Do Laser Treatments Really Work for Skin Tightening?

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

In our practice, we perform a non-surgical face lift / skin resurfacing treatment using Renuvion Helium Plasma Radiofrequency. ​To get the most improvement with skin tightening, we combine Renuvion (formerly J-Plasma) with lasers (Fraxel, Clear + Brilliant, CO2), microneedling/PRP, Ultherapy and InMode FaceTite. I suggest getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer​​​​

People often look to lasers as a magical tool that will create skin tightening without any significant down time.  Simply put, if you feel nothing and you get no down time, expect minimal results if any.  More intense lasers, Fraxel do create some skin tightening but the down time is also more extensive.  Surgery is most effective for skin tightening but the trade off is scars.  In the hands of a skill Plastic Surgeon, scars can be well hidden so that they become a non-issue

There are several laser skin resurfacing devices that have some skin tightening results. The lasers in general do not have significant visible tightening but correct the skin’s sun damaged skin. The Deka Dot laser is a fractionated ablative C02 laser that tightenings skin and clears topical sun damage. Redlight therapy does not tighenskin to an appreciative degree.

One of the newest laser treatments I offer at my office is the 3-D Laser. It requires no pain and no downtime, with great results. It tightens, firms and lifts the skin. I usually recommend three treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart for best results. The Red light therapy activates collagen production to improve the visible signs of aging, to restore glowing, healthy-looking skin but isn't as effective as laser treatments when it comes to tightening of the skin.