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Laser Skin Resurfacing - Pros and Cons?

asked 4 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Question viewed 37,218 times
Tags: pros and cons, results

i've considered getting laser skin resurfacing to improve acne scars.  what are the pros and cons? is it good for overall skin care?

21 answers to Laser Skin Resurfacing - Pros and Cons?

+11

The pros and cons of laser skin resurfacing Laser...

The pros and cons of laser skin resurfacing Laser resurfacing can be tricky because the more aggressive you want to be, the more potential there is for side effects like permanent lightening of the skin (hypopigmentation), darkening of the skin (hyperpigmentation), scarring, or a lot of downtime. If I told you that we were going to improve some of those lines and that infection and other side effects could happen, you won’t be able to go outside for a couple weeks, and you won’t... more
Coyle Connolly, DO

Atlantic City Dermatologist
+5

Laser Resurfacing:Pro and Cons

This is a tricky question as you need to know which laser is being utilized and the experience and expertise of the physician. Moreover, you will need to know the skin color and the depth of the scars. The lasers that we utilize will improve the overall texture and tone of patients. However, in the wrong hands, with the wrong laser, or with the wrong patients, cons could include being ineffective, hyperpigmentation, scarring, and possibly burns. For the right physician utilizing the right... more
Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS

West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.drkrisreddy.com

+3

Pros and Cons Laser Resurfacing for Acne Scars-Non Ablative is Best

Laser Resurfacing is one of the best modalities for treating acne scars. It is important to understand the difference between Ablative Laser Resurfacing and Non ablative Laser Resurfacing. Ablative Resurfacing actually removes skin and causes significant down time for healing. Non ablative does not remove skin and creates only redness for a day so that you do not need to miss work. Fortunately, in my opinion, Non ablative Laser Resurfacing is best for treating acne scars. This is... more
Brooke R. Seckel, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon
+2

When performed in the right hands, acne scars can improve.

The use of resurfacing lasers for acne scars is one of the best options provided your skin does not have too much ethnic color present. If you have a lot of “color” or pigment irregularity, the risks are increased. This is why a consultation with a Board Certified Dermatologist and Plastic Surgeon are critical for a thorough evaluation. Treating acne scars requires a deeper treatment so the risks change. Use of the eMatrix is also good with acne scars and... more
Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD

San Francisco Dermatologic Surgeon

www.elitemdspa.com

+2

Best laser for Acne scars

The "Best" laser for deep acne scars is actually combing the ability of the Erbium laser to sand down the ridges of acne scars and deep lines around the eyes, mouth and cheeks with the smoothing, tightening and pigment reduction of Microfractional CO2 laser. The skill of the Surgeon is the most important choice a consumer can make. Make sure that your doctor is a board certified in either Dermatology or Plastic Surgery and has done at least 500 procedures. This is not a treament... more
Michael Tomcik, MD

San Ramon Dermatologist
+2

The pros and cons of laser resurfacing for acne scarring

The pros and cons of laser resurfacing for acne scarring can often depend upon the user of the technology as well as the individual patient. I've published an article on the improvement of acne scarring with the CO2 laser which you can read but I will summarize some of the key points. The pros consist of a bimodal degree of improvement where the skin is first sanded down and the heat injury actually confers additional improvement over the course of six months. It is by far in my opinion the... more
Scott Trimas, MD

Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Laser resurfacing is great for cosmetic and medical reasons

Laser resurfacing are great for cosmetic and medical reasons. If you are interested in improving your wrinkles, pigmentation problems (like sun spots, etc), the size of your pores, your skin texture, etc laser resurfacing can be a great option. It can make a huge difference in your appearance for the better. These are things or areas of improvement that really only resurfacing can do in a significant way. Skin care with cosmeticeuticals can only minimally improve your skin. Some skin care... more
Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Guidelines for laser skin resurfacing This really...

Guidelines for laser skin resurfacing This really depends why one is considering laser resurfacing. You want to make sure that your expectations are realistic and that resurfacing is appropriate for your skin care concern. You want to make sure that you see a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon, and you have had an appropriate consultation and you feel comfortable with their recommendations. Additionally, if possible, you want to see before and after pictures of their work.... more
Charles Crutchfield, MD

Minneapolis Dermatologic Surgeon

www.crutchfielddermatology.com

+2

Laser skin resurfacing for eye wrinkles Laser...

Laser skin resurfacing for eye wrinkles Laser resurfacing is a great procedure for improving wrinkles in the lower eyelids. Tiny wrinkles, which appear in the lower eyelids, can be reduced with laser resurfacing or medium depth peels.
Andres Bustillo, MD

Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Contour laser skin resurfacing The word "laser" is used...

Contour laser skin resurfacing The word "laser" is used so loosely that it has practically lost its meaning. To correct wrinkling and pigment problems of the skin, the best laser is the Contour Laser made by the Sciton Corporation. The Contour Laser can be used in one of two ways: With low energy settings you get a superficial resurfacing (Micro-Laser peel). That will give you some improvement and a short down time of two or three days. With higher energy settings, you get a deep... more
George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lasers for acne scars

I like the Erbium Yag laser for resurfacing, but primarily for heavy lines of the upper and lower lips which I can improve about 80-90%.  I've been disappointed more times than not when using it for acne scars.  There are situations where we can improve the look, but the scars tend to be very deep and difficult to treat from a surface approach.
Mario Loomis, MD

Middletown Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser resurfacing of any kind will produce only modest results for acne scars

Scars resulting from cystic acne are depressed and anchored to the underlying tissue. A CO2 laser, which can be the most aggressive treatment, may produce a small amount of skin tightening and decrease the thickness of the skin somewhat, but it will not release the anchored scar. Therefore, any improvement will be modest.
Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser skin resurfacing may help scars

This depends upon your skin type and the nature of those scars. If they are too deep (icepick scars,) then there might be less improvement. It takes a while to heal from full face laser re-surfacing, but the results can be really great in the right patient. Best Regards.
John P. Di Saia, MD

Orange Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser resurfacing for acne scarring

Laser skin resurfacing—and in particular the Fraxel laser treatment—for acne scarring has been successful in my experience. One of the pros of laser resurfacing is that it is frequently one of the best things you can do short of a facelift that will give you the same degree of improvement for acne scarring. The con is that as with any laser treatment, there is a small possibility of pigmentation change, scar formation or other adverse outcomes.
Deason Dunagan, MD

Huntsville Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser treatment of Facial Acne Scars

Laser resurfacing is the best way to improve extensive acne scarring. The new fractional Carbon Dioxide laser technology enables us to address skin textural irregularity effectively and safely. In my office we use the DEKA DOT therapy device for our fractional laser resurfacing. The procedure is easily tolerated with just a topical anesthetic gel, and recovery takes less than a week in most cases. To achieve optimal results, most patients require 2 to 3 treatments, spaced at least 2... more
Pamela B. Rosen, MD

Coral Springs Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser Resurfacing may be best hope for acne scars

Laser resurfacing these days is almost entirely fractional resurfacing and particularly this is the case for acne scarring which typically responds best to Erbium fractional like Fraxel and Palomar 1540 among others. Why is fractional a good idea for acne scarring? Repeated sessions are tolerable (as opposed to more painful CO2) Erbium lasers cause collagen rebuilding Downtime is minimal Low risk of infection Repeated sessions allow new collagen to form beneath the scars and around the... more
Rebecca Fitzgerald, MD

Los Angeles Dermatologist
+1

Pros and Cons of Laser resurfacing for Acne Scars?

Hi there- There are so many different devices out there now- your question comes up often. There are lasers that are VERY effective for resurfacing acne scars, but they aren't always the same ones that are best for wrinkles or for brown spots.... For acne scarring, the best outcomes I have seen have been with fractional CO2 (carbon dioxide) lasers. The carbon dioxide modality allows deep enough penetration (deeper than erbium) to produce significant improvement in the scarring, while the fractio more
Armando Soto, MD

Orlando Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is a broad category to describe because of the diversity of laser wavelengths and delivery patterns that can help. With respect to acne scarring, the answer depends on the severity of the scarring. The more severe the scarring, the stronger the tool to fix it needs to be. As others have noted, Fractional CO2 resurfacing, meaning a computer defined pattern treating a percentage of the skin with a CO2 laser, offers good results with less downtime than a traditional CO2... more
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

+1

Fractional CO2 Laser, a new gold standard for laser resurfacing for acne scarring and rejuvenation

Fractional CO2 Laser resurfacing has become the new gold standard for rejuvenation and acne scar revision as it involves relatively short recovery time. In the hands of an experienced board-certified dermatologist, the procedure also serves as a chemoprevention to minimize skin cancer in the treated area. The cons of the procedure may be prolonged post-treatment redness and pigmentation, particularly if the physician has not performed sufficient number of cases of your skin type.... more
William Ting, MD

Bay Area Dermatologic Surgeon

www.DrWilliamTing.com

+1

Laser Skin Resurfacing pros and cons

Pros 1. Effective 2. Quick Cons 1. Expensive 2. Risks of color change in the skin 3. Might need multiple treatments 4. Expensive Regards
Tanveer Janjua, MD

Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser Resurfacing options for acne scars

Without knowing the type of acne scars it's difficult to say whether laser resurfacing is correct for you or what the pros and cons are because there are so many types of laser resurfacing. For the right type of acne scars, the most positive aspect of laser resurfacing is that it could significantly improve the texture of the skin. The negative aspects of laser resurfacing can include high cost, long downtimes and potential negative side effects (depending on skin type). Your best option... more
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

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