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Which Laser Treatment is Best for Facial Rejuvenation and Skin Tightening?

asked 3 years ago by LCB-- in California
Latest answer by Daniel Shapiro, MD
Question viewed 33,961 times
Tags: jowls, best, loose, rejuvenation, skin, tightening

I am planning on having skin resurfacing done. I am 45 with lax skin and a few acne scars, jowls. My goal is skin tightening (within reason), skin rejuvenation, and just overall healthier look. I have been to 2 doctors- one said he would use the Active FX (this is his strongest laser) and the other suggested Fraxel repair (i have had 2 fraxel restore with some improvement). Which of these two treatments is the most aggressive? What is the typical price point for them, if you know?

17 answers to Which Laser Treatment is Best for Facial Rejuvenation and Skin Tightening?

+5

Active FX utilizes CO2 and is effective for overall skin...

Active FX utilizes CO2 and is effective for overall skin rejuvenation. Active FX and other skin lasers help more with the quality of the skin than wrinkle reduction. It is very effective for reducing or eliminating the brown spots caused by sun damage. Active FX also improves the tone and texture of the skin reducing pore size and plumping the skin through collagen stimulation. The collagen remodeling can continue to improve for 4-6 months after one treatment. Most often, only one... more
Dan Mills, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+5

The best treatment bar none for skin tightening and acne...

The best treatment bar none for skin tightening and acne scars is the CO2 laser resurfacing depending on your skin type. All other lasers only offer nominal improvement. The disadvantage is the longer down time, but it is by far the best treatment for acne scarring. A recent article in Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery by Shan Baker, MD et al. substantiates this, as well as an article I published a number of years ago in the same journal. Source: Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, July 2008 more
Scott Trimas, MD

Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon
+4

Laser Skin Tightening

Laser Skin Tightening : Over the last several years, one focus of aesthetic medical technology has been on a means for improving fine wrinkles and lines on the face without prolonged 'downtime'. This is often referred to as non-invasive collagen remodeling. This has traditionally been accomplished with laser peels (carbon dioxide, erbium) or deep chemical peels (phenol, high-concentration TCA), which resurface the skin by creating a second-degree burn. The epidermis is... more
Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon
+4

Plasma Skin Regeneration (PSR) or Laser?

Facial rejuvenation via skin resurfacing has been available in many forms over the years. The original cosmetic treatments consisted of chemical peels (believed to have been used by the Ancient Egyptians) and dermabrasion. These modalities work very well but are not without risk. The next generation of resurfacing was achieved with abalative lasers, the earliest of which was the CO2, and later erbium modalities. The extended downtimes of lasers and risk (most particularly CO2) has lead... more
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon
+4

Laser or no laser - that is the question

My recommendation is to ask yourself few questions before deciding what type of laser to use. How much improvment would I be happy with? As we age it is not only skin that relaxes, rather underlying fat and muscle. The best lasers, radiofrequency, and light technologies cannot effect underlying tissues in any significant manner. To my experience, these technologies can give 50% improvement at best. If you have to stand in front of the miror and pull on your face or neck to get your... more
Payman Simoni, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+4

Fraxel repair over Active FX

Hi L, Fractionated CO2 lasers are the best current choice, and will likely be the best facial rejuvenating and moderate skin tightening technology. Fraxel re:pair laser treatment is a much more aggresive, and deeper treatment than the superficial Active FX. When Deep FX is added to Active FX, then the combination treatment results in very impressive skin tightening and rejuvenation. Both Fraxel repair laser treatment and the combined Active/Deep FX treatment give excellent results.... more
Michael A. Persky, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Many Lasers to Choose from for rejuvenation

If you are looking for tightening and rejuvination, I do not think that Fraxel is the correct choice. Depending on your need for wrinkle correction, you may need a more invasive laser with a deeper peel. I would recommend either CO2, Erbium/Yag, or Pearl lasers. These will cover all of the points that you are interested in addressing, each with their own positives and negatives and unique downtimes.
David Rankin, MD

Jupiter Plastic Surgeon
+3

It depends on your goals and your tolerance for "downtime".

As with all other aspects of cosmetic medicine, we are always trying to balance safety with efficacy. We want a treatment that will solve the problem but that has minimal side effects or complications. The best laser treatment for facial rejuvenation and skin tightening from the standpoint of effectiveness is old fashioned CO2 laser resurfacing. Unfortunately, it is also the riskiest and has the most downtime. Think Samantha in Sex And The City. Slightly less effective, but much safer... more
Robert Swanson, MD

Bay Area General Surgeon
+2

Lasers aren't the effective treatments for rejuvenation and skin tightening

Believe it or not, one can achieve great facial rejuvenation and tightening without using lasers. Lasers are just given so much attention in the media. However, there are many ways to rejuvenate and tighten the face other than lasers including chemical peeling, botox, injectable fillers and non-invasive surgical procedures. Since you asked about lasers, there are some lasers that are designed more specifically to tighten and there are others that are designed to resurface fine lines and... more
Channing R. Barnett, MD

New York Dermatologist
+2

Lasers work, but some require more treatment sessions than others for results

I am a big fan of Fraxel Re:store because of the nice improvement with little social downtime, but it requires 4-6 sessions. Fractional carbon dioxide lasers, such as Active FX, Deep FX, Juvia and Fraxel Re:pair, give faster results because they require fewer sessions. But the downtime can be a week, and even longer, with aggressive settings. Carbon dioxide lasers also cause more coagulation, which contracts skin more and will likely result in more tightening. Sometimes, I combine Fraxel... more
Mary Lupo, MD

New Orleans Dermatologist
+1

Laser Treatment for Facial Rejuvenation

I would recommend the Erbium:Yag laser. It has the ability to precisely remove layers of skin while adding a component that causes significant skin tightening without the problems of older CO2 lasers that caused prolonged healing times, months of redness, and loss of pigmentation that was often seen as mottling of the skin, or visible lines of pigment demarcation.The Sciton Erbium:Yag laser is used in the operating room under anesthesia as it treats the deepest layers of skin, and can... more
Daniel Shapiro, MD

Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon
+1

Ultherapy is great for skin tightening

CO2 lasers in general will cause deeper treatment and better treatment for acne scarring and tightening. Superficial lasers such as Fraxel create less tightening but have less downtime. Fractionated CO2 laser is often best to achieve smoothening and some tightening of the skin. For true lifting in a non-invasive fashion, consider Ultherapy. This treatment will target tissue deep underneath the skin creating a lift. Ultherapy however will not address acne scarring or superficial skin... more
Joseph A. Eviatar, MD

Bronx Oculoplastic Surgeon
+1

There is no best laser for laser resurfacing

There is no "best" laser for facial resurfacing. IMHO, it is more important to choose a well-trained expenienced surgeon for this technique than for seeking out the lastest, most hyped and marketed, and expensive laser. The same results can be achieved with judicious use of chemical peels as with the most expensive laser tecnique. Take a look at the results and photos of the Hetter Facial Resurfacing Procedure that I have on my website. I am... more
Lawrence Kass, MD

Saint Petersburg Oculoplastic Surgeon
+1

Heavier treatment means more tightening

When evaluating skin treatments you will find impact and time to healing relating directly...the most improvement is to be had from treatments that take longer in recovery. Only certain skin types can safely have these heavier treatments however. This relates to skin type. Barring skin type issues I would say you are likely looking at a full face CO2 laser re-surfacing procedure. Best Regards.
John P. Di Saia, MD

Orange Plastic Surgeon
+1

Best facial rejuvenation laser

Hands down the best laser for overall skin rejuvenation is a CO2 laser. I prefer the Affirm CO2 laser which will help with overall tone, tightening and texture.
Bruce Katz, MD

New York Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Options for facial rejuvenation

Fraxel is not the only option out there. It is just the relatively new buzz words in laser technology. I have not been impressed overall with what it has to offer. There are so many different technologies out there that can give you a great result. Just go to a physician that has good results with the tools he/she uses, preferrably a plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or other core aesthetic physician (ENT, ophtho) that uses lasers.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

3D Titan treatments plus Active-FX gives awesome results...

3D Titan treatments plus Active-FX gives awesome results. The Titan is specifically designed to tighten skin. Combining other lasers that remove pigment and smooth wrinkles not only rejuvenates the look of the skin but enhances the Titan results. Adding Active-FX is the final key to rejuvenation as it resurfaces to clear and smooth skin.
Edmond A. Zingaro, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

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