Now that we see the sun less and daytime hours are shorter, we possess a great window of opportunity to reclaim our youthful looking appearance through laser skin resurfacing. Laser resurfacing is a proven and safe way to dramatically improve your skin’s appearance by reducing wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, uneven pigmentation, red moles, scars, and other blemishes as well as tighten skin and balance tone.
Because laser-treated skin is extra sensitive to sun exposure, fall or winter months are perfect times to schedule the treatment when daytime hours are shorter.
Laser skin resurfacing, also known as a laser peel, can be focused to treat a specific area of concern on the face or the entire face and neck (and even the hands and body). The two main types of lasers that Dr. Hamilton utilizes for skin resurfacing are the CO2 laser (Lumenis Ultrapulse, Active FX, Deep FX) and the Erbium (Sciton TLR, HALO and Pearl). Erbium and fractional lasers offer the ability to treat the skin with less concern about long term loss of pigment (hypopigmentation). Full field CO2 laser resurfacing provides the most dramatic results, but with a long recovery and possible loss of some skin color (hypopigmentation). For those with deep wrinkles who are done with the sun, regularly wear make-up and want to see a dramatic improvement in their skin, CO2 remains Dr. Hamilton’s first choice.
The entire face or just specific areas may be treated. The result is smoother, more youthful looking skin and more rejuvenated look.
Dr. Mark Hamilton, M.D., F.A.C.S., and his team will talk with you about your individual goals, evaluate your skin and determine which laser resurfacing option is best for you. Each laser resurfacing option has its own set of unique benefits by skin type along with how many sessions may be needed and varying recovery times.
During the laser resurfacing treatment, Dr. Hamilton will pass an activated laser over the skin until the wrinkle or other imperfection has been made less visible. After the treatment, some skin irritation may occur in the form of redness, swelling, itchiness or feeling tender. However, this is normally short lived and should not last more than a day. Simply treat the skin irritation like you would sunburn and keep it moisturized.
Once the treatment is complete, skin irregularities will be significantly less noticeable, and results are long lasting.
Regardless of what time of year you have your laser procedure, wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen daily and reapply as needed. This not only helps to keep your results looking their best and your skin rejuvenated, it also provides protection against skin cancer and helps prevent additional premature aging.
Interested to learn more about laser resurfacing? Ask us about a treatment personalized just for you and call us in Indianapolis/Carmel at 317-614-0639 or in Greenwood at 317-210-4339.