The following post was written by Dr. Jim English
Within the cosmetic surgery realm, there are new technologies that present themselves for clinical use almost on a daily basis. Whether located in a bottle or used by a surgeon as a medical device to bring about a desired outcome, these new innovations, by necessity, need to be vetted.
One of the devices that has come to the market place in recent years is the fractionated carbon dioxide laser. Relying on the gold standard of laser therapy for over three decades, the carbon dioxide laser device has established itself as “the work horse” for facial rejuvenation. The only change with the newer machines is in their delivery system. Instead of ablative, they are non-ablative. The difference is whether the entire surface of the skin is removed as with ablation or if only a fraction of the skin is removed as with non-ablation (such as the design on a chess board). However, pros and cons do exist as with all procedures.
An ablative carbon dioxide laser treats photo-damaged skin as well as moderately deep wrinkles. The recovery time for this treatment is measured in weeks and/or months. The non-ablative laser is best for photo damaged skin and the finest of lines and this procedure’s recovery is measured in days. As for complications, the chance of complications from the ablative procedures can be fairly common place while the non-ablative ones are prone to only a few, if any.
How does the laser procedure work? Under a local anesthetic, the laser is set to certain parameters that are specifically designed for your needs. At our clinic, a surgeon administers the treatment over a period of several minutes. As the laser beam strikes the skin’s surface, it burrows tiny little holes into the skin’s depth. This in effect creates an organic debris field that causes your body to have to clean up the disturbed elements within the substance of the skin itself. (Please forgive the analogy but a similar process can be envisioned after a natural disaster takes place in one of our communities and resources are mustered to clean up the problem. In most cases, the surrounding areas are newer and cleaner.) It is in this reparative process that the body rids itself of the damage imposed on it by long-term sun exposure and may tighten fine lines as well. Since the holes have normal, non-lased skin surrounding them, the healing process is quick and usually uneventful.
What does this all mean to you, the patient? If you have sun damaged skin with or without fine lines then this new technology is extremely effective. It is predictable, has limited down time, less problems long term and costs much less than the more invasive ablative procedures.
If you or a loved one has a need for more information on this latest technological advancement, please call us at your convenience at the English Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center at 1 800 390 3223.
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