Laser resurfacing

Laser resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is a technique used during laser surgery wherein molecular bonds are dissolved by laser. It is used for the treatment of wrinkles, solar lentigenes, sun damage, scars (see acne scar treatment), stretch marks, actinic keratosis and telangiectasias or "spider veins".

It can be combined with liposuction to remove excess fat from the chin and jaw area. The skin may be wrinkled after fat is removed and laser resurfacing can help tighten and smooth over the new contours.

Laser resurfacing is usually done with a 2940 nm Er:YAG laser or a 10,600 nm CO₂ laser. Complete resurfacing was first done with a CO₂ laser. More commonly now, laser resurfacing is done with a fractional laser. The term fractional pertains to the method in which the laser light is transferred. Tiny pinpoints of laser light are used to deliver the laser to the surface of the skin in only a fraction of the area. Several hundred or thousands of laser pinpoints may be used per square inch, leaving healthy skin in between the ablated areas, to allow more rapid healing and lower risk.

Skin resurfacing can also be performed with a plasma-based device instead of a laser. At least one manufacturer of such a plasma device^[who?] claims "It’s the only treatment proven to generate new skin, at the fundamental levels, for as long as a year after treatment".^[3] However these claims do not have supporting evidence published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, and have not been verified by any independently funded studies. Superiority to laser-based devices remains an open question.

Fractional photothermolysis (FP) is another form of laser treatment with several devices currently on the market. Some doctors claim FP provides similar results to CO₂ laser resurfacing without risk of scarring or significant downtime. As of January 2008, there are a number of papers referenced on PubMed which mostly support those claims.^{[citation needed]} Complications observed in a study of 961 treatments included acneiform eruptions (1.87%) and herpes simplex virus outbreaks (1.77%). Side effects and complications observed in this study were of a temporary nature.^[4] There have been, however, anecdotal negative accounts of bad scarring and hyperpigmentation without any findings of infection.^[5]

When compared to a chemical peel, dermabrasion or other forms of laser treatment, a laser allows the surgeon to customize the surgery not only for each patient but also to each area of the face.

CO₂ laser resurfacing has been shown to have an increased risk of hypopigmentation and scarring when compared to the erbium lasers. This is due to the high degree of coagulation and thus heat production that occurs as a nature of the CO₂ wavelength. Both Erbium and Co2 fractional systems have a better safety profile than lasers of the past.

Both Erbium and CO₂ are used to treat deep rhytides, sun damage and age spots. Through the heating of the deep dermis, fibroblasts are stimulated to form new collagen and elastin helping to bring increased turgor and thickness to the skin.