I have deep vertical lines around my lips. Will CO2 take care of this?

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

laser, fillers, microneedling/PRP all do well for the lips.  I suggest you see an expert for a combination treatment to get best results.  Dr. Emer.

Medium depth vertical lip lines can often be near resolved with CO2 laser treatment.  However when really deep vertical lines occur then a deep CO2 laser can make substantial improvement but in this instance supplemental treatment with filler such as juvederm or fat will provide best results.

In my practice, often times I like to use a combination of laser resurfacing and fat grafting in order to improve the lines around the mouth. Of course, it all depends on the appearance and depth of the wrinkles/lines, so a face to face consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon is always recommended.

Carbon dioxide lasers can be very helpful for perioral lines.  It is important to note though that lines around the mouth also come from the loss of bone in the upper and lower jaw bones as well as loss of muscle tone in addition to the skin.  The skin is what we see, but this is a 3 dimensional issue and not just a skin issue so laser and fillers in combination will help restore the skin texture and volume respectively.   Please be advised that not all carbon dioxide lasers and not all providers are created equal. A
superpulsed or ideally an ultrapulsed
carbon dioxide laser is what you should consider. Make sure you do
your homework on the providers in your area to make sure they have
experience in dealing with lasers and fillers to make sure you end up with the
optimal results.

Short answer - yes. Co2 is the best laser for this, however one has to be super careful not to give you a 'milk mo', namely post laser hypo pigmentation. Blending in the surrounding areas are equally as important. I use a combination of erbium and Co2 to treat this area. More in the short video link below All the bestDr Davin Lim Laser and aesthetic dermatologistBrisbane, Australia.