Skin Resurfacing

Precise Computerized Erbium laser skin resurfacing is a very exact procedure.  It is designed to precisely remove superficial and moderately deep and deep lines, imperfections, scars, pigments and wrinkles on the face, neck and virtually all parts of the body.  The laser is used for the treatment of aging, pigmented, pitted, scarred and sun-damaged skin.  It provides a safe, more accurate and less painful method of restoring a softer, smoother, more evenly toned, less scarred, and more youthful-appearing skin.  It usually removes scarring caused by prior acne, chickenpox, trauma, and surgery.  It has been described as the sensation of a rubber band fells against the skin.  You may request a mild sedative to help you relax prior to or during the procedure if you feel this is necessary.  We usually use a substantial combination of topical anesthetic to make your procedure much more comfortable.  Cold, topical anesthetic and sedation work great to reduce pain during the procedure.  We additionally blow frozen air across the skin to numb the area and decrease pain or discomfort.  Procedures take approximately ½ to 4 hours depending on what you are having done.

The laser works great by exactly hitting the frequency of water in the cells of the targeted area.  When the energy from the laser hits the water, within the cell of the skin the cell fractures from the inside out.  It changes the liquid water to plasma. Remember solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. This allows for much safer, predictable, precise, and effective treatment of specifically removing the damaged or scarred cells.  The exact regulation of the intensity of the beam precisely determines the depth of laser penetration into the skin.  The precision of the computer delivers an adjustable overlapping pattern of penetration, which is perfectly flat to evenly remove the damaged cells and tissue.  This allows for an even surface of new and healthy tissue growth.  The result is evenly smooth skin with minimal treatments needed with the luxury of having the procedure performed in the doctor's office and being home the same day.

This procedure produces less heating and burning of healthy surrounding tissues than other light energy used for resurfacing.  It is much more exact and precise than any hand held laser without computer alignment.  Therefore, your results are much better.  It does not have the unpredictability of chemical peels.  You do not have the possibility of an allergic or significant reaction to the vast variety of chemicals used in chemical peels.  There are many units that are measured cooling unit that first cools the skin and then, immediately re-cools the skin to remove heat from the surface of the skin.  This stops further damage to good healthy tissue re-growth.  Other methods are less powerful and unable to go as deep as necessary.  Most importantly, the precise pattern of our laser never misses and its overlapping pattern is adjusted perfect, first time, and every time.  This is the gold standard of resurfacings and scar removal. Your skin will be smoother and softer.  No other light energy we know of does this so precisely with such perfection and with such an advanced important cooling.  If the heat is not removed instantaneously from the surgical site, the heat can often damage the new, exposed skin below defeating the purpose of the treatment.  Our units are equipped with a vacuum micron filter to keep the area sterile and free from any harmful DNA/viruses that could be passed to both you and our staff.  We vacuum and filter off all smoke and debris for your protection.

The laser is capable of specific depth penetration of the skin in micrometers.  Redness and edema may be seen for about 6-10 hours following a very superficial treatment.  However, side effects from a much deeper penetration could last anywhere from 2-3 days and rarely up to 7-10 days with a complete very deep resurfacing because of severe major imperfections depending on depth of laser penetration and the patient problems and response.  Precise skin resurfacing with using solid, mirrored, reflective armature results in less post-procedure redness, less swelling, and provides an obviously much more rapid and even healing process that with any other skin resurfacing methods available today.  In most cases, patients are recovered and back to normal activities within 1-6 days depending on the depth of penetration.  The results are startling and very pleasing and are a fountain of youth to your face and skin.  Your baby skin deep down is re-growing for a new youthful appearance.

Results do vary specifically with each individual.  Multiple treatments may be necessary over time, but most patients usually only need one treatment.  Results should be evaluated one week and again at 3-4 weeks after treatment by the physician.  Complete total benefits and results are significantly seen in a few days and vast improvement in weeks, but rarely could it possibly take several months to see 100% maturity of all the skin that will last for years and years.

There are newer techniques of drilling holes in the skin to remove imperfections, and doing it again and again and again. They are done because the down time is about a day.  However, Erbium results are in short superior.  The drilling of the holes does leave debris in the skin and it heals over this.  The Erbium removes it all.  The results are truly dramatic and fantastic.         

John Drew Laurusonis

Doctors Medical Center 

www.doctorsmedicalctr.com