the laser also penetrates deep below the skin to promote collagen production, which also helps promote smoother, tighter skin.

Because this procedure utilizes a laser, it also enables the doctor to control the depth of treatment, which helps protect nearby tissue. It can also be used to provide varying degrees of treatment by adjusting the laser’s color and heat.

 

How Laser Resurfacing Helps Remove Wrinkles

There are two main types of laser resurfacing treatments, which use different wavelengths of light to help remove wrinkles.

 

Erbium Laser Resurfacing

Erbium laser resurfacing, also called fractional erbium laser resurfacing, uses a moderately intense fractional laser that disperses its light into a framework of smaller rays that create a series of pin sized injuries to the top layer of the skin.

These nanoscopic injuries promote new elastin and collagen growth for enhanced skin tone, texture, and thickness.

Furthermore, since the laser is fractionated, or broken up, it is used to treat small segments of the skin at a time, which allows the skin to heal quicker, thus requiring less downtime. It can also be used to penetrate topical products deep into the layers of skin for better results.

 

Who are Good Candidates for Erbium Laser Skin Resurfacing?

If you have moderately deep lines, superficial wrinkles, brown spots, sun damage, or acne scars on the hands, face, chest, or neck, then you may be a good candidate for erbium laser resurfacing, provided your health is good. It is also a good choice for patients who prefer a shorter downtime following their laser resurfacing treatment.

Because this procedure removes just one layer of skin at a time, it is gentler on the skin; therefore, it is suitable for both light and dark skin tones.

 

C02 Laser Resurfacing

C02 laser resurfacing, also called fractional C02 laser resurfacing, uses more intense heat to create sections of injuries to the skin, which helps stimulate collagen production for rejuvenated skin.

C02 laser resurfacing is often used to treat scars; however, it can also be used to treat sun damaged skin, as well as wrinkles and crows feet around the eyes.

It can also be used in conjunction with other laser treatments, as well as with fat transfers and even injections, such as Restylane, Juvederm, for improved results. For instance, some doctors often recommend an injection, such as Botox, about two to four weeks prior to receiving laser resurfacing to help prolong the results.

The latest C02 laser resurfacing treatments utilize various interchangeable tips from full-ablative laser tips to treat severe wrinkles and more, to less-ablative laser tips that can be used to treat superficial wrinkles, photodamaged skin, and acne scarring, which enables the doctor to better customize the treatment to fit each patient.

The doctor can also utilize various tips to combine treatments for improved results.

 

Who are Good Candidates for C02 Laser Resurfacing?

If you have severe wrinkles, large pores, scars, warts, and more, then you may be a good candidate for C02 laser resurfacing. However, because it is a more aggressive form of treatment, it may not be recommended for darker skin tones because it can damage the skin.

 

What to Expect After the Treatment

Research shows that laser resurfacing is effective for treating wrinkles with proven results in as soon as one week, depending on the treatment. C02 laser resurfacing treatments typically take about two weeks to see results, while erbium laser resurfacing treatments provide results in just one week.

After laser resurfacing, patients typically experience symptoms of mild sunburn, including redness, swelling, and stinging or itching. However, more intense treatments may cause more severe symptoms of sunburn, including raw skin that is accompanied by blisters. The blisters may also ooze a yellowish liquid and develop a crust; however, you should avoid scratching or picking at the crust because it may cause scarring.

Anywhere from 5 days to a week after the procedure, the skin will become dry and peel, during which time you will begin to notice patches of refreshed, glowing skin. However, the new skin may appear pink at first and then gradually lighten over the next two to three months.

During the healing process, it is important to avoid sun exposure and apply sunscreen every day that is specially formulated for sensitive skin. You will also be given a solution to help with the healing process. Your doctor may also recommend using an ice pack during the first few days to help soothe any discomfort, as well as sleeping on an extra pillow at night to help keep your head lifted. You may also be required to clean the skin up to five times a day with a mild solution.

About six weeks following the procedure, your doctor may also give the go-ahead to resume the use of glycolic acid or Retin-A products and more.