Laser Skin Resurfacing

Over the years, there have been many attempts to improve the quality of the skin by producing controlled injuries to the skin, resulting in improved appearing skin after healing occurred. The original agents used for this were a variety of chemicals that had variable effectiveness. Some produced more dramatic results, while others were less effective. One problem that frequently occurred with peels was that they were highly operator-dependent, and even in the hands of the same operator could, at times, produce inconsistent results. Also, the peels had a relatively high incidence of adverse effects, especially the more aggressive peels.

To reduce these problems there has been a move, over the years, to try to obtain similar results in a safer and more reproducible fashion. Lasers were the obvious solution, and for a number of years the CO2 laser was the instrument of choice. With time, lasers with an even better side-effect profile were developed, and these days the CO2 laser is used infrequently by most physicians. We have replaced our CO2 laser with the Sciton Erbium laser, which is also effective for the treatment of acne scars, and even less likely to produce problems.