WHAT IS LASER RESURFACING

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Laser skin resurfacing is a nonsurgical, in-office procedure that heats up the lower layers of the skin, causing microdamage and triggering the body’s healing response. As the skin regenerates, its tone and texture improves. This treatment is commonly used to treat fine lines and wrinkles, acne scars, dark spots and freckles, dark circles, crepey skin, dullness, and discoloration. It can also help tighten mild sagging.

MWDA Tip: Many people choose to have laser resurfacing in the winter, when UV rays are less intense and there’s less risk of unintended sun exposure.

Also known as: Laser peel, or Skin resurfacing.

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HOW DOES LASER RESURFACING WORK

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Not all laser resurfacing treatments are the same, and there are two primary categories: ablative and nonablative.

• Ablative laser treatments remove the surface layer of your skin while heating up the water molecules in its lower layer, to trigger the healing response. This skin removal leaves you red and raw, with at least a week of downtime while your skin heals.

• Nonablative laser treatments leave the surface of the skin intact, heating only the lower layer. There’s typically little to no significant downtime after nonablative laser resurfacing.

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