Laser for facial rejuvenation is one of the most popular treatments among patients who are looking for a way to look younger. Laser treatments can be performed on their own or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures, including Botox and fillers. Lasers work by breaking up collagen and elastin, which are the proteins that give skin its elasticity. When these proteins are destroyed, they can’t repair themselves as quickly as they normally would, so the skin loses some of its ability to bounce back from injury or trauma (such as sun damage). This leads to visible signs of aging like wrinkles and sagging skin.
The good news is that lasers can reverse these effects by stimulating collagen production and causing it to build up in areas where it was destroyed by the laser’s energy beam. In this way, laser treatments can help improve skin tone and elasticity while reducing signs of aging such as fine lines or wrinkles.
Read on to learn more about Laser For Facial Rejuvenation, Types Of Laser Treatments For Face and Facial Laser Rejuvenation Procedure
Laser For Facial Rejuvenation
If aging, acne, or too much time in the sun has left your face with blotches, scars, wrinkles, or lines, laser skin resurfacing may help your skin look younger and healthier.
Laser skin resurfacing removes skin layer by layer with precision. The new skin cells that form during healing give the skin a tighter, younger looking surface. The procedure can be done alone or with other cosmetic surgeries on the face.
Preparing for Laser Resurfacing
Start by consulting a plastic surgeon or dermatologist to find out if you’re a good candidate.
Tell your doctor if you get cold sores or fever blisters around your mouth. Laser skin resurfacing can trigger breakouts in people who are at risk.
If you decide to go ahead with laser skin resurfacing, your doctor will ask you to not take any medications or supplements — such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or vitamin E — that can affect clotting for 10 days before surgery.
If you smoke, you should stop for two weeks before and after the procedure. Smoking can prolong healing.
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic medication beforehand to prevent bacterial infections and also an antiviral medication if you are prone to cold sores or fever blisters.
What to Expect During and After the Procedure
Laser resurfacing is done by a plastic surgeon or dermatologist. It’s an outpatient procedure, meaning you’ll not have to stay overnight.
The doctor may treat wrinkles around your eyes, mouth, or forehead individually or treat your entire face. For small areas, the doctor will numb the areas to be treated with a local anesthetic and may also sedate you. You may require general anesthesia if your whole face is being treated.
Treating just parts of the face takes about 30 to 45 minutes. A full-face treatment takes up to two hours.
Following the laser procedure, the doctor will bandage the treated areas. After 24 hours, you will need to clean the treated areas four to five times a day and then apply an ointment such as petroleum jelly to prevent scabs from forming.
Swelling after laser skin resurfacing is normal. Your doctor may prescribe steroids to manage swelling around your eyes. Sleeping on an extra pillow at night can also ease swelling.
You may feel itching or stinging for 12 to 72 hours after the procedure. Five to seven days after laser resurfacing, your skin will become dry and peel.
Depending on the problem that was treated, healing typically takes 10 to 21 days. Once the skin heals, you can wear oil-free makeup to minimize redness, which usually fades in two to three months.
You will also probably notice that your skin is lighter for a while after surgery. It is particularly important that you use a “broad-spectrum” sunscreen, which screens ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A rays, to protect your skin during that time. When selecting a sunscreen, look for one specially formulated for use on the face with a 7% (or higher) zinc oxide content and a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Limit your time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and wear protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts, pants, and a wide-brimmed hat.Reapply your sunscreen every two hours when you are out, and more often if you are sweating or swimming.
It is also important to keep your new skin well moisturized. If you use Retin A or glycolic acid products, you should be able to start using them again after about six weeks or when the doctor says you can.
Benefits and Risks of Laser Resurfacing
Although skin resurfacing cannot produce perfect skin, it can improve the appearance of your skin. Potential risks of the procedure include:
- Burns or other injuries from the laser’s heat
- Scarring
- Changes in the skin’s pigmentation, including areas of darker or lighter skin
- Reactivating herpes cold sores
- Bacterial infection
Cost of Laser Skin Resurfacing
The average cost for laser skin resurfacing was about $2509 for ablative and $1445 for non-ablative laser skin resurfacing in 2020, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. However, costs vary widely depending on where the procedure is being done.
Because laser skin resurfacing is considered a cosmetic procedure, most medical insurance companies will not cover it. There may be an exception if you get the procedure to modify scars or remove precancerous growths on your skin.
Talk with your doctor and your insurance company before the procedure about what the costs will be and what, if anything, insurance will pay for. Most doctors offer financing options.
Types Of Laser Treatments For Face
What do skincare and James Bond have in common? Besides being timeless, both know how to handle close encounters with lasers. Strike that. Skincare might handle lasers far more adeptly than 007.
Laser skin treatments are one of the many types of facials that an help reduce fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and acne. Lasers can also brighten skin tone, smooth skin texture, and restore elasticity and plumpness to your face.
This guide will cover how lasers work when it comes to skincare, types of laser treatment for the face, and the best way to enhance the effects of any laser treatment.
How Do Laser Treatments Work? A Crash Course in Lasers
A little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to figuring out which laser treatment will be right for you.
What Exactly Is A Laser?
The answer to this question lies in the word itself. “Laser” is an acronym:
Light
Amplification by
Stimulated
Emission of
Radiation
To really understand what a laser does, let’s take a trip back to science class and understand light.
All light travels in waves, and the distance between each wave’s peak is called a wavelength. The light we see each glowing from lightbulbs or shining on our skin as we lounge by the pool contains a mix of different light colors, and each color has its own wavelength. For example, red light has a longer wavelength than blue light. All of these different wavelengths together create a “white” or neutral light—this is the light we see from the sun and our light bulbs.
Think of each light color like a different instrument, each playing a song at their own tempo. Kind of noisy and unfocused, but is it music? In the general sense, sure—this is natural light.
A laser is technically a light, but it’s a little different than our day-to-day light sources. Lasers produce light of similar wavelengths, creating a narrow beam of concentrated light. These artificially created lights are like a brass band playing the same tune at the same tempo—focused, precise, and powerful 1.
What is a Laser Facial Procedure?
Lasers and skincare are a match made in dermatological heaven. Lasers permeate through the layers of skin to help promote collagen and elastin growth. Did you know that collagen production starts to decline around age 25, and continues on this downward trend, picking up steam in women after menopause? This is why many women have turned to laser treatments.
The more collagen your cells produce, the better your skin looks.
How Do Laser Treatments Work?
Different lasers do different things, but they all work in a similar way. The intensely focused light supports old, damaged skin on a cellular level. From there, the laser heats and damages the deeper layers of the skin. But don’t worry, this damage is actually a fantastic thing. Lasers force your body’s skin systems to go into an ultra-healing mode. When the skin cells are damaged by a laser, your body responds by producing rejuvenating collagen. Therefore, this laser therapy works to improve your skin texture and the overall appearance of any skin type.
After your recovery time is up, your skin will be smoother, brighter, more even, and firmer—especially if you’re prepping and caring for your skin using our Regenerating Skin Nectar with TriHex Technology®. Recommended by dermatologists everywhere, this incredible formula directly supports your cell’s collagen and elastin production, speeds recovery time and makes your laser treatment results last even longer.
Ablative, Non-Ablative, and Fractional Lasers
Two words you’ll hear when learning more about laser therapy treatments are “ablative” and “non-ablative.” Understanding the difference can help you determine which laser skin treatment is right for you 2 .
- Ablative – An ablative laser is more invasive than a non-ablative laser. This laser wounds the skin by removing the outer layer of the skin—the epidermis—while heating and slightly damaging the deeper skin layers. This promotes a huge increase in your body’s collagen and elastin production and will leave skin feeling smoother and tighter.
- Non-Ablative – A non-ablative laser is much less invasive than an ablative laser. Instead of damaging the skin’s surface, it heats the mid and lower levels of skin. However, both procedures result in increased collagen production, and rejuvenated skin
The main differences between these two? Invasiveness, recovery, and results.
An ablative laser treatment is more invasive which means the recovery time can be longer. Non-ablative lasers are less invasive, meaning the recovery time is typically shorter.
While non-ablative procedures are less invasive, the results are not as great as ablative. Ablative procedures require only one or two sessions to achieve maximum results. Meanwhile, you may need between four to six non-ablative treatments to get the same effects.
But ablative and non-ablative lasers do have one thing in common—both types of lasers can also be fractional lasers.
- Fractional Lasers – Think of fractional lasers like a meat tenderizer. The impact zone where you tenderize your meat isn’t a smooth surface like the head of a hammer. It actually looks like a grid. Now imagine pressing the tenderizer into a cut of meat—it leaves indents where the meat made contact with the tenderizer, and places where the meat is untouched from the spaces on the tenderizer’s gridded surface.
Now imagine your meat tenderizer was made of focused artificial light and boom—that’s a fractional laser. Fractional lasers direct heat and energy to sections of the skin’s structures in a grid-like pattern. Rather than producing one concentrated beam of laser skin resurfacing light, fractional lasers target microscopic sections, leaving many skin structures intact.
Fractional lasers help to reduce recovery time, give the skin specialist more control over the treatment. Bonus? Aesthetic practices offer fractional varieties of both ablative and non-ablative lasers.
Top 5 Types of Laser Treatments for Face Concerns
Now that you’ve mastered the nuances of lasers and have become a veritable 007 of skincare, here are the 5 most popular laser treatments for your face 3 :
#1 Ablative Fractional CO2 Lasers
Ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing promotes collagen production and tighter, firmer, smoother skin by removing columns of skin cells throughout the layers of the face, neck, and chest. This powerful laser treatment targets:
- Dull skin
- Fine lines and moderate to deep wrinkles
- Age spots
- Acne scars and other shallow scars
- Skin laxity
Ablative fractional C02 lasers are extremely effective, yet invasive—that means this ablative laser resurfacing treatment has a longer recovery time of up to two weeks.
#2 Pulsed-Dye Lasers
This non-ablative laser procedure heats and partially damages the skin layers beneath the epidermis—the topmost layers of skin. As a result, the skin heals, leaving behind even skin tone and texture. Pulsed-dye lasers work especially well with combatting pigmentation problems. Pulsed-dye lasers are known to do the following:
- Decrease redness
- Reduce hyperpigmentation
- Cut down on broken capillaries and rosacea
Since this procedure is non-ablative, the recovery time takes anywhere from a few days to just about a week. This laser therapy is still going to give damaged skin a rejuvenated appearance with the added benefit of less recovery time than its invasive counterpart, an ablative laser treatment.
#3 Non-Ablative Fractional Lasers
All the power of a fractional laser with the “gentleness” of a non-ablative laser, non-ablative fractional lasers are elegant skincare solutions. By heating and slightly damaging just the deeper layers of skin, your body’s collagen growth will increase and the older, dryer, and less attractive skin cells will be cleared away.
Non-ablative fractional lasers can:
- Brighten skin tone
- Smooth out fine lines and wrinkles
- Lighten dark spots
- Reduce the appearance of scars
Recovery time for this laser treatment is short and sweet, about one to three days. However, for optimal results, you’ll need to return for additional skin resurfacing treatments.
#4 Erbium Laser Treatment
Erbium lasers promote collagen growth and natural skin remodeling. They can be ablative or non-ablative, making them a great choice for your first treatment. You might consider erbium laser treatments if your skin concerns or skin condition includes the following:
- Fine lines
- Wrinkles
- Loose skin
- Dark spots
Recovery time for this treatment depends on whether your specialist recommends an ablative or non-ablative laser. An ablative erbium laser treatment will take longer time for your skin to recover, a non-ablative erbium laser treatment will take less.
#5 Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
Though technically not a laser, IPL treatment uses the power of light to bring youthfulness to your skin. In a process referred to as “photo rejuvenation,” IPL specialists use a broad spectrum of light wavelengths to target your skin’s problem areas. This non-invasive (and non-ablative) is especially good for treating the following conditions:
- Redness
- Spider veins
- Hyperpigmentation
- Uneven skin tone
- Fine lines
Because skin isn’t damaged during this process, IPL has almost zero recovery time.
ALASTIN: Helping You Get the Most Out of Your Laser Treatment
Every laser treatment for face concerns gets you closer to revealing your most beautiful and radiant skin. No matter which procedure you choose, you’re on your way to rejuvenation. Understanding how to take care of your face after a laser treatment as well as before a treatment can make the difference between great skin and gorgeous skin.
Preparing your skin before your procedure is similar to clearing your garden of weeds, fertilizing and preparing the soil, before planting your new garden. Helping your skin start clearing out damaged collagen and elastin before the laser procedure will make way for all the great new healthy collagen and elastin you are about to create after the procedure.
Make the most of your laser treatment with our Procedure Enhancement System utilizing patented TriHex Technology®. These unique formulas are backed by science and specifically engineered to help prepare the skin for laser treatments and help reduce the time it takes to recover.
Skincare treatments have taken huge strides in variety and effectiveness. Luckily, we have all the information you need on different procedures both ablative and non-ablative. With the help of ALASTIN, you’ll be on track to healthier and happier skin!
Facial Laser Rejuvenation Procedure
If you’re starting to notice age spots, deep wrinkles or a bit of sagging skin on your face, your seeing the effect of structural changes associated with skin damage and aging.
Have you ever wondered why your butt cheeks are smoother and generally unblemished while your face becomes dull and has wrinkles and age spots?
That’s because over time your skin suffers NOT ONLY the effects of aging, but also the effects of the environment on your skin. Particularly, the sun.
Other factors that contribute to skin health are good nutrition, hormone balance and of course, a skin care regimen.
The Science of Skin Care
There have been great advancements in skin care, but the fountain of youth is yet to be discovered. Scientist have uncovered enough data, however, that helps understand how the skin regenerates and what causes it to structurally change.
We won’t go into the scientific details in this article. Suffice is to say, there are things we can do to prevent and repair skin damage.
So let’s get to it. If you’re serious about preventing and restoring a smooth, spotless, youthful glow to your skin, below are a list of things you can do:
Avoid things that damage your skin
Remember, as we age, the ability of our skin to regenerate and heal from damage is compromised. Taking steps to reduce or eliminate things that damage it is imperative for healthy looking skin.
Some of these may be obvious, but a reminder may be due…
- Smoking and second hand smoke
- Excessive sun exposure like sunbathing during the day will take a toll on your skin over time
- Swimming in chlorinated pool
- Wearing too much makeup or sleeping with makeup
- Picking at your skin – don’t do it!
- Long hot showers and steam rooms
- Consuming too much salt
- Waxing too often
- Exfoliating too often
- Squinting and frowning
- Stress
- Sugars
- Dry cleaned clothes
- Too much alcohol
- Avoid chemicals directly on your skin (i.e. cleaning, grease, etc.)
Did you know that many creams, lotions and cosmetic products use harmful chemicals already banned in European countries? Avoid them at all cost!
Develop a plan to protect your skin
Protecting your skin from the inside out has proven to be an effective strategy to prolong a youthful complexion. The goal is to do things the help the skin regenerate and protect it from further harm.
- Apply sunscreen
- Wear clothing that provide UV protection
- Drink sufficient water
- Use skin moisturizers
- Get enough sleep
- Use lip balm
- Use clean sheets and pillow cases
- Exercise (sweat)
- Wear clinically proven healthy makeup
- Eat a balanced diet
- Take supplements if you suffer from any nutritional deficiency
Get professional help
Visit an experienced aesthetician, aesthetics doctor or dermatologist to help you RESTORE your skin’s healthy appearance. Professional help will allow you to get the most dramatic improvement for your specific type of skin.
Remember, your skin does not become dull, dry, wrinkled or spotted overnight.
Understanding the advantages professional help provides can help you get the results you want more effectively, in less time, and often times more affordably.
Experience Matters
Knowing what to look for is imperative to prescribing the right treatment. Getting the results you desire take experience and know how. If you’re fortunate to have a medical doctor assess your skin, he or she can also make recommendations based on your health history or condition.
Treatment Options
Your skin rejuvenation professional will recommend a wide range of options, including facials and treatments for specific concerns and will know which services are best improve the condition of your skin. For example, a hyper-allergenic solution for oily skin suffering from blackheads / whiteheads.
Advancements in Technology
Some skin damage cannot be treated at home. Age spots and scars for example, take specialized devices to treat the damaged area. These conditions may require laser, IPL technology or micro-needling to solve.
Skin Care Products
Most aesthetic or dermatology offices offer skin care products, including makeup, that are safe and effective for your skin type. You can often take advantage of a free consultation and demonstrations.
Remember, not all skin types respond the same to treatments. That’s why having a medical doctor as your aesthetic professional is of great advantage in that he or she is able to better diagnose skin issues affected by health conditions or medications.
Additionally, only a medical doctor can prescribe pain medication should you receive a treatment that is uncomfortable.
As you know, there are plenty of resources online to help improve your skin’s health. Try them with caution since some of these anti-aging treatments may cause allergic reaction or are simply ineffective for your skin type.
As in exercising or cooking, a professional can expedite the progress you make by providing the know how to do it effectively. Same thing occurs when attempting to restore a healthy glow to your skin.