CO2 Laser Treatments: Two Core Techniques for Rejuvenated Skin
Age is just a number. At Smart Skin Dermatology, we believe your skin deserves to tell a different story. Our CO2 laser is your key to unlocking a timeless canvas, offering two transformative techniques to suit your unique journey.
What is CO2 Laser and the Two Types of Treatment:
Full Face Resurfacing: Rewrite Your Skin's Narrative
This "gold standard" of anti-aging gently removes the top layer, sparking a vibrant renewal from within.
Ideal for:
- Those yearning for a dramatic transformation – erasing years with every gentle pulse.
- Individuals burdened by sun damage or hyperpigmentation, dreaming of a radiant comeback.
- Patients with acne scars seeking a smooth, blemish-free story to tell.
- Anyone who craves a comprehensive rewrite of their skin's narrative.
Spot Treatment: Edit Life's Minor Marks
Life leaves its mark, but you don't have to wear them forever. CO2 laser spot treatment offers pinpoint precision to erase unwanted chapters.
Ideal for:
- Individuals with specific imperfections they wish to erase without a full facial rewrite.
- Time-conscious patients seeking a quick, convenient edit to their story.
- Anyone who prefers a targeted approach to address localized concerns.
The Smart Skin Difference
Your skin's journey is unique, and our Board-certified Dermatologist and Advanced Practice Providers are your expert editors.
Expectations and Downtime
More dramatic and yes, best results come with downtime. This is the trade off we balance everyday in aesthetic medicine. We will take the time to give you the truth and find the right treatment for YOU.
Dermatologists are Skin Specialists
We know everything there is to know about skin. This allows us to go beyond what can be achieved at a spa or plastic surgeon’s office to give you the best recommendations for your goals.
Comprehensive Technologies
We have access to a full range of treatment options. We have solutions to all needs and won’t be subject to recommending something just because that’s what we have like most practices.
No One Does CO2 Like We Do
CO2 results range from good to “wow I look 10 years younger”. We prefer the latter. We have developed a protocol that includes pre-treatment neurotoxin and post-treatment skincare to get you the best results possible. This protocol took 5 years and hundreds of patients to create.
Patients for Life Transparency
We want patients for life, not for one round of treatment. This means we won’t sell you on hopes and dreams. Seeking out cosmetic intervention is hard enough without the car salesman approach. We promise to provide options to meet you where you are at and retain you for life.
Cut Through the Marketing Noise:
- How much downtime is involved for full face resurfacing?
Full face resurfacing requires a minimum of 7-10 days of healing. We typically recommend patients take 10 to 14 days away from work or other activities while healing. - What about “light CO2”?
Sometimes other doctors will use this term for when they do a CO2 full face treatment at reduced settings. There are typically two reasons for this: either they do not have much experience doing treatments and want to avoid doing a full treatment or they do not have a complimentary laser such as a erbium thulium laser or Frax laser. There are typically better options than a light CO2 if that's what your concerns call for. - Aren’t CO2 lasers dangerous?
Not in the hands of a skilled cosmetic dermatologist. These lasers got a bad reputation in the 70’s & 80’s when they were “fully ablative” Lasers now are fractionated and take away much of the scarring risks with the older devices.
Treatment Areas
Full Face Resurfacing
- Face.
As the name implies, this is the most common treatment area. - Partial face.
Typically only used when treating acne scars or areas of dense textural concern. - Neck.
A common addition to any full face treatment. We artistically “feather” out the results for an appearance that is very natural and not a harse line. - Shoulders or back.
This is typically only for treatment of acne scars.
Spot Treatment
- Stubborn Facial wrinkles.
At times this makes sense to do spot treatment of the more stubborn facial wrinkles not responding to other treatments. - Anywhere a stubborn spot or pigment is.
As the name “spot treatment” implies, this treatment is best for directly targeting what you want removed regardless of the location. - Genitals.
There are more rare applications of this laser energy when targeting a condition called Hailey-hailey disease. This is a non-sexually transmitted disease that leaves painful plaques and blisters on the groin.
Common Treatment Targets
Full Face Resurfacing
Deep wrinkles and fine lines become chapters forgotten.
Texture and tone blossom into a smooth, polished masterpiece.
Enlarged pores whisper away, leaving a refined, luminous finish.
Acne scars and sun damage fade into oblivion, revealing your flawless potential.
Spot Treatment
Stubborn moles that cast unwelcome shadows vanish with laser-like focus.
Sebaceous hyperplasias or “oil glands” can be highly targeted when there are many.
Unwanted warts and skin tags become footnotes of the past.
Even those pesky fine lines around your eyes fade into smooth, youthful prose.
Post-Treatment Care
Due to our “secret sauce” we will not mention this here. We are the leaders in this space. We have developed a pre and post treatment care routine that will offer 50% better results in up to half the recovery time. If you choose to go forward with your treatment, we will give you all the details.
Similar treatments on the market:
Full Face Resurfacing:
- Fraxel or Frax lasers. We are typically erbium thulium lasers that we call the “CO2’s little brother”. They are great devices and offer great results but typically they require 6 treatments or more to approach what a full face CO2 can offer.
- Deep chemical peels such as a phenol peel. These have mostly been phased out. They offer results that are almost identical to a CO2 laser. They do however have a much higher risk profile and are more prone to complications and scarring.
- Microneedling. This would be a small step down from a Fraxel laser treatment mentioned above. It does however do great to compliment a CO2 treatment when addressing acne scars.
- Facelift. Two entirely different treatments that will commonly be mixed up. A facelift lifts the face and while the CO2 does produce more collagen, it typically cannot replace a facelift in the same way a facelift cannot replace a CO2. A facelift without a CO2 Laser will leave the person with the same quality of skin they had going in with no improvement to tone, texture, or pigmentation.
Spot Treatment:
- Cautery. For the burning off or removal of stubborn lesions. This is a good alternative but is not nearly as precise.
- Cryotherapy. Freezing of lesions is very effective for their removal however we typically view this as a medical dermatology procedure and never a cosmetic one. The patient will almost always replace the lesion with a small hypopigmented scar in its place. In cosmetic dermatology we want to avoid a scar all together.
Possible Side Effects:
- Redness & swelling
- Discomfort or burning sensation
- Crusting
- Dryness & itching
- (rare) infection, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, scarring and corneal injury
