Laser resurfacing or "laser peel," is when a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser is used to remove areas of damaged or wrinkled skin, layer by layer.

BEST CANDIDATES

Patients who want to minimize the appearance of fine lines, especially around the mouth and eyes.

Patients who want to improve facial scars.

Patients with uneven facial pigmentation.

The ideal patient for laser resurfacing has fair, healthy, non-oily skin. Patients with olive,
brown or black skin may be at increased risk for pigmentation changes.

PREPARING FOR SURGERY
Weeks prior to surgery , you will begin a pre-treatment plan, to prepare the skin for
laser resurfacing. Make arrangement for someone to drive you home and to help you out for a few days.

ANESTHESIA
Your surgery will be performed at an outpatient surgical facility. Local anesthesia with sedation is used when treating localized areas of the face. You'll be awake, but relaxed and you will not experience any discomfort. For more extensive resurfacing, general anesthesia is used, in which case you will sleep through the procedure.

THE SURGERY
Laser resurfacing is performed using a beam of laser energy which vaporizes the upper layers of damaged skin at specific and controlled levels of penetration. The outer layers of damaged skin are stripped away. As new cells form during the healing process, a smoother, tighter, younger-looking skin surface appears.

Depending on the size of the area being resurfaced, surgery takes anywhere from a few minutes to two hours. The activated laser is carefully passed back and forth over the skin until reaching a level that makes the wrinkle or scar less visible. After the procedure, your skin is treated with protective creams or ointments until healing is complete.

RECOVERY
After surgery, you will experience some swelling and discomfort that can be controlled with ice packs and medication. After a few days, crusts will form over the treated area. It is important not to pick the crusts, or scarring will result. Most crusts are gone by ten days post-operatively, but redness may persist for several weeks.

HEALING
Your new skin will probably remain bright pink to red in the weeks following surgery. However, prescribed medications may make the color subside more rapidly. Makeup can be applied after about two weeks to help conceal the pinkness, which can remain up to six months following surgery.

It is important to protect your new skin from the sun. Regularly using sun protection will help to maintain your results and will reduce the chance of new sun damage. While in the sun, use a strong sun block with an SPF of 15 or higher, and shade your face with a hat or visor. Also, wear good quality sunglasses with UVA and UVB 100 percent filters.