When it comes to today’s latest options for skin resurfacing and facial rejuvenation in Bradenton, you’ve got a lot of options. Right here at Bellagena, we offer an array of medically sound aesthetic treatments, performed with the latest technology by certified, experienced, professional aestheticians.
Exfoliation and facials, chemical peels and microcurrents, OxyGeneo and ReZenerate—they all sound great, don’t they? But what’s right for you depends as much on the technique itself as it does on your own skin, as well as your short-term and long-term goals.
And our goal is to help you meet your wellness goals. And that starts by giving you the best possible information and helping you select the best possible treatment.
Today we’re focusing on carbon dioxide laser skin resurfacing, especially as it pertains to facial rejuvenation.
What is CO2 Laser Resurfacing?
CO2 laser technology uses pulsed light to vaporize the outermost skin cells being targeted (ie old or damaged tissue), while heating up the layer just below those cells. That heat stimulates new collagen growth to replace the cells that have been eliminated.
As a cosmetic procedure, CO2 laser resurfacing is a common refined treatment for aging and/or sun-damaged skin, including fine lines and wrinkles, saggy eyes or hooded eyes, and other forms of skin laxity and uneven skin texture. The treatment is also highly effective for liver spots, spider veins, acne scars, surgical and trauma scars, and even warts.
Where Did CO2 Laser Use Come From?
Laser carbon dioxide resurfacing is one of our many aesthetic treatments that originated directly from tried-and-true medical procedures. In this case, CO2 lasers gained prominence in the 1960s for a variety of tissue-ablation applications.
But advancements in the 1990s developed high-energy pulsed CO2 lasers that could perform procedures at a much more superficial depth, with much less damage to underlying tissue. One of the most prevalent uses for this technology was and is the removal of skin cancers.
Then, fractional CO2 lasers came about in 2004, allowing for the beams to be split into microbeams. This broadens the laser’s resurfacing effects while surrounding affected cells with undamaged tissue, resulting in faster-healing, natural results.
Cosmetic lasers offer a higher level of precision, and often deeper penetration, than traditional peels, making them an ideal option for targeting specific problem areas.
Is CO2 Laser Resurfacing Effective?
Additionally, this highly precise aesthetic laser treatment can also treat scar tissue—especially facial acne scars—by eliminating the damaged surface cells and rejuvenating the healthy tissue.
The same study states, “Treatment of scarring from acne, trauma, or surgical procedures can be achieved effectively with CO2 laser resurfacing as well. Carbon dioxide lasers can reduce the appearance of acne scarring by inducing thermal damage below the area of scarring and subsequently stimulating collagen production. They also reduce the prominence of the shoulder of the scar, effectively ‘blending’ the scar with surrounding normal skin.”
How Long Does CO2 Laser Resurfacing Take?
Depending on the area being targeted and the extent of the treatment, the procedure itself will normally last between 30 minutes and two hours.
Recovery typically feels and looks somewhat like a sunburn. The old, ablated skin tissue will be gone in about a week, as the new tissue has already started to form.
Pain relief is available both during and after the procedure, and ice packs, moisturizer and/or antibiotic creams may be recommended by your aesthetician.
CO2 laser resurfacing remains a vital and effective tool among our cosmetic treatments at Bellagena. And it’s one we think our Bradenton aesthetic customers, especially, can appreciate.
Fortunately, our job at Bellagena is not to push any one option over the others, but simply to help you be better informed—not only about what’s out there and what we offer, but also about your own skin and how each of these treatments will affect you.
