Question:
What type of laser skin resurfacing do you offer? I want a procedure with the least down time but the most cosmetic effect (of course!).
Answer:
We offer a range of laser procedures and they can be adjusted to provide more or less improvement and of course more or less recovery time. Unfortunately recovery time usually dictates result. We also offer a range of chemical peels ranging from very superficial to medium depth. Our lightest laser treatment is IPL which is useful to treat redness and some age related pigmentation, but does not do much of anything for fine lines and wrinkles.
The erbium whisper laser is the next step up. It will treat texture, pigment and some fine lines. It has about 3 to 5 days of redness associated with the recovery, however it can be covered with makeup. It usually requires a series 3-4 treatments for the best results.
Fraxel re:store is a fractionated erbium laser. It performs a little better than either IPL or the Whisper, but has a little more discomfort associated with the treatment and a little more intense down-time. Significant swelling is present for 2 days and redness for 5 days, however makeup can be worn immediately. Again a series of 3-4 treatments is recommended.
The most intense laser we offer is the Matrix fractionated CO2 laser. This laser can be adjusted to treat less or more tissue. At the lower settings there is about 3-5 days of recovery with ointment on the face and at the higher settings this is increased to 8-10 days. As stated originally however this laser has the most recovery, but also the most improvement.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
