Put Your Best Face Forward with CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing
- Posted on: Mar 21 2018
Some people say that you should always put your best foot forward. Here at Azul, we believe that you should always put your best FACE forward!
As we age, our reflection in the mirror starts to change. It isn’t just wrinkles or graying hair that makes us look older, it’s the texture and color of our skin. Unattractive sun spots can start to form, or we might develop uneven skin coloration, making the surface look worn and reddish. Thankfully, we have solutions for all these signs of aging. You can use advanced skincare products, like ours at Azul SkinHealth, to help rejuvenate your skin. But if the skin damage is severe, or you really want a rejuvenation that will quickly bring back the reflection you remember, you may want something a little more “oomph” – like CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing.
CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing is often the best cosmetic surgical option for severely sun-damaged skin. In Florida, especially, where we get an abundance of sun, exposure to UV rays can both damage and prematurely age the skin. CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing is a great way to get rid of this damaged skin so your body can replace it with smoother, more youthful skin.
CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing uses an ablative laser to literally remove the top layer of your skin. This includes any sun spots, scar tissue or other skin irregularities. The treatment also tightens the lower layers of your skin, helping to restore elasticity and to minimize wrinkles. Obviously, as removing the top layer of your skin is quite invasive, CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing is usually performed with twilight sedation and local anesthesia in the operating room. This allows for more comfort for the patient as we perform the procedure.
Is there a recovery period?
Unlike other forms of laser skin treatments, CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing is considered to be invasive cosmetic surgery, due to the layer of skin that is removed. Therefore, it does carry with it a more extensive recovery period than the non- or minimally invasive procedures.
Immediately after surgery, we use occlusive dressings to cover the skin for 3-4 days, which greatly reduces the discomfort and accelerates healing. The dressing is removed in the office. There is tightness, itching and burning during the first week of healing. A thick ointment is applied to the skin after the dressings are removed to keep the skin moist and reduce tightness and irritation. This tightness, burning and irritation subsides over the first few weeks and the skin heals, but your skin will remain tight, pink and sensitive for a few weeks after the procedure.
In general, this procedure has 7-10 days of downtime. While the improved skin texture and tone are apparent immediately, patients can expect the texture to continue to improve over the first 6 months as new collagen grows, building out a new layer of skin. The end result is absolutely worth it. It is not unusual for patients to see a 70-80% improvement in all facial lines and wrinkles.
Always wear sunscreen
When we think, “sun damage” we generally think “sunburn”. This is actually one of the classic scenarios of sun damage. The top layer of the skin prevents many of the UV rays from penetrating deeper into your tissue. This is why it is so important to use sunscreen when you go outside after a laser skin treatment, as your skin will be hypersensitive. After CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing, you will be compromising that first line of defense against the sun. In a perfect world, you should avoid the sun completely for around two weeks until your skin has healed, and even then you should be using an excellent sunblock that will protect your skin from any further damage. If you’re looking for great sun protection products, Azul SkinHealth can help you, with our Mineral Defense, Satin Eclipse and Ultra Natural sunscreens.
Other kinds of laser skin treatments
If you’re thinking, “Wow, CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing sounds great, but it might be a bit extreme for me right now…”, then we have some great alternatives for you.
Fraxel Laser Skin Rejuvenation is done with a non-ablative laser, meaning that the top layer of the skin isn’t removed. This treatment can be much easier on your skin, although it may not necessarily provide you with the same level of results as CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy is technically not a laser treatment at all, although it does use similar principles. Using light energy, we damage areas of high pigmentation under your skin, greatly reducing sun spots and broken capillaries. If you have very sensitive skin, this might be the treatment for you.
One of the reasons that we offer free consultations with Dr. Flaharty is so he can help you determine the best course of personalized treatment to get the level of rejuvenation you want. If you feel that lasers aren’t for you, we offer lots of other skin treatments that can help you improve the texture, tightness and general health of the skin. Microdermabrasion, or for example, utilize many of the same principles of laser treatments, but using the method of physically buffing away the skin. We offer a number of great skincare treatments in our Medical Spa, as well as both surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures that could greatly complement your new, youthful complexion. If you’d like to book an appointment, you can give us a call at (239) 415-7576, or please visit our website at www.azulbeauty.com for more information about CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing and other treatments.
Posted in: Procedures