Would you use erbium for skin tightening?

Erbium is great for improving the quality of skin.  It removes pigment and fine lines.  It softens deep lines.  Makes the skin look great.  It gives a little tightening, most noted around the eyelids.  It is as close to a magic wand for skin improvement as we have.  However, it is not the same as a face lift to tighten skin.

Fractional laser is an amazing and highly effective treatment in our office. We use the laser treatment to help with acne scars, large pores, fine wrinkles, tissue collagen loss, scars, sebaceous hyperplasia, active acne, and for brightening dark pigmentation. Although there are very strong fractional lasers such as CO2 laser, we use lighter treatments for corrective skincare and maintenance of results. Our Thulium fractional laser, clear and brilliant laser, and Ultra Thulium laser are excellent options in our clinic. We also perform CO2 fractional and erbium depending on skin tone and tolerance for downtime. Patients do have to use a Melarase cream before and after treatment to help further reduce pigmentation after laser. Dark spots can improve with these treatments. I recommend fractional laser for incisional scars as well, especially after plastic surgery.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

The erbium is a good laser for improving the skin's texture. For great results with texture and tightening, I combine lasers with microneedling/prp, Sculptra for collagen building, rf treatments like venus legacy or thermage and ultherapy. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer

Hello L.  Most patients when they mention "skin tightening' actually mean "skin lifting".  This will not happen with an Erbium.  Erbium and CO2 resurfacing are very close to each other in result and both can help make the skin firmer, refreshed and have a better texture (wrinkles, acne scars).  But if you are looking for lifting of the neck or face, you should consider surgical procedures.  To see examples of Erbium laser resurfacing, you can visit the link below.

Though capable of producing some thermal skin tightening effect the erbium laser is mostly great for resurfacing and rejuvenation of the skin or mucosal membranes. However, it is an unmatched tool in perioral wrinkles reduction

I've used the Erbium lasers since they first came out over 20 years ago.  I love them for many things but they don't give a tremendous amount of skin tightening in my opinion.  I have seen some nice results with tightening in limited areas like the lower eyelids, probably because the skin is thinner, but a full face erbium is not going to give you "facelift" like tightening.

Lasers don't penetrate into the deep dermal layers enough to cause skin tightening . They work well for surface issues such as wrinkles , acne scars and discoloration but not for skin tightening . Look for other treatment options to see a clinical difference 

Answer to whether erbium tightens skin is yes - and no. Erbium lasers (I prefer the Sciton) are amazing for removal of pigment, lines and wrinkles (especially perioral lines) and I use almost daily to tighten lower eyelid skin. What it wont do is tighten skin to achieve a facelift type result. Best advice is to go for a few consults with different specialties ant get opinions and post some photos on realself so we know what your are trying to achieve.

I have used the Co2 and Erbium and neither of these machines provide as good a result as the new Cool Helium Plasma. The wrinkles are literally eradicated. Results are amazing.

Hi there, Thank you for the question. Without a picture, or knowing your age, or skin type,  it would be difficult to determine the ideal skin tightening procedure for you. There are a variety of treatment options that can achieve skin tightening. C02 is the most invasive treatment where the skin is ablated and new healthier (and tighter) skin cells are produced on the treated area over the course a few months. Erbium is a less invasive option, however multiple treatments may be required to achieve substantially improved results. Erbium is an ideal choice for those who aren't able to commit to the necessary downtime required for C02 treatments. Other options include Ultherapy, which uses radio frequency to tighten and lift the skin. Furthermore, Fotona lasers can also produce impressive skin tightening results with their advanced dual wavelength technology. A consultation with a board certified cosmetic plastic surgeon would be the first step in receiving a customized treatment program catered to your specific concerns.