Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
An initial consideration is to determine which laser would be best for any particular skin resurfacing procedure. Carbon dioxide lasers have been in use longer and have been shown to produce very good results. However, the healing times tend to be...
long and redness can persist for several months. In contrast, because the light produced by the Er:YAG laser is more efficiently absorbed by the skin, less light energy and shorter pass times can be used, which significantly shortens the healing time. Unfortunately, the results obtained with this laser have not been as consistently good as with a carbon dioxide laser. Patients should therefore discuss the two laser types and the condition of their skin with their doctor to determine which would be better for their particular situation.
Although controversial, some studies have reported abnormal scarring in patients previously treated with 13 cis-retinoic acid (Accutane), so many surgeons will require a six-month break from the medication before performing laser skin resurfacing.
Laser skin resurfacing does increase the chance of recurrent or initial herpes simplex virus infection (cold sores) during the healing process. Even with no patient history of the problem, it is important that anti-viral medicine is administered before, the morning of, and following laser skin resurfacing.
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We look at our skin everyday, but what does the skin look like up close and just under the surface. This animation shows what the skin would look like under magnification. The narrator explains the various things found within the skin such as hair follicles and sensory nerve endings.
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Laser resurfacing is a technique used during laser surgery wherein molecular bonds of a material are dissolved by a laser. It is used for the treatment of wrinkles, solar lentigenes, sun damage, scars (see acne scar treatment), stretch marks, actinic keratosis and telangiectasias or "spider veins" - a symptom of ataxia telangiectasia.
It can be combined with liposuction when this is done to remove excess fat from the chin and jaw area. The skin may be wrinkled after fat is removed and laser resurfacing can help tighten and smooth over the new contours.
Laser resurfacing is usually done with an Er:YAG 2940nm wavelength or CO2 10,600nm wavelength laser. Complete resurfacing was first done with a CO2 laser. More commonly now, a laser resurfacing is done with a fractional laser. The term fractional pertains to the method in which the laser light is transferred. Tiny pinpoints of laser light are used to deliver the laser to the surface of the skin in only a fraction of the area. Several hundred or thousands of pinpoints may be used per square inch, leaving healthy skin in between the ablated areas. This allows more rapid healing, and less risk.
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