MoreYouthful.com

Age is Just A Number. Feel Younger and Look More Youthful.

Laser Resurfacing And Aging Skin

We are all born with smooth, baby soft skin. As we go through life, our skin is subject to numerous experiences that leave it less than perfect. Time, heredity, gravity, and most of all sun exposure all do their part to create fine lines and wrinkles, especially around the mouth and eyes.

The contribution of sun exposure to the aged appearance of skin is easily demonstrated by looking at sun-protected skin in patients with wrinkles. In contrast to the pigmentary changes, fine wrinkling and sagging of sun-exposed sites, sun-protected skin (which is of course of the same age in the same person) is without any of these changes. Under the microscope, sun-damaged skin shows a loss of the normal collagen-rich lower layer or dermis, which is replaced with abnormal elastic tissue. This elastic tissue does not function to maintain resilience and elasticity in skin like normal elastic fibers do. Instead it takes on a yellow, sallow appearance, allowing skin to sag and look aged.

Physicians can gently remove surface imperfections and dramatically reduce lines, wrinkles and acne scars as well as tighten the skin with a relatively new procedure called laser resurfacing. Using a laser, thin layers of skin can be safely removed resulting in younger-appearing skin to help improve the visible signs of sun damage. Lasers known as carbon dioxide lasers or erbium:YAG lasers are used to remove very thin surface layers of skin, while leaving minimal damaged tissue behind.

The treated skin may tighten during the laser procedure, or during the healing process. Healing usually takes 1-2 weeks. Since a new surface layer is generated, the pigment changes resulting from sun exposure are also removed. In addition, a new layer of collagen is deposited beneath the surface layer improving fine lines and wrinkles.

Because the procedure produces some discomfort, anesthesia is used. If small areas are treated, local anesthetics are used, including topical anesthetic cream or injected anesthetics. A number of patients treated over large body areas receive systemic anesthesia such as intravenous sedation. Your physician will discuss these options with you in advance. The procedure can take as little as 10 minutes or over an hour, depending upon the area treated. Generally patients go home immediately following treatment, depending on the form of anesthesia used. The healing process will take approximately 5-10 days with the initial redness usually fading in a few weeks to a few months.
Before the procedure, your physician will ask you about a history of cold sores, sun sensitivity, Accutane use in the past 6-12 months, previous dermabrasions or prior chemical peels, etc. You may receive medicine prior to or after the procedure to prevent viral or bacterial infections. You should discuss your desired results and the improvements you expect to achieve. Together you and your physician can decide if your expectations are likely to be met and if this laser treatment is the best option for you.

Proper aftercare is critical to the success of laser resurfacing. Your physician will give specific post-operative advice regarding sun protection and skin care.

Laser resurfacing is a tool in the fight to repair skin damage caused by years of incidental (every day for a few minutes) sun exposure. Your degree of sun damage and other factors will determine the suitability of laser resurfacing for you.