CO2 Laser
As we age, the fat, muscles, bone, and skin of the face begin to thin. This thinning and volume loss can lead to a sunken, aged appearance. Skin elasticity, texture, and overall appearance can be improved with repeated CO2 laser treatments. CO2 lasers are the gold standard in treating wrinkles, age spots, acne scars, and other blemishes as well as tighten skin and balance tone.
How does it work?
Laser treatments are a form of controlled trauma to the skin. CO2 is an ablative laser that targets water within your skin to create thermal injury. Damaged skin tissue is removed, or ablated, stimulating new collagen production and heat energy is delivered to tighten the skin. This results in younger and healthier-looking skin. It is primarily performed on the face but treatment can also be extended onto the neck.
Am I a candidate?
There are a few questions we ask all patients who are considering a laser treatment, to help us determine if you are a good candidate for this treatment.
Have you ever had any type of laser therapy? If so, did you have any problems or side effects?
What color is your skin? To know: darker skin types require lighter settings
History of cold sores? If so, antivirals are required to prevent outbreak. Pharmacy and medication allergies needed before appointment.
History of melasma or hyperpigmentation? If so, we may do a test treatment on back of neck and/or use lighter settings.
Accutane in the last 6 mos? If so, delay is required. Patients need to be off accutane for 6+ mos.
Self tanner in past 3-4 weeks? If so, laser is okay but may look patchy during healing phase.
Currently taking antibiotics or other medication that makes you sun/light sensitive? If so, best to wait until off those medications.
What’s the downtime?
Depending on the depth of treatment, CO2 treatments can be accompanied by considerable downtime while damaged skin heals. However, there have been many advancements in recent years to improve the side effects of CO2 treatments while also lessening downtime.
Downtime from clinic settings varies per patient, but in general you can expect to look red and swollen for the first 24 hours after your treatment, as well as feeling pretty warm, similar to a sunburn. At 48 hours, the skin is no longer sensitive and has a sandpaper texture that forms for the next 6 days. Patients can expect skin improvement over several months after treatment.
Patients are to avoid wearing makeup or exercising the day of treatment. On the day following treatment, there is usually some residual redness and/or swelling that sticks around, but there is nothing that will prevent you from returning to work or daily activities. On day 2 after treatment is when your skin will begin the “microcrusting” process–this is your skin starting the healing process. Treated areas will begin to feel sandpapery but other people will not be able to see it. We provide you with a hydrating hyaluronic acid serum to use during this time as hydration is the key to healing. This microcrusting will stick around for the next few days, and usually by days 6-7 after treatment, this has almost fully sloughed off and you can return to all normal skincare routines.
Surgery Settings
Some patients opt to add the CO2 laser resurfacing treatment to their surgery, to treat the overlying skin of the face at the same time and help enhance their overall results even more.
CO2 laser treatment offers several benefits when combined with a surgery, working synergistically to address both the deeper structural aspects of aging and the surface imperfections of the skin.
The laser settings used during surgery are much stronger/more invasive than the CO2 laser treatment done in our clinic, which does lead to longer downtime after this procedure.
How much does it cost?
Refer to our pricing information page for more details on the cost. Note that you may opt to add the treatment to your neck doing the same visit.