Fractional CO2

Fractional CO2 laser is ideal for people who like to minimize the appearance of acne scarring, fine lines, pigmentation, and other skin conditions listed below.

• Age spots
• Open pores
• Stretch marks
• Skin tags
• DPN
• Enlarged oil glands (especially around the nose)
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Hyper pigmentation
• Sun damage
• Uneven skin tone
• Warts

Unfortunately, the fractional CO2 laser is not for everyone. Individuals with extensive breakouts, open wounds, or any infections on the face are advised to stay away from this skin procedure. People who take oral isotretinoin should also avoid the procedure as it poses a risk for health and safety.

If you have chronic medical conditions (such as diabetes), you should also take extra caution and make it a point to consult a doctor or dermatologist first.

Before undergoing a fractional CO2 laser procedure, it’s recommended to follow these pre-treatment rules.

• Don’t use products containing retinoids as it can affect the end results.
• Avoid excessive sun exposure 2 weeks prior to the laser treatment.
• Stop taking medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and even vitamin E as this can lead to prolonged clotting.
• Consult your dermatologist to find out if you’re a good candidate for the fractional CO2 laser treatment.

Most patients would find the pain minimal and often describe the sensation similar to prickling. However, since the procedure involves applying anesthesia to the area, your face would be numb which ensures a painless treatment.

Depending on the severity of your skin condition, you may need to undergo about 6 to 8 sessions. These treatments can be done at four to six-weekly intervals.

The results of the skin treatment will depend on the problem you are targeting. For instance, if you’d like to get rid of hyper pigmentation, you can instantly see results in only2 to 3 sessions. However, when eliminating acne scars and fine lines, it may take a while for the results to show up.

After the treatment, you will go home and sleep mostly for the first day. After the first day, your skin will be raw and you will follow the instructions as to how to keep it healing maximally. We usually see you in the office on the first, second or third day after the procedure to ensure that healing is going according to plan. By the 7th day, you can usually apply makeup or venture out in public, but your skin will still be pink and will be very sensitive for the better part of 1-3 months. It is most important to follow the instructions given to you by your dermatologist.

Strict skincare regimen and sun avoidance are recommended for best healing and optimal results for a period of 6 months following treatment. Failure to do so may result in sub-optimal results or side effects such as listed above.
Your skin will continue to age as time goes on due to sun exposure, environmental stress, and overall health and lifestyle choices such as smoking. To maintain your results we recommend a healthy skincare routine including cosmeceutical products, medical-grade facials, and other procedures as directed by your provider.

The main negative of the CO2RE is the downtime. Depending on the area and the aggressiveness of the treatment, it will take7-14 days for the skin to heal. This downtime will include significant redness, crusting, dryness, and peeling and flaking (it is important to keep the skin moist after treatment). This does mean that social and work activities will have to be curtailed during this time, although you should be perfectly capable of working from home after the first day or two. It could be a very painful procedure but at Advanced Dermatology, we provide full facial anesthesia so there should be no or minimal pain during the procedure or even in the hours following it. Other potential side effects may include but are not limited to: skin wound, infection, scarring, and hypo and hyper-pigmentation.

Results that are expected are a very significant and noticeable reduction in the components of sun-damaged skin such as “age-spots” (also called sun freckles, liver spots, and lentigines), fine lines, wrinkles, scarring, uneven coloration, skin laxity, textural irregularities, dull tone, and a thinned collagen layer. The skin will continue to improve for a period of 6 months following the procedure provided proper skincare is used and sun exposure is minimized. Sometimes the results are not significant until the 6th and even the 9th month, depending on the person’s age, their aftercare routine and their history of smoking.

It depends on the type, depth, duration of the scars. Multiple sessions [6-10 sessions] are required for 4 weeks apart. 50-80% can be cleared easily. The more the number of sessions the better the results.