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CO2 laser resurfacing has made a name for itself in the cosmetic industry over recent years, with the ability to address aging, tone, and texture concerns.
Skin resurfacing allows patients to achieve a radiant, glowing, and younger complexion.
Unfortunately, not everyone is a candidate for this procedure.
What Are the Benefits of a CO2 Laser?
Laser treatments offer a non-surgical approach for treating fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation concerns, and acne scars.
CO2 laser resurfacing stimulates collagen production, which in turn tightens skin and corrects textural concerns.
The UltraPulse® Encore™ Total FX offers some of the most satisfactory results and is one of the most powerful CO2 laser systems available today.
This treatment removes the upper, damaged layers of skin by pulsing beams of light energy into the skin.
These beams seek out the area with damage or contrast, such as brown spots, red spots, and other skin imperfections, to encourage cell regeneration.
This system offers several levels of treatment, ranging from mild to aggressive, and is tailored to the patient and their specific skin concerns.
What Determines Your Candidacy for a CO2 Laser?
What Is Your Skin Tone?
The primary factor that affects candidacy for a CO2 laser procedure is your skin tone.
Many horror stories have circled around social media, demonstrating what can happen when an improper laser is used on a patient with a darker skin tone, whether that skin tone is black, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Pacific Islander.
Darker skin tones have always been tricky for laser treatments.
This difficulty stems from the reality that laser resurfacing treatments rely on a contrast between the natural skin color and the skin concern—something that darker skin tones cannot always claim to have.
When there is not enough contrast, the patient is at risk for additional concerns like scarring, blisters, and loss of skin color.
During a laser treatment, the beams of laser energy are absorbed by the damaged, pigmented, or weakened tissue.
Unfortunately, with darker skin tones, the laser energy could also be absorbed by the healthy tissue.
Do You Have Time to Recover?
The UltraPulse® Encore™ CO2 laser is ablative, meaning that it causes the top layers of skin to peel off so that they healthier and smoother skin beneath can come through.
Even though this procedure is not surgical, it does require recovery time.
CO2 lasers can take upwards of two weeks to fully heal.
If you do not have that amount of time to experience discomfort, redness, and peeling, or if you are readying yourself for a special occasion that is scheduled within a few weeks of the treatment, this may not be the best treatment for you.
Should You Consider a CO2 Laser?
CO2 lasers offer versatile, multi-layer treatments that:
- Stimulate collagen
- Improve texture
- Minimize sun wrinkles, sun damage, and acne scars
- Are non-surgical
- Provides long-lasting rejuvenation and fullness
Interested in Learning More?
To learn more about the UltraPulse® Encore™ Total FX CO2 laser, contact Dr. Martin O’Toole at Pasadena Cosmetic Surgery by filling out our online contact form.
Dr. O’Toole sees patients from Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood, CA.