Laser Skin Resurfacing Reimagined

Laser skin resurfacing is not a new treatment. It has been conducted for many years. The process has achieved outstanding results but has historically been viewed as an aggressive and potentially risky treatment. When we look at the original process of CO2 laser resurfacing, this may be relatively accurate. The early process of ablating the uppermost layers of the skin needed to be performed using general anesthesia. Patients would look red for months and would spend the first weeks of recovery following very strict skincare protocols. If this is how you imagine laser skin resurfacing, you may be turned off by the very thought of it. Let’s reimagine something new.

In our St. Louis office, patients can address the signs of aging and sun damage with the new gold-standard of skin resurfacing, fractional CO2 laser treatment. We perform this procedure with the eCO2 device. This platform has been designed to be highly effective while also gentle in its stimulation of tissue regeneration. The eCO2 offers improved comfort compared to traditional CO2 lasers because it fractionates the single laser beam into many. This creates “dots” of microinjury on the skin that heal very quickly, but not before they instigate profound collagen proliferation.

The gradual improvements achieved with eCO2 fractional laser resurfacing include:

• Reduction of acne scars, fine lines, and sun damage
• Improved skin tone and texture
• Collagen stimulation the firms and softens the skin
• May treat pre-cancerous skin lesions

Because many of the signs of aging are made worse by sun exposure, fractional laser skin resurfacing is often performed on visible places on the body. Common treatment areas include the:

• Face
• Neck
• Chest
• Arms
• Hands

Fractional laser skin resurfacing is not without side effects. However, they are much subtler than those associated with traditional laser resurfacing because only a portion of the skin is treated. After the procedure, the skin will be red and may look slightly swollen. Patients may need topical or oral medication to manage comfort for a few days. Within the first week, though, improvements begin to appear. These continue to increase for up to nine months as the skin is infused with healthy new collagen.

Aging skin cannot be stopped but it can be supported. For more information on fractional laser skin resurfacing, call our St. Louis office at 314-567-3567.