People spend a pretty penny on beauty products to treat and prevent acne scars, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. Yet topical treatments can only do so much. When that happens, you might consider turning to options like micro-needling, Botox, and laser skin resurfacing.
Not sure about that last one? Don't worry—we've got you covered. Dermatologist Arash Akhavan, MD, FAAD, the founder and director of The Dermatology and Laser Group, and cosmetic dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, MD, chief medical officer and founder of PFRANKMD and the author of The Pro-Aging Playbook, are going to share everything you need to o know about laser skin resurfacing.
What Is Laser Skin Resurfacing?
Think of laser skin resurfacing as a broad term that encompasses lots of different kinds or types of lasers. There are tons of different ways to categorize lasers (for instance, CO2 vs. erbium, fractional vs. non-fractional, and nanosecond vs. picosecond), but Frank says lasers can generally be broken down into ablative and non-ablative.
Ablative means that the laser is tuned in such a way that it’s going to vaporize the surface of the skin, according to Akhavan. The ablative laser is a more robust laser that will create more injury, which means more downtime and more risk is associated with it but also potentially better results from one treatment.
The non-ablative laser is going to generate heat below the surface of the skin and will be gentler and less risky—especially for those who have a little bit of pigment in their skin—but Akhavan adds that the results will be a bit milder.
Despite the fact that there are many different lasers with different wavelengths, Akhavan says they all work by activating your body’s own natural mechanisms to heal something. "There are different ways of doing it, but they’re all operating, in the end, through the same pathway of creating injuries that’ll get your body to form new collagen and new skin in response," Akhavan explains.
What is the Cost?
Treatments for laser resurfacing can range from as little as $400 up to $7,500. Frank says the lasers that are quicker, easier, and have the least downtime (like a day or so) are going to be cheaper, while the lasers that are much more intense and require more anesthesia or sedation and take more assistance in recovery will cost more.
Where you're located can also affect the cost as well as the person providing the treatment. In general, Frank recommends seeing a board-certified laser specialist, such as a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon. For the lighter, non-ablative procedures with little downtime, nurses and physician assistants are appropriate, but Frank stresses that you want to make sure someone has the skill and experience to determine who’s a good candidate and what's going to be the best type of resurfacing laser for them.
