Wrinkles under eyes. Would CO2 laser tighten this up? (Photo)

Question

I've been told by 1 PS that I'm not a candidate for a skin pinch to remove these wrinkles under my eyes when I smile b/c there's not enough skin and that it's also not advisable to do skin pinch eyelid surgery so young- my age is 42. Would you agree? Would CO2 laser in this area tighten up the laxity enough for a much smoother result? Just wondering if there's anything to fix this or if I'll have to wait a few more years until it's worse so there is enough excess skin to correct. Thank you.

Kimberly Butterwick, MD · Answer

There are different ways to rejuvenate the delicate skin under the eyes, based on the specific concerns you would like to treat. In your case, a CO2 laser may be the perfect choice for addressing your lines and crepiness. This procedure effectively firms the skin to smooth away wrinkles, while creating a refreshed appearance overall. Improvements can be seen once the skin heals and will continue to improve in the weeks following treatment due to a boost in collagen production. Depending on the depth of the treatment and whether you decide to have a fractional or fully ablative CO2 laser, you will likely have about 1-2 weeks of recovery time, which might include skin flaking and peeling, redness, and some swelling. Results can be both dramatic and long-lasting. To ensure your procedure is effective and safe for the delicate skin and tissue, always work with an experienced, board-certified dermatologist and laser expert.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Fractional CO2 laser is an excellent tool for skin rejuvenation in our center in Santa Monica. We use the fractional multi-depth ablative approach to help resurface the skin, recontour acne scars, improve incisional plastic surgery scars, and reduce surface irregularities from skin tone to dark pigmentation. Our approach utilizes a multi-depth approach that targets melanocytes in the epidermis and collagen fibroblasts in the dermis. This approach can be combined with a TCA Peel in a process known as a sapphire peel. Fractional laser is excellent for acne scars and contour scars in the skin. Patients are advised to undergo skin protocols with Melarase creams before and after treatment to help reduce pigmentation. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. After the laser, we expect redness for a few weeks as the skin improves. PRP and Hydrafacial enzyme facials can further improve skin quality after fractional co2.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

The eye area needs significant combinations to get improvement. Lasers like erbium, co2, halo, profractional/contour, or Fraxel can all be used to build collagen long term. Plasma pen is a newer less invasive option but will take many treatments and require proper skincare. Plasma Pen is focused electrical plasma energy to tighten skin, producing small columns of energy just above the skin, allowing the skin to tighten to help improve wrinkles. This area will have 3-5 days of small “dots” that will then scab and peel, then the skin will tighter and brighter after. Numerous treatments are needed over lasers where only one or two give a bigger result, but more downtime. After plasma pen you NEED peels 2 weeks like later Cosmelan, enlighten or aerify, see emeragecosmetics (link). At home derma rolling should be started weekly even after plasma pen or lasers to further increase collagen, see emeragecosmetics AERIFY x anteagemd stem cell ampules. To properly heal you need light Stim red LED, EmerageSkin refit face, refit eye; AnteageMD serum, silagen silicone gel, jan Marini bioshield, EmerageSkin enzymatic polish, and EmerageSkin hyla b and AOX, and Sente dermal repair. Otherwise there is EXTREME risk of pigmentation issues and “dots” in the treatment area. at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and aerify along with dermarolling (AERIFY emerageskin roller with Anteage MD ampules) should be started now regardless for antiaging, sun damage, and wrinkle prevention. There are many things you can do to treat under eye hollows and dark circles. A surgical option to remove skin and/or fat will such as eyelid blepharoplasty with or without fat pad repositioning (if doing lower eyelid surgery) will be the best long term. There are many things you can do to treat under eye hollows and dark circles without surgery. Non invasive less downtime options such as fillers, lasers, microneedling/PRP, cosmelan peels, and microneedling RF like Fractora, PiXel8 or morpheus can all help give some improvement. Accutite can often be used or stronger lasers like erbium or co2 spot treatment can tighten the skin and give very quick improvement in wrinkles and texture. I suggest you get a formal consultation to see what is best for you and your goals. Best, Dr. Emer.

William Groff, DO · Answer

If your primary concern is lines and texture irregularities, CO2 laser resurfacing is a good option. This treatment treats the skin now and triggers the body to produce more collagen for long-lasting results. This is a delicate area to treat with a laser, so make sure you choose a board-certified dermatologist with expertise in this treatment to ensure an optimal outcome.

Patrick Flaharty, MD FAACS · Answer

There are several ways to address wrinkles under your eyes. A pinch technique can remove a small amount of redundant skin under the lash line improving the skin tone and reducing the wrinkles. A TCA peel can tighten up the mild wrinkles in the skin and the CO2 laser can shrink and tighten the lower eyelid skin more thoroughly. Which treatment is right for you can only be determined in a face to face consultation with a surgeon skilled in all three areas.

Wrinkles under eyes. Would CO2 laser tighten this up? (Photo)

Answers (5)

Answer: Treating lines and texture irregularities under the eye

Answer: Treating lines and texture irregularities under the eye

Answer: Wrinkles under the Eyes

Answer: Wrinkles under the Eyes

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Wrinkles under eyes. Would CO2 laser tighten this up? (Photo)

Answers (5)

Answer: Treating lines and texture irregularities under the eye

Answer: Treating lines and texture irregularities under the eye

Answer: Wrinkles under the Eyes

Answer: Wrinkles under the Eyes

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Everything you need to know about CO2 Laser

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.