Have damaged alligator skin/lines on my hands and face, want to try CO2 laser. What do the doctors think? (photos)

Question

I want to try co2 on my hands as per understanding these are the only lasers that get rid of the damaged scale like skin, but want to know if going more gentle or aggressive with ablativeness is what causes the horror stories( hyper/hypopigmentation) scars..etc.... Also, if going more gentle is best route, how many treatments are usually required? Thanks

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Fractional CO2 laser is an excellent tool for skin rejuvenation in our center in Santa Monica. We use the fractional multi-depth ablative approach to help resurface the skin, recontour acne scars, improve incisional plastic surgery scars, and reduce surface irregularities from skin tone to dark pigmentation. Our approach utilizes a multi-depth approach that targets melanocytes in the epidermis and collagen fibroblasts in the dermis. This approach can be combined with a TCA Peel in a process known as a sapphire peel. Fractional laser is excellent for acne scars and contour scars in the skin. Patients are advised to undergo skin protocols with Melarase creams before and after treatment to help reduce pigmentation. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. After the laser, we expect redness for a few weeks as the skin improves. PRP and Hydrafacial enzyme facials can further improve skin quality after fractional co2.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

Laura Riehm, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and posting pictures.  No one has perfect skin, but you can probably get significant improvement in your skin texture.  After a complete consultation in a medical setting, you would probably be a candidate for a several treatment options depending on your skin type, severity of the poor texture and how much downtime you can take.  Keep in mind that more intense/deeper treatments require more downtime, but you will need less treatments.  If you choose a short downtime treatment plan, you will need more treatments in the series.  The most gentle would be something like the PicoSure FOCUS treatment with almost no downtime.  It is safe for all skin types, but you would probably need 2 to 4 treatments.  Another option would be a fractional 1540 nm laser treatment like ICON or Fraxel.  With these treatment you could have redness and swelling for 1 to 3 days, but need less treatments.  Based on your skin type, you may be a candidate for a fractional CO2 treatment with 7 days of redness and swelling.  Look for a medical setting with a doctor in house, where they have multiple laser options.  Best of luck.

Have damaged alligator skin/lines on my hands and face, want to try CO2 laser. What do the doctors think? (photos)

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Everything you need to know about CO2 Laser

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Have damaged alligator skin/lines on my hands and face, want to try CO2 laser. What do the doctors think? (photos)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about CO2 Laser

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.