If you’re looking for a highly effective means to reverse age spots, wrinkles, or lax skin, combined laser resurfacing treatments just might be the solution. Fractional laser resurfacing is actually two different types of procedures (ablative and non-ablative) and they are able to correct mild to major skin issues ranging from age spots to deep wrinkles and more. Though both ablative and non-ablative laser resurfacing can improve your skin greatly, they have significant differences.
 
ABLATIVE LASERS
Ablative lasers can help eradicate your skin concerns such as deep wrinkles, loose skin, pigmentation discrepancies and acne scarring and the best part about this is you can expect drastic results. With an ablative laser you’ll require only one treatment, but they are considered a bit invasive and thus it can take up to 4 weeks or more to recover. These lasers actually vaporize the outer layers of your skin, removing the outer layers of aged or sun-damaged skin, which causes it to restructure itself as it heals and increase collagen production.

 

NON-ABLATIVE LASERS
Non-ablative lasers are a less invasive experience than the ablative ones since they rejuvenate from the inside out rather than the outside in. They’re often used to treat concerns such as fine lines, lax skin, minor pigment discrepancies and uneven texture. These lasers actually bypass the top layer of the skin, heating up the sub-dermal tissue in order to cause a cellular response that initiates healing mechanisms and increasing collagen production.  They heat up the underlying tissue without entirely destroying it, while allowing your body to stimulate collagen production to help reduce imperfections. To minimize discomfort, a topical anesthetic is usually applied prior to treatment.
 
What you can expect:
This is an outpatient procedure. Dr. Baroody performs this combined laser treatment in our Danbury office. Prior to the procedure, your face will be cleansed and your eyes will be covered. The treatment can take up to two hours, depending on the size of the area treated.
 
Post-procedure your skin will be raw, swollen and might even ooze. Dr. Baroody will protect it with ointment. It could take up to two weeks or more for new skin to cover the area, but once it’s completely healed you can expect your new, smooth complexion to last for years.
 
Generally, the greater the results you’re after, the stronger you want your laser to be and the longer your recovery will take.  If you have fine to deep lines and wrinkles, lax skin, acne scarring or age spots schedule a consultation with Dr. Baroody to determine if Combined Laser Resurfacing is the right choice for you. Patients who have had laser skin resurfacing give it a 95.4% patient satisfaction rating.

 
 
Information gathered from Dr. Baroody & the Smart Beauty Guide