Prepare for a supremely smooth, healthy and glowing complexion.
Is one of your New Year resolutions to achieve younger looking skin? Whether your skin needs a little refreshing – or a lot – the following information will help you decide which rejuvenating treatment is right for you.
Understanding the Terminology
Think all lasers are the same? Think again! Understanding these four terms is crucial before embarking on any kind of treatment:
- Ablative treatments “vaporize tissue” and are best used to improve skin with deeper wrinkling, challenging textural concerns, and sun damage. They deliver impressive results but also require longer recovery times.
- Nonablative laser treatments offer mild to moderate improvements in skin pigmentation, texture, and fine lines. These treatments don’t require extensive downtime, and some of them leave you looking ready to face the world immediately.
- Fractionated lasers are designed to treat targeted areas (i.e., a fraction of the skin).
- Unfractionated lasers treat the entire skin surface at one time.
Before you opt for a specific treatment, discuss your reasoning and expectations with your provider, so you can be fully prepared for the procedure and all it entails.
Laser Treatments to Minimize Early Signs of Aging
Dr. Ronald Moy, M.D. is a Cosmetic Facial Surgeon and Double Board Certified Dermatologist. He’s lasered my face twice since my Mohs surgery, and he and Dr. Lauren Moy, M.D. are often asked about “a gentle laser that removes the early signs of aging.” They recommend “a gentle fractional erbium laser” because the treatment can be tailored specifically to a patient’s needs. Dr. Ron says, “I usually set a laser dose so that the patient will have about 3 days of a sunburn reaction so it becomes a ‘weekend procedure.’”
Known as the Beverly Hills Sculptress, Shea Denmark is a world-renowned Aesthetic Injector, known for her artistic eye and ability to reverse time.
Sciton’s Moxi Laser is a favorite of Physician’s Associate and Hollywood skincare expert, Shea Denmark (also known as The Beverly Hills Sculptress). This non-ablative, fractionated laser treatment treats sun damage, minor laxity concerns, uneven complexions, and textural issues and is safe for all skin types throughout the year.
Known for its minimal to no downtime, numbing is required in advance with tolerable discomfort and results are seen within a week – promotes collagen and elastin, evens skin tone, and reduces pore size. “I’m obsessed with my Moxi laser!” exclaims Denmark. “And for overall skin health I suggest Moxi combined with BBL Hero laser which is a broadband light device that targets various skin concerns including pigmentation, vascular lesions and aging skin associated with fine lines and wrinkles.” Denmark adds that BBL Hero “was proven by a Stanford Study to actually reverse cellular aging and change gene expression.” Moxi and BBL Hero are Denmark’s go-to power duo for what she refers to as “gorgeous, glowing skin” with little to no downtime.
Laser Treatments for People of Color
Laser treatments continue to improve, and new technology – in the hands of a skilled board certified professional – can work wonders on all types of skin. If you’ve heard that post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a risk for people of color, that is precisely why you need to choose your provider carefully.
According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, “Lasers can be used safely, but the #1 factor influencing how your laser treatment turns out is your choice of surgeon, dermatologist, or laser specialist to complete your treatment.” Both Dr. Ronald and Dr. Lauren use lasers to “treat many patients with skin of color who have acne scars, wrinkles, saggy skin and brown spots, [adding that] almost all lasers at an optimal dose are safe for people of color because the technology has improved.”
Treatments for Scars and Lip or Eye Wrinkles
For most patients, treating scars or wrinkles around the eyes or lips requires a carbon dioxide laser (CO2) procedure handled by a highly skilled professional. Doctors Moy explained that, “The carbon dioxide laser treatment requires more artistry, judgement and experience than surgical procedures where [they] just tighten the skin because a different amount of laser energy needs to be applied to each area of the face.”
CO2 laser treatments have the longest down time, and research confirms that “Swelling, pain, and erythema can persist for 1 to 2 weeks following treatment, with inflammation typically resolving over the course of the following six weeks.”
Treatment for Sun Damage and Preventing Skin Cancer
If you’ve read about my skin cancer journey (here, here, and here) you’ve heard me mention having Erbium laser treatments to improve the appearance of my scar and remove precancerous lesions simultaneously. The treatment destroys damaged cells; many of which are considered pre-cancerous.
By targeting prior sun damage, the laser eliminates the damaged cells, so they can’t proliferate. According to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, “New research indicates that simple laser treatments to the skin may help to prevent the development of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are collectively known as keratinocyte carcinoma and are the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the United States.”
The Erbium laser offers faster recovery and less down time than a CO2 laser and is less likely to injure surrounding tissue. It also improves the appearance of acne, hyperpigmentation, and fine lines.
I’ve had this procedure twice and highly recommend simplifying your skincare routine to focus on replenishing hydration and minimizing erythema. My must-haves post treatment for skin soothing and healing include Theraderm’s OPC Reparative Serum, MDPen’s Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum, and Bluelene’s Night Plus+.
Treatments with Minimal Down Time
If you’re looking to treat lesser concerns, you’ll be happy to learn that many of the options available won’t force you to hide from the world for days on end. Dr. Glynis Ablon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA, explains that patients can expect between 1–5 days of “spreckling” after treatment with the UltraClear® or BBL, ”which is broadband light for photodamage.”
These devices target sun damage, so the amount of post-procedural discoloration depends on the amount of damage the device picks up. The extra benefit to these procedures, though, comes from your ability to cover up the discoloration while you heal. Dr. Ablon says, “most [discoloration] can be covered in 24 hours with tinted sunscreen,” which makes these treatments ideal.
Tip: Jan Marini’s Physical Protectant Tinted SPF 45 and the tinted version of OS-01 SHIELD Protect + Repair SPF 30+ from One Skin are both excellent for covering post-procedural redness and discoloration.
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Are you thinking of having a skin resurfacing treatment this year? Share your experience below or tell me which one piques your interest.
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