Which is Best for Skin Tightening, Pro-fractional by Sciton or Erbium Micro Laser Peel?

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

You will get a nicer result by having BOTH procedures done at the same time, but strictly speaking the ProFractional treatment will shrink and tighten skin while Micro Laser Peel (MLP) will only remove superficial pigmentation, fine wrinkles and scaly areas.

The Micro Laser Peel is often used WITH a ProFractional because depending on the thickness of the superficial skin (10 microns to 40 microns) evaporated by it, it will remove and smooth superficial areas of roughness, pigmentation and fine wrinkles. A ProFractional treatment done after wards puts tiny wells whose depth depends on your Plastic surgeon's judgment (250 to 450 microns), with or without coagulation to bring about skin tightening. With the top superficial most layer of damaged skin smooth by the MLP and the tightening produced by the ProFractional you would get a much better result.

Peter A Aldea, MD 

Fractional laser resurfacing creates thousands of tiny “wells” through the top layers of skin, causing immediate contraction of existing collagen and formation of new collagen in the deeper layers of the skin. Because entire layers of skin are NOT removed, healing occurs quickly.  The depth of the fractional resurfacing is chosen depending on the severity of wrinkling and sun damage.  The deeper the resurfacing, the better the results, however that also means the longer the recovery period.  However, similar benefits can be gained by doing a series of more shallow fractional laser procedures to one deeper one.

Fractional erbium resurfacing is used for:


Moderate to Severe Sun Damage.

Moderate to Severe Acne Scars

Fine Lines and Wrinkles

Vertical Lip Lines

Surgical and Accident Scars

Stretch Marks

Melasma Reduction (usually requires a combination of treatments with other modalities)

Uneven Texture

Skin Quality Improvement


Micro Laser Peel is a controlled minimal to full epidermal laser peel that precisely removes the outermost layers of the skin, improving fine wrinkles, sun damage and skin texture.

MicroLaserPeels work for:


Sun Damage

Fine Wrinkles

Mild Scars

Age SpotsPigment irregularities

Your best option is to have both done.  Think about laser resurfacing and the ProFractional treatments in yard maintenance terms.  The MLP (micro laser peel) is like mowing your yard.  It removes the top layer of dead skin allowing the new healthier skin to surface.  Where as the ProFractional is like aerating the yard.  The laser takes out columns/plugs of skin deep into the dermis allowing the skin to shrink down and tighten.  Anytime heat is applied to the skin you start a cascade effect of new collagen growth.  By doing both treatments together, you will not only brighten and tighten superficially but also stimulate a more robust collagen production deep in the dermal level. 

Most physicians will have access to both procedures since they come together as a module in the Sciton Platform of lasers.  Adding one to the other only adds a little more treatment time and a few extra days of healing.   So I always recommend to my patients to do both at the same time and price it so that it is appealing.  Ultimately you will get better overall results. 

Hi.

We have had great success with Sciton laser for wrinkle correction, removal of dark spots, and skin tightening.  But be prepared for a few days of recovery.