Skin Rejuvenation

Superficial changes that occur within the skin - such as wrinkles, surface irregularities and differences in pigmentation - can be treated by a variety of methods. These methods are collectively referred to as skin resurfacing.

Until recently, the most common procedures included chemical peels and dermabrasion, in which the outer layers of the skin are removed to achieve a smoother, fresher appearance. Chemical peels are still used today. A TCA peel is a relatively mild chemical peel that requires about 5 -7 days of recovery. No anesthesia is necessary. It is used to treat pigmentation changes as well as fine lines. A more aggressive chemical peel is a Croton Oil peel which is more aggressive and is used to treat moderate to deep wrinkles. It requires about 2 weeks for healing and the skin may be red for several months after that. Several weeks of home pretreatment are also usually necessary.

Other approaches include laser resurfacing - most notably with CO2 and Erbium lasers. The Sciton laser is a variation of the Erbium laser. These treatments can be either mild or more aggressive as the laser energy can be adjusted upward or downward depending on the situation and the desired results. The newest addition to laser resurfacing is the Fractionated CO2 laser which delivers the laser energy to a "fraction" of the entire skin surface leaving some areas untreated. This is on a microscopic level so the skip and treated areas cannot be seen with the naked eye. The untreated areas, however, allow faster healing. The attractive aspect of this technique is the shorter healing time and shorter downtime.

Laser treatments are usually performed with mild sedation and local anesthesia on an outpatient basis. Microdermabrasion requires no anesthesia. This is typically performed by an aesthetician or skin care specialist.