Laser skin resurfacing is a skin rejuvenation procedure that uses beams of light to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and scars. Laser skin resurfacing procedure remove old skin cells using the heat created by a laser beam. This treatment allows for the removal of the outer layers of your skin, revealing the younger, fresher layers beneath.
By removing your old skin cells, we stimulate your body to create new skin cells and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and scars, as well as other skin imperfections. The laser skin resurfacing process also heats your skin’s underlying layers, causing the collagen fibers that bind your skin together to tighten up, which creates a more toned look to your skin.
This rejuvenation process is not a miracle cure for aging, and while it cannot prevent or reverse aging, it can help your skin to look better as you age, which can help boost your self-confidence and make you feel younger when you look in the mirror.
How Should I Prepare for Laser Skin Resurfacing?
First, you should talk with our dermatologist in detail about your medical history to make sure there are no contraindicators to the procedure. Things like drug allergies, immune disorders, medications, other skin treatments, and previous surgeries are all things you’ll want to consider when evaluating if you will be a good candidate for laser skin resurfacing. Be sure to include simple over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, aspirin, and even vitamin-E. Each of these can influence your treatment in various ways, so we need to know about them upfront.
We will also need to know if you are prone to any skin conditions, including fever blisters or cold sores. You will need to tell us if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you have already had other cosmetic skin treatment procedures that we should know about, such as dermabrasion or chemical peel. If you are prone to cold sores or fever blisters, a prescription antibiotic or antiviral medication may be able to help prevent any issues after your skin resurfacing procedure. We also recommend avoiding sun exposure for the two months following your procedure.
What Should I Expect During a Laser Skin Resurfacing Procedure?
Your treatment process will begin with us, placing a protective cover over your eyes after we’ve helped you get comfortable in the treatment room. This protective cover will remain in place during your entire treatment process, which will serve to protect your eyes from the laser beams we use to treat your skin.
For most laser skin resurfacing treatments, you will only need a local anesthetic, as we will usually only treat small areas of your skin at a time. However, in cases where we need to treat a larger skin area, you may require a general anesthetic instead. With the anesthetic applied, we will go ahead and clean the treatment area to prepare it for your procedure.
After we prepare the area by cleaning it, we will use the laser to heat the skin imperfection areas you are targeting. The entire treatment typically ranges from half an hour to 2 hours in length and may require repeat treatments separated by weeks of healing in between.
What Will Happen After My Laser Skin Resurfacing?
You will need to keep your skin very clean after the procedure. We will provide you with a special topical ointment to treat the area during the days following your treatment. It is perfectly normal for the skin to be swollen, raw, and a bit itchy after the treatment, though this should subside naturally during recovery.
You will need to take special care of the area for about 1-2 weeks, and diligently avoid any exposure to direct sunlight while the area heals. We recommend cleaning the area several times each day using a saline solution or diluted vinegar, followed by a hydrating ointment. If you smoke, you will need to avoid doing so after the treatment as well.
Expect to take about seven days of downtime to allow your skin to recover after the laser resurfacing procedure. You should apply your follow-up treatment ointment regularly for the first five days after treatment and avoid using any makeup during the first six days.
On the 7th day and after that, you can use some light makeup to conceal any remaining redness, but you will still need to stay out of direct sunlight for a full month following your treatment. Once your skin has had adequate time to recover, you will see the improvement yourself. You may want to consider follow-up treatments in the proceeding months to keep your rejuvenated look.
Have you been considering a skin rejuvenation treatment? Contact us, and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have and help you schedule an appointment today.