CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatments in Lehi, Utah

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 Skin Resurfacing?

Full Face Resurfacing

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

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.

Schedule a consultation:

Elite

MD Consult

$ 100 [Does not go towards treatment]
  • Ideal for:
  • Patients wanting the best of the best
  • Complicated, advanced, or non-responsive cases
  • Patients who simply prefer a doctor
  • CO2 resurfacing, liposuction, surgical alternatives
  • Not Ideal for
  • Weight loss injections, derm clean ups, facials

Cosmetic Consults

What's Included:
  • 30 minute (double length) visit
  • Baseline "before" photos
  • Advanced Trueskin Age® analysis
  • Goal setting & history intake
  • Evaluation and treatment plan
  • Pricing & education
Signature

Nurse Consult

$ 0 [Credit card on file required]
  • Ideal for:
  • Patients who prioritize price
  • Weight loss injections, derm clean ups, facials
  • Accessibility
  • Not Ideal for:
  • Patients who simply prefer a doctor
  • CO2 resurfacing, liposuction, surgical alternatives

co2 laser Treatment types

"Full"

CO2 Full Face Laser Resurfacing

CO2 Full Face Laser Resurfacing

Best and most significant results. This laser treatment requires 1-2 weeks off of work to allow for recovery. Take 5-10 years off your appearance. 

"Light"

CO2 Light Laser Resurfacing

CO2 Light Laser Resurfacing

We lower the settings and remove our deep collagen setting. This surface resurfacing treatment removes the dedicated downtime. Great for those who want to avoid time off. 

"Small"

CO2 Small Area Laser Resurfacing

CO2 Small Area Laser Resurfacing

Same as our full option, but for target problem areas only. This laser treatment option requires 1 week off of work to allow for recovery. Great for acne scarring on the cheeks and similar localized concerns. 

"Spot"

CO2 Spot Laser Removal

CO2 Spot Laser Removal

Less anti-aging, more precise removal. Specialized settings aim to remove specific lesions or erase scars.

Co2 laser types: How it works

CO2 Full face laser resurfacing

Aging occurs with time & environmental factors

This includes collagen loss, pigmentation, sun damage, fine lines, wrinkles, scarring, acne scarring, etc.

Two laser settings: Deep & Superficial

Laser aggressively targets water, vaporizing it in precise columns. This fractionated patter leaves portion of skin untreated minimizing downtime and promoting healing. Thin columns penetrate deep, while broad columns resurface only the top most layer of skin.

The Treatment Explained

The precise columns remodel and resurface the skin. This is similar to aerating your lawn. The small plugs removed from the lawn allows for nutrient uptake and promotes new growth. The result is a healthier more uniform lawn.

Collagen formation & tightening

The thinner columns penetrate into the deep dermis skin layer. Settings are chosen to reach the depth of collagen and elastin. The textural improvements come from this setting. Skin tightening and smoothening of the skin.

Beautiful baby skin

broader columns only penetrate and remove the top layer of skin. This precise removal allows for undamaged baby skin to replace this layer during healing. This removes years of skin damage.

CO2 Small area laser resurfacing

Aging occurs with time & environmental factors

Problem areas of damaged skin may be more prominent only in localized areas of the face. This is most common for acne scars and fine lines, but could also include collagen loss, pigmentation, sun damage, wrinkles, scarring, etc.

Two laser settings: Deep & Superficial

Laser aggressively targets water, vaporizing it in precise columns. This fractionated patter leaves portion of skin untreated minimizing downtime and promoting healing. Thin columns penetrate deep, while broad columns resurface only the top most layer of skin.

The Treatment Explained

The precise columns remodel and resurface the skin. This is similar to aerating your lawn. The small plugs removed from the lawn allows for nutrient uptake and promotes new growth. The result is a healthier more uniform lawn.

Collagen formation & tightening

The thinner columns penetrate into the deep dermis skin layer. Settings are chosen to reach the depth of collagen and elastin. The textural improvements come from this setting. Skin tightening and smoothening of the skin.

Beautiful baby skin

broader columns only penetrate and remove the top layer of skin. This precise removal allows for undamaged baby skin to replace this layer during healing. This removes years of skin damage.

CO2 light laser resurfacing

Aging occurs with time & environmental factors

Problem areas of damaged skin may be more prominent only in localized areas of the face. For some, the resulting age related damage is less severe and is primarily pigmentary discoloration and superficial fine lines. Broadly, this is referred to as skin "tone".

The best resurfacing, only lighter

A significantly "lighter" setting is used and only for the superficial laser setting. This same fractionated patter leaves portion of skin untreated promoting healing. Downtime is further minimized with the settings chosen for our "light" treatment option.

The treatment explained

CO2 light vs. CO2 full is similar to walking vs. running. The same muscles are used and the same general intention or result is achieved by both. The difference is in intensity. Significant anti aging results are like number of calories burned.

The Treatment Explained

The precise columns remodel and resurface the skin. This is similar to aerating your lawn. The small plugs removed from the lawn allows for nutrient uptake and promotes new growth. The result is a healthier more uniform lawn.

Repeat until results are obtained

Sun damage and surface level texture, like fine lines, will improve with each treatment. This light version is typically done in series. The number of treatments depends on the level of damage to start with and the desired end result of the patient.

CO2 spot laser resurfacing

Growths & scars appear with time, genetics, and injury

The type of growths, the source, and the applications are endless in this category. If there is something on the skin that you don't want there anymore or less apparent. This CO2 variation aims to expertly remove.

Note: Removals intended for insurance billing do not utilize. This higher level treatment is above and beyond and thus near 0% historical  insurance coverage.

Precise laser removal by ablation

Laser aggressively targets water vaporizing in the individual skin cells. Settings tend to be to be more aggressive and contained within smaller treatment area or "wound". This method has the lowest % scar probability rate for benign removals.

The Treatment Explained

The precise columns remodel and resurface the skin. This is similar to aerating your lawn. The small plugs removed from the lawn allows for nutrient uptake and promotes new growth. The result is a healthier more uniform lawn.

The treatment explained

The science remains the same as is the case for all CO2 laser types. This removal method is easily explained. We like you, love our washing machines, and irons for cleaning & caring for our clothes. There will always a stubborn stain or  garment type that needs a dry cleaner.

Co2 laser: 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. 

CO2 Laser FAQ

  1. 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.
  2. 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 an erbium thulium laser or Frax laser. There are typically better options than a light CO2 if that's what your concerns call for.
  3. 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 which reduces most of the scarring risks associated with older devices.
Beautiful thin woman with arms crossed

co2 laser 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 hard line. 
  • Shoulders or back
    This is typically only for treatment of acne scars.

Spot Treatment

  • Stubborn Facial wrinkles
    At times it makes sense to do spot treatment of the more stubborn facial wrinkles that are 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
    This is a more rare application of this laser energy to target a condition called Hailey-Hailey disease. This is a non-sexually transmitted disease that leaves painful plaques and blisters on the groin. 

Co2 laser 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.

co2 laser 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.

Smiling, beautiful woman peeking through fingers and laughing

Similar treatments on the market:

Full-Face Resurfacing:

  • Fraxel or Frax lasers. Also known as erbium thulium lasers.  They are typically called the “CO2’s little brother”. They are great devices and offer great results but typically they require 6 treatments or more to accomplish 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, however they have a much higher-risk profile and are more prone to complications and scarring. 
  • Microneedling. This would be a small step down from the Fraxel laser treatment mentioned above. When addressing acne scars, it is a great complement to a CO2 treatment. 
  • Facelift. These are two entirely different treatments that are commonly mixed up. A facelift lifts the face. A CO2 treatment produces more collagen and improves the tone, texture, and/or pigmentation of the skin.  As you can see, they do different things.  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. With cryotherapy the patient will almost end up with a small hypopigmented scar in its place. In cosmetic dermatology we want to avoid a scar all together.

CO2 Laser Possible Side Effects:

  • Redness & swelling
  • Discomfort or burning sensation
  • Crusting
  • Dryness & itching
  • (rare) infection, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, scarring and corneal injury

Ready to unveil your ageless skin? Trust Smart Skin Dermatology, your expert guide to the world of CO2 laser treatments. Schedule a consultation today, and let us turn back the pages on your skin's story, revealing a timeless masterpiece beneath.

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