Skin Rejuvenation - Articles - Zimbio

Laser resurfacing fixes wrinkles, study finds

Tue, 23 Jul 2008 12:00:05 GMT

posted by venturist

Laser treatment can remove wrinkles better than some newer procedures, dermatologists reported on Monday.

Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: health laser wrinkles ageing dermatology

Source:Laser resurfacing fixes wrinkles, study finds

No Tags

Boston Laser Skin Care-What Laser Skin Treatments Can Do

Wed, 3 Apr 2008 13:21:54 GMT

posted by wianno168

Laser skin treatments are used for a wide variety of skin conditions. (Contact Dr Seckel)

The most common laser skin treatment or laser skin care procedure available today is laser hair removal but there are many other types of laser skin treatments available today. Laser skin rejuvenation is rapidly becoming the most common laser skin treatments in use today. With regard to the issue of concern to you, wrinkles, fine lines, crow’s feet and facial pigment I group the laser skin care procedures under the broad category of laser skin rejuvenation.

Laser skin treatments for laser skin rejuvenation is used in several different ways to rejuvenate the face and facial skin. Broadly these laser skin care treatments can be classified as follows:

1. Laser Skin Exfoliation or Laser Skin Peel – Lasers can be used to peel or exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin and smooth wrinkles and fine lines. Once the dead skin and surface of the wrinkles are removed by the laser peel, you see new shiny skin on the surface of your face. The skin can form new cells daily and deep laser exfoliation or laser skin peel is a very effective way to stimulate the production of new facial skin cells. Laser skin care for exfoliation or laser peel usually requires some down time for redness and healing because laser skin peel is an ablative laser procedure which means the dead skin cells and wrinkles are ablated or removed so that new skin cells can grow over the facial skin, The first exfoliative laser skin care procedure was laser resurfacing, a very deep laser skin peel, but the recovery time was very long and the skin was lightened, so laser resurfacing is only done today for very deep wrinkles and acne scars. More modern laser skin care for wrinkles and fine lines involves the use of fractional laser resurfacing with de-powered lasers that do not cause as deep a laser peel. Modern laser skin care for wrinkles uses new fractional laser resurfacing using the Lux1540 and Fraxel non-ablative lasers and the newer Lux2940 fractional erbium and Fraxel Repair CO2 lasers. Exfoliative laser skin care is used for treating acne scars as well as facial aging, fine lines and wrinkles and to remove pigment.

2. Laser Stimulation of New Collagen in The Deep Skin Layer, The Dermis – A major cause of wrinkles and acne scars is loss of collagen in the deep layer of the facial skin called the dermis. Sun damage kills the collagen in the dermis of the skin and when the collagen dies the skin loses volume and shrinks and the overlying outer surface of the skin you see wrinkles. This is similar to what happens to a nice plump plum which is dried in the sun, after the plum loses its inner water volume, the skin wrinkles and you have a prune. Laser skin care also describes laser skin procedures which can stimulate the production of new collagen to replace the damaged collagen and plump up the wrinkles and even acne scars in the skin. The laser skin peels do this by irritating the skin as the laser peel is done. The irritation causes inflammation of the skin and when the skin is inflamed the skin responds by forming new collagen. The newer laser skin care techniques are very effective at stimulation of new collagen formation even in the deeper portions of the dermis and are very effective at plumping acne scars and can improve wrinkles. Examples of laser skin care techniques for new collagen production for treatment of facial skin aging and acne scars are the fractional lasers the Lux1540 by Palomar, The fraxel by Reliant technology, and the ActiveFX laser skin peel by Lumenis.

Above-Before and after Lux1540 skin plumping treatment for acne scars

3. Laser Skin Treatment of Pigment and Facial Skin Photo-damage – The aging effects of the sun, called Photo damage, are not only dry skin and wrinkles but also pigment, called brown spots, sun spots, age spots, and “liver spots”. Laser skin care procedures are very effective at removing pigment and photo-damage. The ablative laser skin care procedures such as the laser peel and laser resurfacing strip away the pigment, but only the superficial pigment. Newer Fractional laser skin care treatments go deeper and can remove deep pigment with even less recovery time than the laser resurfacing laser skin rejuvenation treatments. Microlaserpeel, and ActiveFX are the laser skin peel treatments, and the Lux1540 and Fraxel are the non-ablative fractional laser skin care treatments for pigment. Today laser skin care for pigment removal is more often done with newer IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) or photo facial treatments. IPL or photo facial uses light energy not laser energy to remove pigment, and is a more gentle treatment with no down time.

Above-Before and after Lux Green IPL treatments remove pigment for Decolletage

4. Laser Skin Tightening – Laser skin care can tighten sagging facial skin but only minimally. All of the lasers mentioned above do tighten skin a bit becau7se when they stimulate new collagen production in the skin, the new collagen is tighter and the tighter collagen tightens the skin. This effect takes months after the laser skin care treatment and is not nearly as noticeable as a face lift. Newer and more effective skin tightening treatments are possible but not with laser skin care. The more effective skin tightening treatments are done with Infrared or Radiofrequency energy with machines called LuxIR, Titan, Aluma with Faces, Refirme, and Thermage.

Before and after LuxIR Deep skin tightening of neck

5. Laser skin treatment for Broken Blood Vessels, Red Spots and Rosacea on the Face – Photo-aging and sun damage also cause broken blood vessels to appear on the face. Laser skin care can remove broken blood vessels on the face and legs. Both the 532 and 1064 Yag lasers are useful for removal of broken blood vessels. However the newer IPL and Photo-facial treatments are very effective, produce less down time and are used more frequently today. The 1064 Yag laser is the choice for larger broken blood vessels and leg veins.

Above-Before and after leg vein removal with Lux 1064 Laser

6.Laser Hair Removal – Laser hair removal is the most commonly performed laser skin care procedure done today. There are many different laser skin care treatments for laser hair removal but I prefer the diode laser-I believe it is safer for darker skin types.

Above- Before and after hair removal with the LuxRed IPL

7.Laser Tattoo Removal – Laser skin care for tattoo removal was one of the first applications of laser skin care. There are many different lasers for tattoo removal and different laser wavelengths are chosen for the specific color of the tattoo to be removed. Laser tattoo removal takes many treatments over a long period of time, but is preferable to surgery which can leave scars.

I am sure there are other laser treatments that can be classified as laser skin care but the above are the most widely available and useful laser skin care treatments available today. As you can see the applications are very different for each type of laser so it is very important that the type of laser skin care be customized to fit the facial skin problem that you are trying to correct.

The MOST IMPORTANT THING is that you seek consultation with a board certified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon who is knowledgeable and specializes in laser skin care. There are many doctors, spas, and medi spas and medical spas that offer laser skin care without a board certified laser specialist in house, available to evaluate you and choose the right laser treatment for your unique face and skin. This is dangerous and not good medical care. Laser skin care if not done correctly by certified medical specialists can damage your skin. The State Medical Boards and legislatures are trying to establish guidelines and licensing regulations in many states but at this time in many states anyone can buy a laser and open a spa and offer laser skin care. Protect yourself and insist on seeing a board certified doctor for evaluation and recommendation of the laser skin care procedure that is best for your unique face and skin.

For more information on laser skin care, laser skin treatments, laser peel, laser skin rejuvenation, and non-surgical facial rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me,

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel,

978-369-4499

Boston, Massachusetts

Concord, Massachusetts

Face Lines, Cheek Lines, and Smile Lines-New Removal Techniques

Sun, 18 Feb 2008 18:53:03 GMT

posted by wianno168

Expecting a skin cream to remove face lines from your facial skin is like putting an aspirin on top of your head to cure a headache! (Contact Dr Seckel)

Above before and after CO2 laser resurfacing

Most face line or wrinkle removal creams cannot get into the face line to correct the skin damage that is causing the face line or wrinkle and thus achieve wrinkle removal. There are fabulous modern methods to remove face lines, smile lines and cheek lines available today but they do not come in a jar. Save yourself a lot of money, time and aggravation and read this article and learn what causes lines on your facial skin and how you can effectively remove skin wrinkles from your facial skin and rejuvenate your aging face and re-evaluate the wrinkle cure myth.

A Facial Skin Line or Wrinkle is A Surface Irregularity like a scratch on Your Facial Skin

A face line, smile line or cheek skin wrinkle is a surface irregularity. In an oversimplification (there are also folds around a skin wrinkle) it is an irregular depression in an otherwise smooth surface-like a scratch on a piece of wood. How do you perform wrinkle removal on a scratched piece of wood? One way is to sand the wood surrounding the scratch down to the level of the scratch which makes the surface smooth and wrinkle free again. This is an older method used for face line or skin wrinkle removal called dermabrasion, which is a fancy word for sanding your face, but dermabrasion is not used much anymore because it is a surgical face line or wrinkle removal procedure which requires healing, and dermabrasion for wrinkle removal can leave the skin white, thin and susceptible to injury, and the surrounding skin can be left a different color. Older CO2 laser resurfacing was very effective at removing face lines, cheek lines and smile lines, but long recovery and hypo pigmentation were common problems. Newer high tech fractional laser resurfacing skin peels and deep skin exfoliation techniques can be very effective at “sanding “the wrinkled face for face line, smile line and cheek line removal and removing face lines without damaging the surrounding skin. Most recently new fractional laser skin rejuvenation methods like Fraxel and Lux1540 erbium lasers have produced excellent results. (See Before and After Lux1540 Laser Treatment-Photo courtesy of Palomar and Dr. Dwight Scarborough)

A Face Line or Smile Line is also Caused by Volume Loss in the Dermis, The Deep Layer of The Skin and Loss of Elasticity

Think of a nice juicy plum with no wrinkles or lines, which is placed in the sun to dry. After time the nice juicy plumb becomes a dried wrinkled prune with deep lines. The plum loses its inner volume of water and the tissue volume becomes less and the plumb shrinks, the plum skin falls into wrinkles and becomes a wrinkled prune. To perform wrinkle removal on a prune you would have to restore the inner volume of the plum with water.

Our skin loses volume from the deeper layer, the dermis after years of collagen loss which is caused by the breakdown of collagen from damage by the ultraviolet rays of the sun and aging of the skin. As our deep skin layers loose collagen, the skin collapses onto the new depleted dermis and forms face lines, cheek lines and smile lines and skin wrinkles. Sun damage causes about 80% of the facial aging changes we see in the mirror. Wrinkle removal requires restoration of the volume loss caused by collagen loss in the deeper layer of the skin, the dermis.

In addition to volume loss, some of the damaged collagen in the deep layers of the dermis loses elasticity, so the skin also loosens, stretches and falls into folds which cause additional face lines, cheek lines, smile lines and wrinkles. Restoration of the skin elasticity is a very effective technique for removing face lines, smile lines and cheek lines.

Another potential method for removal of face lines, smile lines and cheek lines and facial wrinkles is to restore new volume to the dermis by adding new collagen. This method is the basis of many therapies designed to stimulate new collagen production to plump the skin for wrinkle removal. There are many examples including lasers, IPL or Photo facial, and other forms of light energy such as infrared and radiofrequency energy, all wrinkle removal methods which will be discussed below.

Modern effective face line removal requires:

1. Correction or removal of the facial line surface irregularity e.g. removal of damaged wrinkled skin surface to smooth the surface and,

2. Plumping the deep skin layers beneath the facial skin line by restoring the volume of collagen in the dermis and

3. Remodeling or tightening of dermal collagen of the facial skin to restore elasticity.

Deep skin exfoliation is the first step in any effective facial skin line removal and facial rejuvenation program. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and helps reduce skin wrinkles and face lines. Deep skin exfoliation is in a way like sanding the skin. The irritation caused by deep exfoliation also stimulates the dermis to make new collagen which helps with facial line removal by plumping the deeper dermal layer of the skin.

There are many excellent methods for deep skin exfoliation and laser removal of face lines, smile lines and cheek lines available today. Prescription Retinoids like Retin A have this effect in topical cream form. Microdermabrasion, skin peels with Glycolic and salicylic acid and Dermasound are excellent exfoliation methods done by aestheticians and skin care professionals. The most effective deep exfoliation methods are done by newer fractional laser skin resurfacing or rejuvenation techniques such as the Lux2940 Erbium Laser Skin Peel and the Microlaserpeel which provide deep laser skin exfoliation and face line removal, stimulation of new plumping collagen growth in the dermis, and also remodeling or tightening of the skin all in one treatment with minimal down time. These new effective wrinkle removal skin exfoliation techniques are step 1 of my 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program which is the most effective facial line or wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation program available today. (See Photo Below Before and After Lux2940 Laser Skin Peel)

Plumping the deep facial skin layer by stimulating new collagen production for removal 0f face lines, cheek lines and smile lines and modern facial rejuvenation.

The second essential step for modern facial skin line removal is to restore the deep collagen volume to the skin. This is like re hydrating a wrinkled prune to make it a nice firm juicy plum again. The collagen in the dermis or deep layer of the skin is produced by a cell called the fibroblast when the skin is irritated or inflamed. This is a normal response of the skin to injury. Thus new effective methods for facial line removal gently injure the skin so that the skin will respond by producing fibroblasts which will produce new collagen which will plump the skin and help remove the facial line. This collagen producing skin injury can be caused by irritation by a skin cream like Retin A, repeated deep skin exfoliation techniques, and more commonly today by heating the deeper dermal skin layers with a laser or other form of heat produced by light energy such as IPL-Intense Pulsed Light-also called photo facial, and specially designed non-ablative fractional laser facial line removal lasers like Fraxel and the Lux2940 by Palomar.

New sophisticated fractional non-ablative lasers and IPL have specially designed cooling devices placed on the skin before the laser or other light heating device is turned on so that the collagen stimulating heat gets down into the dermis to heat the tissues and stimulate new collagen production by the fibroblasts to promote wrinkle removal without burning the overlying skin surface. This minimizes down time since a burn would cause the skin to peel and turn red. These newer collagen stimulating facial line removal facial rejuvenation therapies are called non-ablative laser and light therapies because the superficial skin is not injured or peeled-that is the skin is not ablated or removed. These new skin plumping, new collagen forming, non-ablative laser and light facial line removal therapies do work, with no down time and minimal pinkness of the skin, but face line removal using these methods takes time. There are many lasers, like Lux1540, Fraxel, and Affirm, and numerous IPL’s like Starlux by Palomar, Lume One by Lumenis, and Sciton BBL to choose from. There are many others. The wrinkle plumping new collagen production is step 2 of my 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program.

After a treatment it takes 6 weeks for the fibroblasts in the dermis to start making new skin plumping collagen for face line removal and this process goes on for many months. Expect at least 4-6 months to see beneficial visible skin plumping and face line removal from these high tech laser and light therapies, but the good thing is that you are forming new collagen in your skin, which should last if you take care of your skin, eat healthy, and use sun block.

Remodeling or tightening of dermal collagen to restore elasticity, remove face lines, cheek lines and smile lines, and rejuvenate your face.

The most recent new face line removal facial rejuvenation technology is the deep dermal collagen remodeling methods commonly referred to as “skin tightening” or non-ablative skin tightening. Skin tightening involves the same heat injury induced new collagen production used to plump the skin for face line removal, but the elastin collagen fibers which control skin elasticity and tightness reside in the deeper layers of the dermis. Thus new technology has been required to get heat deep into the dermis without damaging or ablating the overlying skin surface while heating the deep layers. This has required the development of very effective skin cooling devices and the employment of new types of skin heating energy, infrared and radiofrequency energy as opposed to laser and IPL Photo facial energy.

Infrared and radiofrequency energy have much different wavelengths and are able to penetrate the skin more deeply than lasers and IPL thus they can heat the much deeper layers of the dermis and injure the deep elastin containing layers to remodel elastin and collagen to plump and tighten the skin for wrinkle removal. These new machines have very powerful skin cooling mechanisms to prevent burn injury to the skin, and treatments produce only minimal redness and down time. Newer skin tightening devices are LuxIR by Palomar, Aluma by Lumenis, Thermage, Titan by Cutera, and Refirme by Syneron. Skin tightening is the 6^th and final step of my 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program.

Above Photo -Before and After LuxIR Skin Tightening-(Photo Courtesy of Palomar and Dr. Kenneth Rothaus)

From the above you can see that effective, modern facial skin line removal for facial rejuvenation is a complex scientifically sophisticated process and not something that can be achieved by a cream purchased over the counter or on the internet. Laser skin rejuvenation techniques have improved dramatically in the past few years and new laser skin peels provide effective wrinkle removal with faster recovery and less side effects.

For effective, modern wrinkle removal of face lines, cheek lines, and smile lines and facial rejuvenation you need the advice of an experienced board certified doctor, usually a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist to help you remove and prevent facial lines.

You need to be an informed consumer, there is so much misinformation on the topic of face line removal and facial rejuvenation and billions of dollars are spent each year on “wrinkle cures” that simply don’t work. If you have knowledge you have power, so educate yourself on what causes facial lines and what are the proven methods for effective face line removal and facial rejuvenation that are scientifically proven to work. An excellent place to start is by reading my book on facial rejuvenation entitled Save Your Face-The truth About Facial Aging Its Prevention and “Cure”. Also check the archives of my blogs “What’s New” and “Ask Dr Seckel” where you will find non-commercial unbiased discussions of most contemporary wrinkle removal, facial rejuvenation and facial aging topics, or contact me.

Dr Seckel

978-369-4499

Boston, Massachusetts

Concord, Massachusetts

Understanding Fraxel and Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing-The Revolutionary New Wrinkle and Acne Scar Treatments

Sat, 10 Feb 2008 18:34:28 GMT

posted by wianno168

If you are interested in skin rejuvenation and laser skin resurfacing you will be hearing a lot about Fraxel and Fractional laser Skin Resurfacing in the future. To better understand the significance of these new advances some technical knowledge of laser skin treatments and past laser skin care technology is important.

The photo above shows the result of a full face CO2 Laser Resurfacing for wrinkle removal done 10 years ago using the Ultrapulse CO2 laser, a revolutionary advance in 1995. While the wrinkle removal results were stunning, CO2 laser resurfacing created a “burn wound” that took months of recovery and after a year often left the skin white or hypo pigmented. Because of the prolonged recovery, the need for general anesthesia, and other side effects most people today do not choose to have this effective wrinkle removing procedure.

Over the past three years the concept of Fractional Skin Rejuvenation or fractional laser skin resurfacing has evolved. With Fractional Skin Rejuvenation the laser beam, an erbium laser beam, is broken up or fractionated into many small micro beams which are separated so that when they strike the skin surface small areas of the skin between the beams are not hit by the laser and left intact. (See Figure Below) The small areas treated by the fractional micro beams, called micro treatment zones, cause sufficient laser injury to promote new collagen production to replace collagen damaged by aging and sun exposure. Damage to collagen in the skin is a cause of skin wrinkles. The new collagen produced by the laser injury “plumps” skin wrinkles. The intact skin between the micro treatment zones allows for much more rapid healing-3-4 days as opposed to 2-3 weeks for the older CO2, and enough pigment cells are left intact that hypo pigmentation does not occur.

The diagram above shows the progression of laser skin rejuvenation technology from the older CO2 on the left to the newest fractional ablative lasers which have just come out. The Fraxel laser and the Lux 1540 are depicted in the 3^rd illustration under Non ablative fractional laser resurfacing.

Fractional Non Ablative Laser Resurfacing

To ablate means to “surgically remove”. The Fraxel and Lux1540 are non ablative lasers which mean that when the laser beam strikes the skin the skin is not removed immediately, rather the laser beam heats the skin to cause inflammation and new collagen production. The benefits of the Fraxel and Lux 1540 non ablative laser skin treatments are dramatically reduced recovery time, but the results in terms of wrinkle removal and skin tightening are less dramatic than with ablative lasers.

However, the new fractional lasers like Fraxel and the Lux 1540 are able to penetrate much deeper than traditional non fractional ablative lasers and we are discovering that deeper penetration of the laser produces a much more dramatic stimulation of new collagen formation which translates into a plumping effect on the skin. This is particularly useful in treating depressed acne scars. Another diagram which helps explain this is the diagrammatic representation of the Lux 1540 below.

In summary, the benefits of fractional non ablative laser skin treatments are:

Less down time- only pink skin for 1-2 days and a day or so of bronzing that can be covered with make up
Better new collagen production in the deeper skin layers causing skin plumping especially of acne scars
Fewer complications like hyper pigmentation (although with Fraxel there is a 15% incidence of hyper pigmentation (darkening of treated areas) especially in dark skinned people, but it is temporary.
Improvement in skin texture and possibly enlarged pores
Improvement in wrinkles (See Photos below of Lux 1540 Results)

Above-Before and after Lux1540 treatment-Photos courtesy of Palomar and Dr Dwight Scarborough

The Future-Fractional Ablative Laser Resurfacing

Recently several new fractional ablative lasers have been developed which have the benefits of fractional treatments, less down time and complications, as well as the benefits of ablative skin resurfacing, better wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation. Fractional ablative lasers are depicted in the last or 4^th picture in the first comparative fractional laser diagram above.

The fractional ablative lasers remove the tissue in the micro treatment zone rather than just heating it as is done with Fraxel and the Lux 1540. The benefit of ablation is that more sun damaged, wrinkled skin is removed than with Fraxel or the Lux 1540 and better wrinkle removal and skin surface smoothing and textural improvement is achieved. This however comes at the price of some recovery time, redness and pinkness for 4-6 days. The fractional ablative lasers however require much less recovery time than the traditional non fractional erbium and CO2 ablative lasers which required weeks of recovery. Reliant, the company that makes Fraxel has released a new CO2 fractional laser called the Repair, Lumenis has released a CO2 fractional ablative laser for Bridge Therapy, and Palomar has released the Lux 2940, an Erbium fractional ablative laser.

Impressive wrinkle removal and improvement in skin texture is achieved with the Lux 2940 fractional ablative laser (see Photo Below).

The first non ablative fractional laser on the market was the Fraxel. The Fraxel has been improved and many new improved fractional devices have been released since Fraxel appeared on the market three years ago. The field of laser skin rejuvenation is advancing rapidly and new technological breakthroughs occur frequently. The benefit to you is that better wrinkle removal results are possible with less down time and fewer potential side effects. The applications of fractional laser technology are expanding to other fields like skin tightening and eventually to fat and cellulite removal.

For further information on the skin rejuvenation and facial aging read Save Your Face or contact me. In my practice I use the new Lux 1540 Fractional Non ablative erbium laser for skin rejuvenation.

Be sure to sign up fro my free email newsletter to keep up on new developments.

Dr Seckel
978-369-4499

Concord, Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

Lux2940 Erbium Micro Fractional Ablative Laser Resurfacing – The Latest Non Surgical Wrinkle Removal and Facial Rejuvenation Technique

Sat, 17 Feb 2008 18:47:20 GMT

posted by wianno168

CO2 ablative laser resurfacing has been the “Gold Standard” for non surgical facial rejuvenation and removal of facial skin wrinkles and photo aging since 1995. CO2 ablative laser resurfacing using the Ultrapulse CO2 laser can achieve very significant facial rejuvenation including wrinkle removal, skin tightening and removal of pigment and photo aging skin changes.

However CO2 laser resurfacing has several limitations including a prolonged and difficult recovery period, often lasting three weeks, prolonged facial redness that can last three months, hypo pigmentation or lightening of skin color, and the potential for infection which can lead to scarring.

During the past three years new technology called fractional laser resurfacing has been developed which has dramatically shortened recovery time and lessened the occurrence of complications.

With Fractional laser resurfacing the laser beam is broken up or fractionated into many small micro beams which are separated so that when they strike the skin surface small areas of the skin between the beams are not hit by the laser and left intact. These small areas of untreated skin promote a much more rapid recovery and healing with less risk of complications. The small areas treated by the fractional micro beams, called micro treatment zones, cause sufficient laser injury to promote new collagen production and resultant facial skin rejuvenation.

The first fractional laser Fraxel and subsequently Lux1540 have produced excellent results treating acne scars and facial pigmentation and have improved skin texture and facial rejuvenation. They have not however achieved the same degree of wrinkle removal and skin tightening as the traditional ablative CO2 laser resurfacing technique. (See Below Before and After Lux1540 Fractional Laser-Photo Courtesy of Palomar and Dr. Dwight Scarborough)

To ablate means to “surgically remove”. The Fraxel and Lux1540 are non ablative lasers which mean that when the laser beam strikes the skin the skin is not removed immediately, rather the laser beam heats the skin to cause inflammation and new collagen production. The benefits of non ablative laser skin treatments are dramatically reduced recovery time, but the results in terms of wrinkle removal and skin tightening are much less dramatic.

The results achieved by ablative CO2 resurfacing are more significant because ablation removes damaged, aged skin as well as heating the deeper skin layers to promote new collagen production.

Recently several new micro fractional ablative lasers have been developed which have the benefits of fractional treatments, less down time and complications, as well as the benefits of ablative skin resurfacing, better wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation. The diagram below shows how this new technology works in comparison to previous laser methods.

The first on the left is traditional CO2 laser resurfacing. Next is ActiveFX which fractionally ablated the surface of the skin down to a depth of 70-100 microns. Next are the non ablative fractional technologies which heated but did not ablate the skin. More recently the Palomar Lux2940 fractional laser has been developed to provide fractional ablative laser resurfacing treatments that reach much deeper into the skin, 200 to 600 microns, and can produce much more effective wrinkle removal and skin rejuvenation with significantly less down time and recovery than traditional CO2 ablative laser resurfacing.

The photo below shows the wrinkle removal results achieved with Palomar’s new Lux2940 fractional resurfacing laser with 4-6 days of redness as compared to 3 weeks of down time and 3 months of redness with a traditional CO2 laser resurfacing.

The new Lux2940 fractional ablative laser resurfacing technique is a very exciting advance in the field of non surgical facial rejuvenation and wrinkle removal. Many new applications are being developed which will likely improve our ability to rejuvenate the skin and possibly improve scars, stretch marks, and remove pigment.

To learn more about non surgical facial rejuvenation, read Save Your Face or contact me.

Dr. Seckel

Concord, Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

978-369-4499