Laser Skin Treatments for Wrinkles

Fighting off the telltale signs of aging skin, like fine lines and wrinkles? Skin laser treatments can renew your complexion, often with little down time and cumulative results.

When even prescription-strength wrinkle creams, like topical tretinoin (Renova and Retin A), aren’t strong enough to smooth out the wrinkles and fine lines of aging skin, it might be time to consider Plan B — doctor’s office procedures that use high-tech laser therapies to resurface skin.

Already in demand, lasers are growing in popularity because they can be well controlled by the practitioners administering them. Unlike chemical peels that burn off skin layers or dermabrasion that sands them off, lasers either vaporize (ablative treatments) or heat (non-ablative treatments) skin layers. Using heat causes the tissues to tighten and stimulates collagen production, and collagen makes the skin firmer and thicker.

Three Types of Skin Lasers

There are three primary types of skin laser treatments, each resulting in a different degree of smoothing with a corresponding amount of recovery time:

• Non-ablative rejuvenation. The most gentle of the three skin laser approaches, non-ablative (or non-wound creating) skin lasers work the best on early-stage fine lines and wrinkles. A non-ablative procedure typically requires no recovery time; it also produces the least dramatic results.
• Fractional rejuvenation. A step up from non-ablative skin layering, fractional procedures provides somewhat deeper rejuvenation, so more noticeable wrinkle reduction can be achieved, with a somewhat longer recovery time. Patients who don’t want to deal with the risks and recovery time of ablative laser resurfacing but who want their aging skin tightened often opt for fractional rejuvenation. Technology advances in fractional skin lasers and the demand for low-risk procedures are giving rise to a growing interest in this level of laser work.
• Ablative resurfacing. After surgical procedures, ablative laser resurfacing is the most invasive procedure for the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. The heat from the laser actually causes a visible wound on the skin, so recovery time is required; this can last two to three weeks. This procedure works well for patients with deep wrinkles and extensive sun damage.

Skin Laser Treatment Pros, Cons, and Other Considerations

The best part about using skin lasers to treat wrinkles is that, aside from the ablative procedures, laser treatments generally require little to no recovery time. Some patients report a noticeable decrease in wrinkles after just one treatment, but most require a series of treatments over four to six months, during which time gradual changes occur.

Another upside to the gentleness of these treatments is that side effects are very rare and, when they do occur, they are usually mild. There may be some swelling or soreness, but the most commonly seen side effect is redness around the treated area; usually, makeup can be applied immediately after treatment to help hide it. People who undergo skin-tightening laser treatments need to wear sunscreen on the treated area.

Due to skin laser treatments’ non-invasive nature, skin resurfacing candidates should not expect the same rejuvenation that can be achieved with more radical procedures. And for most patients, results from non-ablative skin laser treatments for wrinkles will only last for about one year or so.

Costs for skin laser treatments for wrinkles vary widely depending on the doctor, and insurance policies typically do not cover wrinkle-reduction procedures because they are elective.

If a skin laser treatment is within your budget and you understand the limitations of the procedure you select, smoother, fresher skin can be in your future.

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Scar Removal: Are Lasers the total Answer?

A scar is an unpleasant reminder of a healthy body process, created when your skin repairs a wound caused by an accident, infection, inflammation, or surgery. Scars vary in shape and size. They may start out red and thick and fade over time, or turn flat, sunken, or lumpy — leading you to wonder about cosmetic procedures to eliminate them.

These days, skin laser technology has advanced to the point where much can be done to treat scars. Laser scar removal or reduction is a common procedure performed in a dermatologist’s office or at a skin laser clinic. With a laser, scars can be lessened significantly and possibly erased, depending on their severity. There are three main types of skin laser treatments available:

• Laser resurfacing, sometimes referred to as “ablative” laser resurfacing
• Fractionated laser resurfacing
• Non-ablative laser resurfacing

Laser Resurfacing

In this treatment, dermatologists use a high-powered laser to remove the top layer of skin that has been scarred. The laser also penetrates to the skin's middle layers, tightening and smoothing the skin.

Laser resurfacing is performed on an outpatient basis in a doctor's office or skin laser clinic, and usually takes one to two hours. Goggles protect your eyes from the laser's bright light during the procedure, and you’ll be given a local anesthetic for the pain and twilight sedation — you’re not “out,” but you are sedated. The dermatologist will run the laser, which resembles a handheld wand, over the scar to remove the damaged skin cells. Each pass of the wand will remove more cells.

There are two types of lasers used for skin resurfacing, each with their own pros and cons:

• CO2 laser is a powerful laser that penetrates deeply into the skin and is better at removing thicker and deeper scars. As a consequence, recovery time is long, usually about two weeks. The procedure also can be painful.
• Erbium: YAG laser is less powerful than the CO2 laser and is most often used to treat shallow scars. You’ll need less anesthetic and sedation when you undergo laser scar removal with this laser, and your recovery time is faster, about a week.

Skin laser resurfacing can be expensive, starting at around $2,700 to treat just one portion of the face.

Fractionated Laser Resurfacing

This precise laser therapy uses tiny beams of light that penetrate deeply into the skin. The result is dozens or even hundreds of microscopic holes where skin cells have been removed, surrounded by healthy skin. The holes help break down old skin cells while stimulating collagen production within the deeper skin layers. The surrounding healthy skin helps to quickly heal the damage done by the laser therapy, resulting in fresh, new skin cells.

Topical anesthetic will prevent pain. This therapy is much less invasive and requires little to no recovery time — it also doesn't produce the same amount of skin improvement as full-fledged laser resurfacing. Patients usually experience redness or minor swelling that fades within a few days. You’re likely to need three to five treatments, spaced out at least a week apart. While some improvement will be seen immediately, you will have to wait a few months to get the real results of the treatment. A full-face treatment runs about $1,500, so if you are having a specific area of skin treated you can expect to pay less than that.

Non-Ablative Laser Resurfacing

Dermatologists use infrared skin lasers to heat the inner layers of the skin while leaving the surface untouched. This promotes collagen production and creation of fresh new skin cells that will replace the scars’ damaged cells. The pro for this procedure is the time involved. It does not require the recovery time needed following laser skin resurfacing and also takes less time in the doctor's office, 15 to 30 minutes for each treatment.

As for the cons, the procedure can be somewhat painful, but while the laser is operating, it releases a cooling spray to prevent damage to your surface skin. Also, because the healing is taking place deep inside your skin, it can be months before you see results. Four to six treatments may be required to receive the full benefit of the therapy, with each one costing $400 to $600.

The type of skin laser treatment that will be most effective for you depends on the type of scar you have. A consultation with a doctor experienced in laser scar removal will determine the best strategy

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