About Fully Ablative Laser Resurfacing
Fully ablative laser resurfacing is the most effective treatment to erase signs of moderate to severe aging and photo damage. Its efficacy is unrivaled for removing wrinkles, tightening lax skin, improving textural abnormalities, and removing pigmentary abnormalities such as various sunspots and age spots. It can also be highly beneficial in the treatment of scars, precancerous skin lesions (actinic keratoses), and it can even decrease your future risk of developing skin cancer on your face and scalp. So, if you are looking to rejuvenate your look for an upcoming life milestone or special occasion, are seeking a fresh start after some recent life changes, or simply want to invest in yourself, fully ablative laser resurfacing is the only procedure that can help you look decades younger in a single treatment session.
What is fully ablative laser resurfacing?
Fully ablative laser resurfacing is performed with our CO2 or erbium lasers. The laser is used to evenly remove your epidermis, while also delivering heat to your dermis. This controlled delivery of laser energy to your skin provokes a wound healing response that leads to the remodeling of your collagen and extracellular matrix (the skin environment that surrounds your collagen), as well as brand new collagen production.
Am I a good candidate for fully ablative laser resurfacing?
Good candidates for fully ablative laser resurfacing are usually in their 4th decade of life or beyond and have moderate to severe signs of aging and sun damage in the form of skin laxity, deeply etched wrinkles, and unwanted pigment. Good candidates should also not have any problems with wound healing, immunosuppression, active skin cancer on the face or scalp, or autoimmune skin and connective tissue disease.
Is it possible for me to have other treatments on the same day as fully ablative laser resurfacing?
It is very common for our patients to combine fully ablative laser resurfacing with other treatments on the same day, in order to minimize recovery time for multiple procedures. Some treatments that our board certified dermatologists will frequently combine with fully ablative laser resurfacing include upper and lower blepharoplasty, intense pulsed light for facial redness, mole excision, non-ablative laser resurfacing for the neck and chest, acne scar treatments, laser rhinophyma repair, and others.
How often will I need fully ablative laser resurfacing?
With proper preventative and maintenance care of your skin following a single session of fully ablative laser resurfacing, most patients will never need to repeat this treatment again. Preventative and maintenance care following fully ablative laser resurfacing entails strict sun protection habits, a regimen of neuromodulators and soft tissue fillers and various other less aggressive laser treatments to maintain skin quality, and address minor issues such as unwanted pigment, vascularity, and textural issues as they arise.
How does fully ablative resurfacing decrease the future risk of skin cancer and precancerous spots?
In addition to the skin quality benefits described above, fully ablative laser resurfacing has been shown in numerous scientific studies to decrease the future risk of developing skin cancer and precancerous spots. Fully ablative laser resurfacing improves your immune system’s ability to surveil against skin cancer. It also promotes the death of cells that harbor the types of DNA changes that can lead to future skin cancer. Many patients who have dealt with skin cancer and precancer on their face and scalp will pursue fully ablative laser resurfacing for these medical benefits, in addition to its aesthetic benefits.
How long will I need to recover from fully ablative laser resurfacing?
Your face will recover from fully ablative laser resurfacing in around 7 days but may appear somewhat red for longer than that. Residual redness can be camouflaged with makeup, tinted sunscreen, or can in some cases be addressed with vascular laser treatments, after this initial week of healing. Because our board-certified dermatologists will always treat your neck and chest, in addition to your face, with a chemical peel or fractional non-ablative laser in order to provide you with a uniformly rejuvenated appearance, you will also need to plan for some recovery time for these areas as well. The skin on the neck and chest takes around 10-14 days to fully heal.
Why should I trust Gateway Aesthetic Institute and Laser Center to perform fully ablative laser resurfacing?
Our board-certified dermatologists at Gateway Aesthetic Institute and Laser Center have decades of experience performing fully ablative laser resurfacing with the most advanced CO2 and erbium lasers. There are very few practices in the country or the world who perform this treatment, and who have physicians who possess the knowledge, technical skill, and artistry required to achieve beautiful, natural looking results with it. As our photos attest, fully ablative laser resurfacing in the hands of our highly experienced board-certified dermatologists yields dramatic but natural appearing results that allow you to rejuvenate your authentic appearance and improve the health of your skin. And because fully ablative laser resurfacing is a highly efficacious treatment for those with a history of multiple skin cancers and precancerous spots on the face and scalp, you will be carefully examined by one of our board-certified dermatologists prior to treatment.