Is CO2 Laser good for 36 year old? (Photo)

Question

Ihave fine lines across my forehead and glabellar lines (11s and also tiny horizontal ones) and developing small fine lines at my nasolabial folds. I am Fitzpatrick I or II, have overall healthy skin, but I feel like the fine lines and texture of my skin isn't as good as it was when I was 28. Is CO2 laser a good option or something better. I don't mind a little bit of downtime as I can have up to 2 weeks to recover.

Nick Slenkovich, MD · Answer

Hello, my name is Lauren, and I’m the aesthetics injector at Colorado Plastic Surgery Center. The CO2 laser treatment is a highly effective option for addressing fine lines, wrinkles, and overall skin texture by removing layers of damaged skin and stimulating collagen production. If you’re looking for alternatives, Botox is also a great option. Botox is a treatment to relieve facial wrinkles, particularly in your areas on concern which are the forehead and between the eyes. That being said, it’s always best to have a consultation with a qualified professional who can evaluate your skin and recommend the best treatment based on your specific needs and goals.

Best of luck with your skin rejuvenation journey!

Best of luck with your skin rejuvenation journey!

Timothy M. Greco, MD, FACS · Answer

CO2 Laser is a good option for treating the static wrinkles of the face, brown spots, and tightening the skin. I would continue to use Botox for the dynamic wrinkles (wrinkles that show up with movement of the face).

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.  Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. 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

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

Ablative C02 laser treatments, much like aggressive dermabrasion treatments in the past work by aggressively taken off the surface of the skin. Besides being relatively expensive and engender significant post-treatment dowtime, they posed risks for infection and scarring and the potential for significant and prolonged post-treatment redness or hyperpigmentation. They also do not address the underlying movements of the muscles of facial expression that have led to the development of the unsightly, etched-in lines and creases in the fabric of the skin. On the other hand, Botox works by tamping the movement of the underlying muscles, hence getting to the root cause of the problem, and HA fillers can address the static lines, creases and folds that have already been caused. The other good news is that Botox takes only 1-7 days to take effect and filler results are typically seen immediately following treatment. Moreover, there is generally little to no significant downtime after either of these treatment. You would be wise to consult with a board certified cosmetic dermatologist. And one more word of caution; Don't go in to any consultation asking for some laser or RF gizmo treatment because to your later disappointment and frustration you will likely get what you ask for. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Anshul Gambhir, MD · Answer

Hi, thank you for your question! Yes, I would recommend CO2 laser for you to help with the fine lines and darker pigmentation. I would recommend a standard to mid depth CO2. If you have the downtime of 2 weeks I would recommend the mid depth. You may need to keep up with minor botox dosing after having the CO2 treatment just to maintain the fine lines.

Is CO2 Laser good for 36 year old? (Photo)

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