SmartXide: What You Need to Know

SmartXide is a fractional CO2 laser treatment that uses dermal optical thermolysis (aka DOT therapy) to treat skin conditions like wrinkles and fine lines, hyperpigmentation, enlarged pores, loss of elasticity, and acne scars. Traditional CO2 lasers are ablative, which means they remove the skin’s surface layer. They can be painful and require a week or more of downtime. The SmartXide laser is considered “micro-ablative”; it creates thousands of microscopic perforations, in a dot pattern. There’s no damage to the surrounding skin, so the area heals faster. It also stimulates collagen production more quickly. 

Cincinnati facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jon Mendelson says, “The SmartXide laser has been one of the best skin resurfacing devices I’ve ever used. It basically treats most skin conditions, including sunspots, fine lines, lip lines, crow’s feet, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, rhinophyma, and other aging skin conditions very well. The only thing it doesn’t help with is broken blood vessels. For this we use intense pulsed light [IPL].” 

Because SmartXide doesn’t go as deep as traditional CO2 lasers, the treatment requires only topical anesthesia and isn’t considered painful—although you might feel some minor discomfort, often described as a stinging sensation. You’ll also receive protective eyewear. The treatment should take about an hour. 

Be clear about your rejuvenation goals when consulting with your provider. SmartXide results vary according to how much energy is delivered, how long the laser beam stays on, and how close together the dots are. Depending on the settings and how many passes the doctor does with the laser, it can deliver a superficial, lunchtime-type treatment or an aggressive one-and-done type of treatment, explains Dr. Jeffrey Zwiren, a plastic surgeon in Duluth, Georgia, in a RealSelf Q&A. “The treatment is definitely technique-dependent.”