Overview of Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatment

There are many cosmetic procedures available nowadays to  "rejuvenate" skin including chemical peeling, mechanical dermabrasion, wrinkle relaxers and wrinkle fillers. Laser Skin resurfacing is a brilliant way of rejuvenating and tightening skin when used appropriately.

Laser Skin resurfacing can achieve excellent and dramatic results; often it is used in conjunction with other surgical procedures to give the best outcome.

Recent technological advances have enabled the use of the powerful carbon-dioxide (CO2) lasers (which have a wavelength of 10,600 nanometres) to deliver char-free ablation (i.e. free of scarring and pigmentation) by moving the high powered focused beam rapidly by a microprocessor controlled opticomechanical device, and hence enabling a short exposure time at each position. Erbium: YAG lasers have also become available for laser skin resurfacing. They have a wavelength of 2940 nanometres, and very short pulses deliver the bursts of energy.

The laser delivers a very precise pulse of energy to remove the outer skin wrinkle layer and to permit a regrowth of healthy skin with better alignment of collagen fibres. The cosmetic Laser skin  treatment can be applied to specific regions, such as under the eyes or the upper lip, or to the entire face. The new generation carbon dioxide cosmetic skin lasers are the most effective and the most reliable. The erbium cosmetic laser provides a faster recovery for both epithelialisation (renewal), and post-operative erythema (redness) but does not provide consistent effective result.

In the three to six months following the operation, the remodelling of collagen (structural protein of skin) will continue, and hence the process of skin rejuvenation is on going.