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What is a fractional or fractionated resurfacing laser?
There are many types of resurfacing lasers.
The new gold standard are the so called fractionated or fractional resurfacing lasers since they require less downtime and have faster healing period.
Today’s client has a busy life and can’t afford to hide at home with weeping wounds while their skin is healing.
It uses a laser beam in microscopic treatment areas to target only a fraction of the skin at any given time much like a pixelated photograph.
These machines use a laser beam in microscopic treatment areas to target only a fraction of the skin at any given time, much like a pixelated photograph.
The fractionated resurfacing laser treatments are used to minimize wrinkles, help reverse sun damage, decrease acne scars and add brilliance to your skin surface. The skin actually peels like layers of an onion, hence the term “resurfacing.”
What is a resurfacing laser used for?
A resurfacing fractional laser is perfect to help fine lines and wrinkles and reduce the appearance of sun damage. It is especially effective for the treatment of acne scars and stretch marks.
It’s also an excellent treatment to help tighten the skin around the eyelids.
This can be done with very little downtime.
Is there downtime?
The downtime depends on how aggressively the practitioner dials the laser. Typically, people will have a few days of downtime with redness of the skin requiring some gentle wound care.
This can be adjusted according to the patient’s schedule. If the patient can afford to have a few more days of downtime, the laser can be adjusted to provide a deeper peel for a more successful result.
Does it compare to Fraxel?
Yes, it is similar. However, the Erbium laser is an ablative laser, which is more aggressive.
Erbium/Erbium:Yag Fractional resurfacing Laser Treatments
Erbium laser or Erbium:YAg laser in Montreal uses the wavelength 2940 nm of light.
This laser is highly absorbed by the water containing tissues in the skin. As a result, it can treat a variety of conditions such as photo damage, wrinkles, and acne scars.
The laser can control both ablation and thermal damage in the skin. Since this treatment is fractionated, several treatments may be required to reach the desired results. As mentioned before, downtime can be adjusted based on the patient’s schedule and wishes.
A light surface laser peel for example will require only 2 days of downtime resulting in a “glow effect “ in a very short period of time.
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What areas can it treat?
Fractional Erbium laser can treat any area of the body. Typically we treat the face for a tightening effect and improvement in the texture of the skin. It will also help remove sun damage. It is used successfully for acne scars, and stretch marks. It is a great treatment for eyelid tightening. Several treatments are required for desired results.
Does it compare to a fractional CO2 laser?
Fractionated Erbium is not a CO2 laser. However results from resurfacing fractional Erbium or a Pearl laser can be similar to results from a fractional CO2 laser. Since it is not as ablative as the CO2 laser, it can more readily be used on darker skin types with less downtime.
What are the side effects?
There are a few days of downtime where the patient will need to apply Vaseline or Aquaphor to the skin to prevent infection. The skin will slowly exfoliate over a few days to then expose the new skin underneath. It’s important to avoid sun exposure after resurfacing lasers to prevent either hypo or hyperpigmentation post treatment.
Pearl Resurfacing laser
The Pearl laser uses the wavelength 2790 nm of light. It is a minimally invasive technology that renews the skin surface by treating wrinkles, texture, age spots and sun damage with fewer treatments and less overall downtime than other aggressive and ablative technologies.
In contrast to other fractional lasers, the Pearl laser provides a minimally invasive treatment resulting in clearly visible results after a single procedure; oftentimes total treatment regimes require only 1 or 2 treatments.
Pearl’s superior result in a single treatment is also due to the fact that with the Pearl laser, each procedure treats the entire surface area of the face, compared to treating only fractionated areas of the face.
This is why this particular device fits a unique position in the laser resurfacing market.