Over time the effects of sunlight, tobacco and stress take their toll on the skin causing fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration or sunspots. You can prevent these problems by utilizing a number of different skin rejuvenation procedures. There is a simple rule of thumb to remember when considering any skin rejuvenation procedure: The more aggressive the procedure, the longer the healing time and the more drastic the cosmetic result.

Simple treatments like skin creams containing Retin A and alpha hydroxy acids are easy to apply and have minimal side effects. But the results tend to be subtle. The next strongest class of cosmetic treatments are chemical peels and certain laser treatments such as the fraxel laser, erbium laser, Q-switched Nd:YAG and Intense Pulsed Light. These procedures will produce more impressive results. But, again, they come with longer healing times.

The most dramatic improvement of the skin is seen with the CO2 laser. This laser will result in impressive improvement of fine lines and wrinkles on the entire face, especially in the fine lines that appear around the eyes (crow’s feet) and the mouth. A CO2 laser treatment will also help treat pigment disorders such as age spots, liver spots, uneven skin tones and sun spots. It can also help improve the appearance of chickenpox scarring or acne scarring.

The CO2 laser vaporizes the top layers of skin. Immediately following the treatment there is some swelling and oozing of the treated area which lasts for five to seven days. Following this time, the oozing stops and the face becomes very smooth, soft and red. The redness is easily covered with makeup and will typically improve over a period of several weeks to several months. There will be an improvement in the appearance and quality of the skin that will become evident immediately and will continue to improve over the next six months.