Can someone give me the names of fully ablative lasers?

Question

After all the research I have done I still don't know what laser is fully ablative C02 laser? I thought Lumenis deepFX is but then I read it is fractional laser.

Mark Hamilton, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. The main wavelengths used for fully ablative laser resurfacing are CO2 laser and Erbium. For CO2 laser Lumenis is the most commonly used device, but the active fx and deep fx technologies are actually fractional applications. That said, by altering the settings, your physician can use the active fx in a fully ablative mode.Hope that helps!

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

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

David Gilpin, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  The 2 types of ablative lasers are typically a CO2 laser and an erbium laser.  At the term "ablative" means that the laser is removing a very thin skin layer of the skin, which is what promotes the rejuvenation and smooths the moderate and fine lines of the skin.  A non-fractional ablative laser will remove this thin layer of skin where ever the laser is used.  A fractional laser, in contrast, ablates the skin in a pattern, and in small points leaving nontreated skin as well.  Therefore, the laser is only treating a 'fraction' of skin with each pass.  The advantage of a fractionated laser, is that the downtime is usually less than its non-fractionated counter-part.I would consult with a board certified facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who has experience with resurfacing lasers for an in-person consultation.  Here you will be able to discuss your goals for the procedure. I hope that this helps!-David Gilpin

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Saphire.  "Fully ablative" is what we would describe as "full field", meaning we can resurface 100% of the surface of the skin, vs. a portion of the skin.  When we resurface a portion of the skin, it is called fractional laser resurfacing.  We do not own the Lumenis Deep Fx, but on our laser resurfacing device, the Sciton Profractional, we can use full field (100%) or fractional (5% - 22%).  With fractional, we also use multiple passes to increase the overall % of skin resurfaced.  We wonder what you are considering with full field resurfacing.  Using the full field is an older methodology because the risks are higher, the recovery longer, and requires general anesthesia for deep full field.  It is also not used on darker skin types.  All of these were factors that influenced the development of fractional laser resurfacing.  Fractional can be used for all skin types (at least erbium fractional) and can go deeper with less downtime because we don't treat 100% of the skin.

J. Marshall Green, III, DDS · Answer

Hello, 
  Thank you for your question and I'll do my best to answer it here. Ablative simply menas that the tissue is being removed or destroyed. This can be the case with either CO2 or Er:Yag laser resurfacing. CO2 creates a charing effect while tightening collagen with heat deposition and Er:Yag use results in straight vaporization of the tissue. Certain Er:Yag Lasers like Sciton allow for heat to be "dialed in" but never result in the immediate skin tightening effects of the C02 laser. Now when it comes to the term "Fully Ablative" this usually refers to the amount of skin being ablated through the density setting. When I use the term fully ablative in my practice I am referrring to Active Fx lasering of 80mj or more and a density of 6 on the lumenis ultrapulse. This means full coverage of the face with a high desnity pass at relatively high power. Both the laser power and density can be adjusted to provide a lighter resufacing with less down time. I do hope that clarifies things and doesnt just add to your confusion. There are lots of variables but with the right settings and use by an experienced provider you can have phenominal results with CO2 laser resufacing. Other than facelift surgery laser resurfacing often results in some of the most dramatic results I see in my practice. Hope that helps! 
Sincerely,
  Dr G

Can someone give me the names of fully ablative lasers?

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Can someone give me the names of fully ablative lasers?

Answers (10)

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