Why It Is Done

Laser resurfacing may be used to remove or improve the look of:

• Wrinkles.
• Superficial scars from acne, surgery, or trauma that are not growing or that are getting thicker.
• Color (pigment) changes or defects in the skin, such as liver spots, port-wine stains, or café-au-lait spots.

People with lighter skin who do not get a lot of sun exposure after the procedure tend to have the best results. People with darker skin may benefit from laser resurfacing, but their skin may not heal as well.

In most cases, laser resurfacing is very precise and causes little damage to the surrounding skin and tissue. It is done most often on the face, but it may be done on skin in other areas of the body.

Ablative Laser Resurfacing

With advances in laser technology, it is now possible to significantly improve aged or sun-damaged skin. Ablative laser skin resurfacing is one of the most effective cosmetic procedures for improving aging skin. The procedure works by delivering an intense wavelength of light to the skin, which removes the outer layers of aged or sun damaged skin. In addition, the laser stimulates the underlying skin, resulting in collagen formation and an improvement in wrinkles. As the lasered skin heals following the procedure, new skin forms that is smoother and tighter.

Ablative lasers are used to treat:

• Fine to moderate wrinkles
• Liver spots or age spots
• Uneven skin tone
• Sun-damaged skin
• Acne or chickenpox scars

Fractional laser resurfacing

Fractional laser treatment is a non-invasive treatment that uses a device to deliver a laser beam divided into thousands of microscopic treatment zones that target a fraction of the skin at a time. This is analogous to a photographic image being enhanced or altered pixel by pixel. Fractional laser treatment has bridged the gap between the ablative and non-ablative laser techniques used to treat sun-damaged and aging skin. Whilst ablative laser treatments work mainly on the epidermis (surface skin cells) and non-ablative treatments work solely on dermal collagen (mid-layer of skin) only, fractional laser treatment works at both the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin.

Fractional laser treatment is used for the treatment of:

• Facial lines and wrinkles (rhytides)
• Sun damage
• Skin pigmentation associated with photoaging Surgical and acne scarring.

Although fractional laser treatment has been advocated in the treatment of pigmentation disorders such as melasma, the treatment itself can lead to postinflammatory pigmentation. Fractional laser treatment can be used on any part of the body, but is particularly useful on the neck, chest and hands when compared to traditional ablative modalities. Fractional laser treatment may also be of benefit for poikiloderma of Civatte and stretch marks. Fractional laser treatment can be used in all skin types and patients, but techniques vary depending on patient age, skin type, sun exposure and body location. Fractional laser treatment can be combined with surgery and other skin treatments.