If you’ve thought about laser treatments to rejuvenate your facial skin by addressing sun damage and fine lines and wrinkles, you’ll quickly learn there are many options to choose from. You’ve probably researched CO2 and IPL laser treatments, and for good measure, maybe a few more.
Deciding on the correct treatment for your skin can become daunting. But it shouldn’t be challenging. With enough information from a medical professional, you should find the optimal solution to your cosmetic concern.
How Do Lasers Work?
First off, let’s explain what makes laser skin resurfacing effective. Lasers provide beams of high-powered energy, and the kind you choose should depend on your skin type and aesthetic goals. The laser energy stimulates various areas of the epidermis to trigger a reaction, like stimulating collagen, heating water molecules to tighten skin, removing damaged cells, and triggering a healing response. After a laser treatment, your skin can remodel itself to reverse the signs of aging, skin damage, scars, and discoloration. There are many laser treatments available – IPL and CO2 are among the most popular, but they work differently.
CO2 Laser Treatments
Laser skin resurfacing is an outstanding aesthetic therapy that rejuvenates your skin by minimizing the signs of aging, the effects of sun exposure, and many other skin issues. In addition, treatments are convenient and safe. This skin rejuvenation technology eliminates damaged tissue while energizing new skin cells and collagen production. The benefit is a fresh skin layer that is visibly healthier, smoother, and younger-looking.
Dr. Cooper uses the Lumenis UltraPulse Encore CO2 laser to resolve irregular skin. This treatment removes damaged skin one layer at a time. It’s an outpatient procedure lasting 30 minutes to an hour.
To begin, we thoroughly cleanse the facial skin. Next, we may administer a local anesthetic for a comfortable experience or give you a sedative to relax. This ablative laser treatment removes old skin to expose a new layer. It increases collagen regeneration to support skin volume and erase deep wrinkles without incisions, sutures, or significant scarring.
Dr. Cooper can customize your UltraPulse Encore treatment to provide fast rejuvenation for more complex skin concerns. These modes include technology for patient comfort, less scarring, and skin treatments for various cosmetic issues, including pigmentation problems, benign growths, acne scarring, wrinkles, and deep lines. In addition, this CO2 laser technology does not affect adjacent tissues to ensure the best results.
IPL Treatments
Intense pulsed light is a treatment designed to help reduce cosmetic skin issues, including sunspots, melasma, broken capillaries, and brown spots. IPL can also help address the consequences of aging skin, like age spots, fine lines, and wrinkles.
IPL employs pulsed light therapy to resolve these skin irregularities. This technology flashes brief, powerful bursts of energy on targeted skin areas.
During the 30-minute session, we ask you to wear an eye mask to protect your eyes. We also apply a cool gel to the treatment sites. Intense pulsed light emits heat and promotes collagen production for a more youthful and glowing complexion. While IPL treatments are typically well-tolerated, many patients describe it as feeling light a snap from a rubber band.
Following your IPL treatment, your skin will experience redness like a mild sunburn, which should subside within a day or two. You should avoid direct sun exposure for the days following treatment to ensure optimal results.
Let’s Create the Best Version of You
To learn more about facial skin rejuvenation with lasers in a safe and stress-free environment, call board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Cooper at (561) 406-6574 or request a consultation today.