CO2 Laser Resurfacing

What are the benefits of CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing?

Minimize wrinkles
Smooth skin texture, provide healthier skin
Treat certain pre-cancerous skin conditions
Treat milia or sebaceous hyperplasia
Improve skin firmness
Improve loose skin on the eyes, lower face, and neck
Reduce brown spots, sun damage, or hyper-pigmentation
Reduce acne scars, surgical scars, or injury scars
Reduce pores
Can be used for treatment on face, neck, chest, breast, hips, buttocks, thighs, scars anywhere on the body.
Also visit our section on vaginal rejuvenation

What is laser resurfacing?

CO2 laser skin resurfacing, also known as fractional or fractionated laser skin resurfacing, is a gold standard in skin tissue remodeling. The laser device delivers columns of heat into the skin, which triggers a healing reaction. This healing reaction then forms collagen to improve the appearance of the skin.
Because fractional laser treatments only treat a fraction of the skin’s surface at a time, healing is faster than previous CO2 laser resurfacing procedures. Unlike more superficial lasers, CO2 therapy provides more dramatic results.

What is the procedure like?

CO2 resurfacing is performed in the comfort of our office. No need to visit a surgical facility or undergo general anesthesia!
Treatment will take 1-3 hours, including topical numbing application.
You will be provided with the option to take medication to relax before your procedure. If these medications are taken, you will be required to have a driver home. Topical numbing agents will be applied for 30-60 minutes prior to the procedure.
During the treatment, our physician assistant will apply a pattern of tiny scanned pulses of energy to your skin with a controlled depth laser. The settings are customized to each individual’s skin. Adjustments can be made throughout the procedure to more accurately treat specific areas, such as acne scars on the cheeks or fine lines around the mouth. The laser precisely creates thousands of microscopic channels in your skin, which induce immediate skin tightening and stimulate new collagen growth.
This procedure is usually done after the patient has been pre-treated with our medical grade skin care system, and is used in combination with fillers, Botox or Dysport, and IPL in Oklahoma City. Most often patients will need to pre-treat their skin for 6-8 weeks prior to CO2 laser with medical grade skincare. This will not only enhance your results, but more importantly will make the procedure safer for your skin and potentially reduce downtime.
If you chose a light setting, there will be minimal downtime. If you choose a setting to gain dramatic results, you will have 7-10 days of skin redness, swelling, and possibly light scabbing.
By 2 weeks, skin already looks and feels firmer, along with softened lines, pores, and scars. Full results can continue to appear up to 3-6 months post treatment.

Is there anyone who cannot have this laser?

One draw back to CO2 lasers is that they are not safe for very dark skin types. The heat of the laser can easily cause over production of inflammatory related pigmentation changes.
If you have certain diseases (especially auto-immune disease), poor healing, or take certain medications it may be risky to have CO2 laser skin resurfacing.

The Premier Experience

We strive to thoroughly educate our patients regarding their options for treatment. At Premier Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics, we offer expert consultations to assess your concerns and guide you to the proper treatment path. This pre-treatment assessment will include a customized skin care protocol, discussion of alternative or combination treatments, along with full disclosure of price, downtime, and treatment expectations.
We want all your questions to be answered before you invest yourself in a treatment. We always remain up to date with the latest training, research, and techniques.