A proven way to improve lines, texture and pigment irregularities of your face, neck, décolletage or chest
Laser Skin Resurfacing – Fractional C02
Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing is designed to treat the advanced signs of damaged skin caused by chronic exposure including wrinkles and lines, dark spots, uneven skin tone, dilated blood vessels and rough texture. This may cause you to appear older and/or unhealthy. Laser skin rejuvenation is a go-to solution to reverse and reduce these signs. by correcting tone, firmness and texture while reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
CO2 lasers are the gold standard for skin rejuvenation. Traditionally CO2 lasers commonly left people’s faces looking raw, red and irritated. The lasers ablated the entire surface of the skin, causing longer healing time, discomfort and prolonged redness.
Fractional CO2 laser therapy describes a treatment that exposes only a fraction of the skin to the laser beam in a pattern of tiny holes in the skin. Columns of damaged tissue are selectively removed, leaving surrounding skin intact. The process removes tissue and then stimulates the growth of healthy, new skin, full of fresh collagen. Fractional CO2 laser plumps the skin from below, repairing photo damage, lines, scars and other skin imperfections by approximately 50%. The recovery time is about 5-7 days.
Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing provides more significant results than non ablative fractional systems while achieving shorter healing times and fewer complications when compared with full ablative systems. The tradeoff of these lasers compared with full-field ablative lasers is the need for multiple sessions to achieve similar results.
Our state of the art SmarXide Fractional CO2 Laser system significantly
corrects wrinkles
fine lines
large pores,
acne scars
pigmentation
general sun damage.
With this treatment, the skin has improved texture and tone and a more even youthful appearance.
Patients with light to medium skin tones and skin imperfections due to ageing such as lines, wrinkles, sun damage and acne scarring will benefit from a Fractional CO2 laser Skin resurfacing treatment.
The number of sessions in a treatment program will vary depending on the individual. It will depend on the amount of damage from the sun, wrinkles or acne scarring and also on the duration of downtime you can accept.
We recommend a minimum of two treatments but 4 may be necessary for an optimal result.
Darker skin types will need lower doses of treatment and may require even more.
You will discuss this all in your initial consultation with our cosmetic nurse.
We will get you to see our cosmetic nurse to discuss pre-treatment and to discuss post treatment management as this greatly improves your result and long term maintenance.
The first step of treatment involves preparing the skin for laser treatment. A good skin care regime with medical grade ingredients, especially topical retinoids( Vit A), before laser can help improve the results achieved from laser as well as reduce the potential side effects. Topical retinoids increases skin turnover and if used for at least two weeks prior to laser resurfacing, reduces the time of regeneration of skin.
For those with darker or olive skin types, preparation with a topical lightening agent such as hydroquinone may help to reduce complications such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin in the treated areas as a result of treatment).
Ideally we will have you on a specialized skincare regime 4 week prior to your treatment. (This consultation is included in the price of your treatment).
Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing is an in-office procedure that requires pre and post-treatment care to ensure proper healing and comfort during the procedure.
Discomfort varies on the depth of the treatment. For your comfort during the treatment, after cleansing your skin we may apply a topical anaesthetic at least 30 minutes prior to the onset of the procedure.
The treatment with the laser takes approximately 30 minutes (not including anaesthetic) for a full face or neck/decolletage . The area is systematically covered by the laser. During the treatment your eyes will be covered with gauze, and for treatments within the orbital rim (within the bone surrounding the eyes), corneal shields may need to be inserted under the eyelids to protect the eyes.
The treated areas appear red and swollen after the treatment, and the small columns of laser can be seen on the face in a grid-like pattern of dots. The treated areas also feel quite hot after the procedure. To reduce this, we offer you a Zimmer cooler, a machine which blows cold air through a hose that can be directed at the areas to be treated.
After the treatment most patients describe the post-procedure feeling as a bad sunburn for about 12 hours to 2 days. Please also follow the instructions for all other prescribed pain medication is needed post treatment. We also recommend pain or relaxation medications prior to treatment therefore you will need to have somebody drive you home after treatment.
You should not return to normal activities or work for at least 24 hours (preferably 48 hours) after undergoing the treatment. You will need to rest for one day to take care of the healed area. With the lighter fractional CO2 treatments, you will need three to five days of downtime.
After going through the treatment you may feel your skin to be sunburned during the first 24 to 48 hours. You should use ice packs and moisturising creams for 5 to 10 minutes every hour during the first 5 or 6 hours after the treatment. (Which we provide the after care cream for you). During first 3-6 days your skin will be pink and will peel between day 2-7. However, this time period may vary based on the depth of your treatment. After one week of treatment you can apply make up to cover the spots. However, slight bruises may develop on your skin which may take about 2 weeks to heal.
Full recovery takes usually takes from 4 to 10 days approximately depending on the level of energy used in the treatment (this can be tailored to your requirements).
There is a period where the skin appears quite red. Usually this subsides within 1 week in lower energy level treatments, Swelling of the face/eyes may occur for a few days, and sleeping on a 45 degree angle or greater can help to reduce this. There may be a mild acne-like break out (small white pustules) on the face after 3 days as the skin regenerates. The skin may scab, peel and flake and this occurs over one week.
We provide you with a moisturiser that needs to be applied post treatment until the skin peels, and then a normal moisturiser can be used. Sun avoidance is important post procedure to help reduce the chance of pigmentation changes post treatment, or more specifically, darkening of the treated areas.
Anti-viral medications or antibiotics may need to be taken post-treatment, depending on the depth of your treatment, and we closely monitor you for any signs of infection.
Generally the post-treatment recovery period will depend purely on the level of the treatment, and therefore we are able to tailor the recovery time to match the time you can afford to take off your normal activities.
Local anaesthetic cream is applied at least 30 mins prior to the treatment to substantially reduces any pain or discomfort associated with the procedure, but some heat may be felt around the edges of the face eyelids and upper lip. A mild painkiller can also be given 45mins prior to the procedure if necessary. Cooling with ice during and after the procedure is also very effective at controlling any burning or hot sensation in the skin.
The cost for this treatment varies depending on the extent of the treatment required, the area treated and the amount of treatments needed. Pricing can be discussed with at the initial consultation.
We offer an all inclusive Fractional CO2 Laser package which includes
On average, results will last for about three years; however, they can last much longer if you follow certain skincare procedures afterwards.
We advise you that you avoid all direct sun exposure ( NO SUN TAN) and practice good sun protection, including daily broad spectrum sunscreen at least SPF 30 , and a wide brimmed hat to maintain the positive effects of your CO2 laser treatment for a long time.
Other factors that will help include avoiding smoking, reducing stress, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight. All of these factors can cause your skin to age.
The light from the Fractional CO2 Laser system is broken into small rods of light that create micro-areas of thermal damage alternating with untreated tissue. The light passes down through to the deeper layers of the skin, damaging the cells below and triggering the skin’s natural healing process. The healing is much more rapid (only a few days), reducing clinical recovery time and the typical effects of more invasive treatments (post-op pain, swelling and prolonged erythema).
This controlled damage trains the cells in the basal (deeper) layer to grow back stronger, firmer, and faster, while tightening the skin and stimulates the natural production of collagen. It also improves the skin tone and texture by reducing the wrinkles, large pores, small and large acne scars and age marks on the hands and face. As a result, you get younger looking and fresher skin.
