How to remove scars, especially facial scars, is a concern for many people in the Los Angeles area where people want to look their best. One option is laser scar reduction Los Angeles. This treatment is part of a dermatologist’s repertoire like laser skin resurfacing Los Angeles and laser wrinkle reduction Los Angeles.
Scar revision using lasers is a common procedure performed at our Los Angeles facial cosmetic surgery center, but it’s important to know who is or isn’t a good candidate for laser scar reduction Los Angeles. This means that a patient first has a consultation with a dermatologist. After they are approved, they can set up an appointment for laser skin resurfacing Los Angeles.
The treatment is an outpatient procedure, which means the patient can leave our Los Angeles facial cosmetic surgery facility soon after their session and rest for a couple of days afterwards. This means the best time to get laser treatment for scar removal is just before the weekend or a holiday.
Some other things to know about laser scar revision is that the scar will probably not go away completely, but the dermatologist will help it blend in with the surrounding skin. It can also be a bit uncomfortable.
During the laser resurfacing, the patient rests in a treatment chair. Their eyes are protected by goggles, and they are given a sedative to keep them comfortable. Then, the dermatologist uses a handheld device to remove the top layer of the scar and stimulate the deeper layers of the skin to produce collagen to keep the skin elastic.
The two most popular types of lasers that reduce scars are the CO2 laser and the Erbium: YAG laser. The CO2 laser is used for deeper, thicker scars. Because it’s so powerful, the patient should expect a downtime of up to two weeks. The Erbium: YAG laser is for shallow scars. It is more comfortable to undergo than the CO2 laser treatment, and it takes about a week to recover. These treatments take between one and two hours.
Fractionated laser resurfacing is another type of laser that reduces the look of scars. This treatment uses tiny, intensely focused beams of laser light to penetrate the patient’s skin. The holes this creates are microscopic, but the body treats them as an injury and works to remove the old skin cells around them while producing collagen and fresh, new skin cells. Though fractionated laser resurfacing is more comfortable than Erbium: YAG laser or CO2 laser, and the patient has little or no downtime, it doesn’t quite work as well as the other lasers. Patients may also need as many as five treatments spaced at weekly intervals.
In non-ablative laser resurfacing, the treatment heats the lower epidermis even though the very top layer is untouched. This also prompts the body to create more collagen and new skin cells. Like fractionated laser resurfacing, this treatment has no downtime and takes only between 15 and 30 minutes. Non-ablative laser resurfacing is also used for laser wrinkle reduction Los Angeles.