Smartskin C02 or DeepFX or TotalFX?

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

Thank you for
your question Discobaby. Fractional
CO2 laser resurfacing is an outstanding treatment that can address multiple
aspects of aging in a single treatment. There are many different laser device brands available and most of them work well. It is more important to find the right provider. Look for experience, before and after photographs, and testimonials. Please
consult with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!

I have had the privilege of working with both of these lasers in question and each are excellent CO2 lasers. Personally, I own the Lumenis Ultrapulse CO2 laser (DeepFx and TotalFx). It is much more powerful than the smartskin. However, power does not equate to good results. I believe, as previously mentioned, the experience of the practitioner is a bigger key to success over the specific brand of laser.  You will get a much better result if you see a qualified physician that is comfortable with the machine they are using. In the end, I would ask to review pictures of their results and discuss with your selected physician what modalities would be best to meet your goals.

All of the devices you have mentioned are capable of achieving the results you seek. That said, your result is not solely dependent upon the technology involved. In large part, your result is reliant upon  the skill of your medical provider and their knowledge of the device they are using - the appropriate settings, including spot spacing (pitch), power, dwell time/pulse duration - dictate how much of the skin is ablated during your treatment. Adjustment of these settings can make your treatment more aggressive or less aggressive with results that are either more subtle or more obvious, after a single treatment. In addition, your provider must take into account your skin type on the Fitzpatrick scale in order to avoid complications such as hypo or hyper-pigmentation post-treatment. 
We use the SmartSkin CO2 laser in our practice and have done so for years with hundreds of successful outcomes. That said, I believe that the DeepFX and TotalFX can offer comparable results if preformed by an experienced medical provider. In the end, choose the provider you trust to give you the best results, not the device. Good luck!