Why So Many People Are Looking At CO2 Laser Treatments For Wrinkles & Anti-Aging
With a large number of our patients and prospective patients continually asking about new ways to minimize their signs of aging, we wanted to provide an overview of why so many people are using CO2 laser treatments to reduce wrinkles and assist with the anti-aging process.
Why The CO2 Laser?
The CO2 laser provides the gold standard for devices that will reduce or eliminate the signs of skin aging. The CO2RE CO2 laser supports a range of treatments in regard to different conditions and different skin types.
What Are The Results I Can Expect?
Fractionated lasers, such as the CO2RE laser, penetrate a small percentage of the deep skin layer to stimulate the deeper collagen layers to remodel and tighten the skin. In addition, this laser can also provide a treatment that stimulates only the superficial skin layers. This laser can fade sun damage, improve and even skin tone, and treat fine wrinkles.
How Does It Work?
The laser is either used in the ablative or non-ablative modes and can be calibrated to allow for a stimulation of growth of dermis, the collagen-bearing portions of the skin (the layer of skin that lies beneath the epidermis and above the subcutaneous layer).
Fractional resurfacing sends microscopic light beams to the skin. These beams penetrate in tiny columns down into the dermis of the skin. This process makes the body believe it has been wounded, so it responds by producing new collagen to fix the wound.
When it comes to Ablative vs. Non-Ablative, the Ablative laser resurfacing procedure vaporizes the top layer of the skin, essentially zapping it, which then results in a longer recovery time for the skin to crust over, scab, and regrow new skin. This process can also create permanent color variations and scarring. In non-ablative resurfacing, as used in this procedure, results are seen without these side effects. Consultations and pre-treatment are recommended for the best results.
Different patterns of fractionation offer large to very small changes in the immediate postoperative appearance. Long-term results with a widely spaced treatment pattern done at a deep mode mimic the same results seen with other devices that heat the dermis.
How Long Is The Recovery Process?
Traditionally, laser resurfacing involved the treatment of the entire skin surface, which led to excellent results but at the expense of increased downtime and treatment pain. Fractionated laser resurfacing injures only a small percentage, or fraction of the skin, resulting in less pain and decreased downtimes. These lasers can be very effective because they still stimulate the skin layers to repair and rejuvenate themselves. The laser itself only penetrates a fraction of the skin surface, with the tiny holes surrounded by untouched healthy tissue.
We at Associates in Plastic surgery employ the CO2 laser for the treatment of superficial to deep wrinkle lines to improve facial, neck and chest appearance with great predictability.
If you are interested in learning more about CO2 laser treatment or would like to schedule a consultation to see if it is right for you, Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation!
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