Laser Resurfacing Results Vs. Downtime

Hi Diane,
1) Usually, the least down-time procedures involve minimal results but the arrival of the Fraxel Restore laser, has allowed people to have some redness, mild swelling and peeling with some bronzing for three to five days. Most people though, continue to do their normal routine. Fine lines, acne scars, uneven brown discoloration and texture and pores can improve with this technique. IPL light sources, are not lasers, and they can improve uneven discoloration but do not help scarring.



2) There is the best result in diminishing wrinkles and acne scars with laser ablation. Ablation refers to the removal of the top layer of skin leading into the dermis. Recovery can be 12 days and redness lasts for many months. The new Fraxel Repair uses this technology in a shape of many very fine diameter beams that minimally wound the skin. Healing is more rapid and gentle than the old fashioned laser ablation. Portrait plasma energy source can effectively treat wrinkles and scars and discoloration along with providing tightening.

Resurfacing lasers can
help improve fine lines, shrink your pores, improve skin tone/pigmentation, and
tighten the skin. Depending on the area treated and type of laser used,
the downtime can range from a few days up to a week or 10 days.

These techniques improve fine wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, and general sun damage. They act by stripping away the superficial layers of the skin. New skin cells migrate to the treated areas and produce new, smooth, natural collagen.

Chemical peels such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA) can be applied to the entire face and neck (avoiding the eyelids). Dermabrasion uses a spinning wheel with a rough (diamond encrusted) surface to abrade the skin; this is especially good for the pitting of acne scars and vertical lines around the lips. Lasers can also be used to resurface facial and neck skin. It is effective in treating wrinkles, age spots, acne scars, and uneven pigmentation. The laser also causes a mild tightening effect on the facial skin.

These treatments result in redness and peeling of the skin for 5 to 10 days. There will also be some swelling. Most patients can return to work within 2 weeks. The pink color of the new skin may last for several months.

Dr. Wiener now also offers a new Laser Micro-Peel procedure that reduces post-procedure down-time by nearly 50%. Please contact the office for further information.

Usually “low” downtime results in poor long term results (downtime less than 3 days).  Longer downtime results in a more profound improvement.  The goals and the problem to address must be discussed first.  You may not need to have an aggressive treatment.  If you have lines present without moving your face, then an aggressive treatment is needed.  If your skin is dark, then an aggressive treatment may have a higher risk of pigmentation and scarring.  Lasers have options in settings which can be very mild to very aggressive.  The lasers to use are usually CO2, Erbium, or YSGG-Erbium glass, in the right hands. The involvement of a Board Certified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon experienced in lasers is a vital.*

An easy way to consider my response to these questions is that, generally speaking, the degree of effectiveness is proportional to the amount of down time. The more aggressive lasers, when more aggressive results are desired, generally have greater down time associated with them. I think of down time, as it relates to effectiveness, along a continuum. On that continuum, the least aggressive treatment with the least down time would be a series of light chemical peels designed to address minor skin blemishes, improve pore size, skin tone and texture using a “medium strength” peel – such as a trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel.

Then, moving into lasers with even greater effectiveness and proportional down time, “fractionated” resurfacing techniques generally are at the lower end of the scale for lasers with regard to associated effectiveness and down time. These treatments are fairly aggressive but with less down time than the truly ablative resurfacing laser procedures such as CO2 laser resurfacing or Erbium: YAG laser resurfacing. The treatment you choose has to be very specifically designed to address your unique concerns while allowing your recovery to stay within your available timeframe for down time.