FRACTIONAL CO2 LASER SKIN RESURFACING

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aggressively treats wrinkles, sun damage, scars, stretch marks and brown spots
one treatment last for years to come
stimulates collagen production for younger looking skin
procedure will give you a week of skin redness
due to collagen remodeling, results will be seen up to one year post treatment
very safe & effective treatment when performed by an experienced physician

Laser resurfacing (ActiveFX, DeepFX, TotalFX) is a long-lasting, comprehensive approach for treating wrinkles, dark spots, sun damage, scars, stretch marks and other skin irregularities. Over time, this process also stimulates the formation of new, underlying collagen to provide better elasticity and support for the skin. Soften the appearance of imperfections and reverse the signs of aging with safe, predictable results and minimal downtime. Procedure cost: Face $2500, Face & Neck $3000, Face, Neck & Chest $3500 Pricing does include the Post Procedure Kit necessary to use post procedure but a few other products will be required to use pre treatment and post treatment to ensure the best results from the procedure.

Videos of the Fractional Co2 Laser Resurfacing procedure performed by Dr. Seiler

-Visia Skin Analysis before Fractional Co2 Laser Resurfacing procedure Part 1

-Visia Skin Analysis before Fractional Co2 Laser Resurfacing procedure Part 2

-Numbing shots administered by Dr. Seiler before Fractional Co2 Laser Resurfacing procedure

-Actual Co2 procedure Part 1- Deep FX performed by Dr. Seiler

-Actual Co2 procedure Part 2 - Active FX performed by Dr. Seiler

-Post Co2 - IPL Photorejuvenation procedure performed by Dr. Seiler

Click here for before and after photos of co2 laser resurfacing.

Q&A with Dr. Seiler

What is Fractional CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing used to treat?

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Fractional CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing is my favorite procedure to perform. Patients get a great result. You really have to understand what “fractional” means, as there are a lot of devices that sound the same but they are all very different and most of them do not give a good result. Fractional CO2 is used mainly on the face and neck (and in other areas in special cases) to give skin smoothening and tightening, reduction in acne/traumatic/incisional scars. It has a little downtime (5-7 days of red “social downtime), but the patient is not in pain after the procedure and are not laid up in bed, miserable or uncomfortable. They are red and are using a Skin Medica ointment that we provide for healing, but patients tolerate it very well. Fractional CO2 is also used on stretch marks, moles and scars.

How do I prepare for the procedure?

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The patient will receive all necessary information about preparation during the consult. The patient cannot be tanned. We may do other treatments with skin care, chemical peels, Hydrafacial, or IPL to get the skin in good shape so it will heal well and get the best result possible. Sometimes this procedure is done first and other procedures are done after in a maintenance phase. Other times we do smaller procedures and skin care regimens first to build up to this procedure. All of this depends on what the patient wants and what is best for the skin and patient. Overall, there is not much to do before and once the patient gets through the first 5-7 days of redness, the patient is allowed to wear makeup and is generally healed.

What is the downtime?

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The patient who needs a light resurfacing for pigment resolution and moderate skin tightening who does not require a really strong treatment will usually have 4-5 days of red/pink, wears makeup at day five, is not in pain, and has minimal swelling. The patient that needs a stronger treatment for deeper skin tightening, typically the older patient or acne scarred patient, usually has a couple of days of redness but they are not in pain afterwards. I am very honest with patients and tell them that they “kinda look like a tomato” for the first 2-3 days (and we both will chuckle at that comment, but patients appreciate my honesty with them so they know what to expect) but that they get such a good result that it is worth it. I tell them that although they may look like they are in pain, they will really not be in pain. When patients come for follow-up 2-3 days later they report that it is not as bad as they thought, that they are not in pain, and if they are compliant with their skin care that they get over it very well. The patient is not laid up in bed or on pain killer after. I tell them that mentally and physically they will be fine the next day. They are usually able to go to work after two days if they do not care that they are still red. However, if the patient wished to wait to go back to work until they can wear makeup, then that time might be 5-7 days. Patients tolerate it very well. I have never had a patient regret doing it for any reason and most patients want to do it again.

When will I see the best result from the procedure?

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Usually within the first 3-4 weeks, patients will see resolution of the brown pigment, sun damage, and freckles. Within the first 3 months, you will see tightening of the crepey skin and fine lines especially under the eyes, and smoothening of the skin all over. However, the main advantage of the procedure over the others is that it really stimulates the body to heal and correct itself. It stimulates collagen remodeling which gives a much deeper tightening of the skin over time. This process doesn’t even really begin until about two months after the procedure. So I tell patients that they have to be patient and that they will really start to see the deeper skin tightening in six months and that tightening continues to increase over the next 12 months. Some of my patients look even better after 2 years than they did at one year post procedure and they have simply taken good care of their skin. So this is a very long lasting procedure.

How long does it last?

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The actual procedure itself lasts only about 20-30 minutes. The patient is usually at the office about an hour and a half to two hours to undergo topical numbing and other anesthesia to make the procedure very tolerable. It is very tolerable procedure and the patient can leave as soon as it is over. As far as how long does the result last, that’s a difficult question to answer. According to the above question I answered, you can see that the final result doesn’t occur until 6-12 months later and just continues to get better. Its not something that “wears off” and the patient has to do it again to keep the result. The skin will always look better. It really depends on how well the patient takes care of the skin after the procedure. It doesn’t stop the aging process and doesn’t keep you from damaging your skin with sun exposure and other issues. The patient who is really happy with this procedure is the one who is on good skin care, takes care of the skin, sees us regularly for maintenance procedures like chemical peels, IPL, Botox that continues to stimulate the skin and keep it looking good. It certainly isn’t a procedure that wears off after a year like other procedures. Other competing procedures make patients feel like they got an okay result but the result wears off and it wasn’t worth it. My patients are really happy for years later but a lot of them are so happy with the result that they want to do it again a year or two or longer down the road to get an even better result and continue building on the original result to keep the skin looking great. So, it lasts a long time.

To make an appointment with Dr. Seiler please contact us at 205-870-0204