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In this Article

• Who Is a Good Candidate For Laser Resurfacing
• How Does Laser Skin Resurfacing Work?
• CO₂ Laser Resurfacing
• Erbium Laser Resurfacing
• What Can Be Expected During Laser Resurfacing?
• What Happens After Laser Resurfacing
• What Are The Possible Complications of Laser Resurfacing?
• How Should I Take Care Of My Skin After Laser Resurfacing?
• Will My Insurance Cover Laser Resurfacing
• Laser Resurfacing Index
• Find a local Dermatologist in your town

Erbium Laser Resurfacing

Erbium laser resurfacing is designed to remove superficial and moderately deep lines and wrinkles on the face hands, neck, or chest. One of the benefits of erbium laser resurfacing is minimal burning of surrounding tissue. This laser causes minimal side effects, such as swelling, bruising and redness, so your recovery time should be more rapid than with CO₂ laser resurfacing - one week in most cases.

If you have a darker skin tone, erbium laser resurfacing may work better for you. Your doctor will determine which laser is best for you after he or she fully evaluates your medical history, current physical condition, and desired results.

What Can Be Expected During Laser Resurfacing?

Both erbium and CO₂ laser resurfacing are performed on an outpatient basis, using local anesthesia (pain relief at the site of the procedure) in combination with orally- or intravenously-administered sedative medications.

Wrinkles around the eyes, mouth or forehead may be treated individually, or a full-face laserabrasion may be performed.

The areas to be treated are numbed with a local anesthetic. General anesthesia may be used when the entire face is treated. A partial-face laserabrasion takes 30-45 minutes and the full-face treatment takes 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

What Happens After Laser Resurfacing?

Following laser resurfacing, a sterile dressing is applied to the treatment sites for 24 hours. The patient then cleans the treated areas two to five times a day with saline or a dilute vinegar solution. An ointment such as Vaseline, Eucerin or Aquaphor is then applied. This wound care is intended to prevent any scab formation. In general, the areas heal in 10-21 days, depending on the nature of the condition that was treated.

Once the areas have healed, makeup may be worn to camouflage the pink to red color that is generally seen after laser skin resurfacing. Green-based make-ups are particularly suitable for this camouflage since they neutralize the red color. Oil-free make-ups are recommended after laser resurfacing. The redness in the laser-treated sites generally fades in two to three months but may take as long as six months to completely disappear. The redness generally persists longer in blondes and redheads.

Patients with darker skin tones have a greater risk of healing with darker pigmentation. This may be minimized by use of a bleaching agent before laser skin resurfacing as well as continued use of this agent after healing.