The CO2 laser resurfacing gently vaporizes the outer layer of sun-damaged, wrinkled, or acne-scarred skin to reveal smooth, fresh skin underneath. It is designed to remove superficial wrinkles around the eyes, lips, forehead and cheeks seen in aging skin. Facial scars and sun-damaged skin are also excellent candidates for this treatment. Generally, the results demonstrate improvement in the texture of the skin. 

CO2 lasers have a long history of use and plenty of evidence to attest to their effectiveness and safety on fair to light skin tones. Doctors can customize CO2 laser skin resurfacing treatments to best suit your skin type and concerns. There are several CO2 lasers on the market, and your provider will recommend the CO2 fractional laser machine, treatment intensity, and number of sessions that are right for you. CO2 laser resurfacing addresses a wide range of concerns beyond just aging and damaged skin. When it’s performed by an experienced provider, a good candidate will see smoother, clearer, brighter skin once they’ve healed.

How long is recovery?

Social downtime (when you won’t want to leave the house) can stretch for several days for fractional treatments to more than two weeks for fully ablative treatments. During that recovery time, your skin will be swollen and develop scabs or crusting. You’ll first notice that your skin is raw, which can feel itchy and painful. You may also have some pinpoint bleeding, particularly following a more ablative treatment. It will feel like an exaggerated sunburn, but ice packs will help take down the sting within one to two hours. Over-the-counter pain relievers can offer some additional relief, and doctors may prescribe stronger pain medication for aggressive fully ablative treatments.

Swelling can be managed with prescription steroids and ice packs as well as keeping your head elevated while sleeping. Follow your doctor’s precise instructions for gently cleansing and moisturizing the treated area. They may recommend or even provide specific medical-grade skin-care products for you. It’s important to keep your skin protected and moist throughout the healing process—initially with ointments and thick creams, then with lighter creams and serums down the line. This encourages healthy cell turnover and prevents the forming of scabs, which can increase the chance of scarring and prolong healing time.

After the initial healing phase, your skin can remain pink for several weeks. You can apply makeup to conceal redness, but only after new skin grows in the entire treated area. When you go out of the house, be especially mindful of sun exposure. Your fresh, new skin will be sensitive, so a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 is a must.

How soon will you see results?

How soon you’ll see results depends on the intensity of your treatment and how long healing takes. You won’t really see results until after your skin has completely healed and any lingering redness resolves, which can be several weeks for fractional treatments and a couple of months for fully ablative treatments. Surface skin results will be apparent as soon as healing’s complete, but it takes a few months to see the firming effects of increased collagen as your body naturally produces new cells and structural proteins.

How long do results last?

Results can last years. Their longevity will depend on the intensity of your treatment and how well you take care of your skin afterward. To avoid recurring damage, establish a hydrating, antioxidant-packed skin-care routine and strong sun protection habits with high-SPF sunscreen. That said, your skin will continue to age with the rest of you. You can help maintain your results with ongoing laser treatments or other skin rejuvenation treatments. If you’re troubled by signs of skin damage, such as wrinkles, acne scars, sun spots, or even benign lumps, CO2 fractional laser skin rejuvenation offers remarkable outcomes that other laser therapies can’t match in a single session. CO2 fractional laser skin resurfacing precisely removes the outer layers of damaged skin and stimulates the regeneration of healthy skin underneath. The treatment changes the makeup of your skin cells, resulting in glowing, collagen-rich complexion. CO2 laser resurfacing offers dramatic, lasting improvement to tone, texture and youthfulness of your skin.

What to expect

Most patients experience a small amount of discomfort during CO2 laser treatment. Before your treatment, we administer local anesthesia directly in the area to make things as comfortable as possible. Your provider administers the treatment by expertly passing the laser back and forth in rows across your skin, simultaneously addressing old skin cells while stimulating new, healthy growth. Redness, swelling and peeling commonly last several days to weeks after CO2 laser resurfacing, making downtime a must for proper healing. The change in your skin is worth the wait – old, dull or discolored skin cells fall away from your skin, replaced by collagen-rich, rejuvenated skin. Depending on the severity of problem areas, some patients come back multiple times to fully achieve their goals. If you want to uncover your most flawless and radiant skin, you’re in the right place. We believe in making quality skincare accessible so you can easily achieve the look and feel you desire.

CO2 fractional laser skin resurfacing can help with these conditions:

*Enlarged Pores

*Lines and Wrinkles

*Skin Pigmentation

*Brown Spots & Discoloration

*Sagging Skin

Are All Fractional CO2 Lasers And Their Results The Same?

When looking for a fractional CO2 laser treatment to improve brown spots, uneven skin tones, roughened texture, acne scarring, and those troublesome etched lines and wrinkles the search can be confusing. But, there are significant differences in the results provided by different fractional CO2 laser systems and with the physicians who perform the treatments. The following are some helpful guidelines when researching fractional CO2 laser treatments.

One of the most important questions to ask when consulting on a fractional CO2 laser treatment, or any laser treatment for that matter is . . . does the physician or office own the laser? Many physicians, offices, and med-spas rent or share their fractional CO2 lasers and will schedule a day of the week or month when all treatments are done. Unfortunately, lasers have delicate and intricate optics and other precisely calibrated electrical elements that are not designed to travel from office to office and consistently maintain their calibrations within safe parameters. So Bestview Laser advice is to make sure the office or physician owns the laser and it does not travel from office to office or city to city.

Second, high quality fractional CO2 lasers are expensive, and many cheaper fractional CO2 lasers are being marketed that may not meet necessary safety requirements set forth by the FDA or had their laser’s technology inspected and cleared by the FDA. So make sure the office’s laser is from a reputable company you can call or a website you can visit. Next, for a fractional CO2 laser to be safe and effective, the fractional CO2 laser beam must reach specific energy levels, the laser’s beam interaction with the skin must be exceptionally quick (Note: laser beam quickness and treatment quickness are NOT the same thing.)

Why is this important? The energy level delivered by the laser and the quickness of the laser beam determines the quality of the result, that is, these two factors are required and determine the optimal improvement in the look of your skin, as evidenced by the production of collagen, wrinkle elimination, and skin tightening. Unfortunately, many lower priced fractional CO2 laser systems will either reach the proper energy levels but NOT have the required quickness of the laser beam or they may have a quick laser beam but the energy level of the laser is NOT sufficient, leading to less than satisfactory results, limited and disorganized collagen production with less or no wrinkle elimination, and greater risks of complications. Bestview Laser established leader in laser technology for many years, and is considered the unrivaled global leader in dermatological, ophthalmic, and surgical lasers. Quality counts at Refreshed Aesthetic Surgery.

Unlike less advanced lasers, the Bestview fractional CO2 laser machine uses Ultrapulse laser technology which provides unsurpassed results for every unique patient. Moreover, the Bestview fractional CO2 laser has the technology to deliver the appropriate laser energy and quickness to instantly and precisely treat skin and wrinkles “at optimum levels for impressive results, more quickly, and with less pain than other CO2 systems,” which has been proven in peer reviewed and published studies.

In closing, the importance of which laser system to treat your skin is just as important as the facial plastic surgeon doing the treatment. That is why when researching and deciding on which fractional CO2 laser treatment to have it is prudent and wise to consider more than just price.