Skin Resurfacing: Never Before So Great a Need
Lots of people today look younger at a given age than their parents’ generation looked – the result of more options in lifestyle and careers, and a higher consciousness of nutrition and exercise.
One great exception to this is on the surface of the skin. Our lifestyle options have given us more time for recreation, and much of that recreation takes place outdoors. The leisure tan that used to be the hallmark of wealthy people became a status symbol, and then became accessible to most everyone.
But the effects of the sun don’t discriminate between tanning and damage, and many people have not protected themselves enough to delay lines, wrinkles, and other signs of premature aging. These natural evolutions of aging are speeded up by the lives we live today. As a result, the need and demand for skin resurfacing is at an all-time high.
When People Get Serious About Reversing the Signs
The impact of outdoor living on the skin is so widespread that many people have tried superficial solutions before seeking the counsel of a board-certified plastic surgeon. Some of these retail products work and many do not, but none of them offers as significant or lasting a result as professional skin resurfacing. And the options available today assure patients of the chance to choose the procedure, or combination of procedures, that is right for their own unique goals and concerns.
Dermabrasion
One advantage that a plastic surgeon can discuss is the option of dermabrasion. It differs from microdermabrasion in that it does more than just exfoliate the skin, going deeper to give the top layer of skin a chance to re-grow its own surface and start fresh. Dermabrasion of course requires a higher level of professional qualifications than microdermabrasion, and the results are more significant and long-lasting.
Dermabrasion uses a rotating instrument to smooth out fine lines and scars, and reduce wrinkles. It can relieve problem areas such as acne scarring, or it can be applied over the entire face for an overall resurfacing, so it is versatile as well as effective. It is especially good for treating perioral lines or lines around the mouth.
Fractionated CO2 Laser Resurfacing
An especially beneficial development in laser resurfacing is the process known as fractionated – or “pixelated” – laser resurfacing. In this technique, tiny “islands” of skin are skipped over by the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser instrument to enlist those islands – or pixels – in the recovery, healing, and resurfacing process. Faster recovery and, for many people, a more gentle-looking result are among the advantages of the fractionated approach.
For more severe sun damage, blotchiness, or scarring, fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing offers a deeper treatment than dermabrasion. The benefits, including skin tightening, continue to develop for months after the treatment, although immediate improvements are visible, too.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels offer four different depths of treatment, ranging from very superficial facials such as those available at day spas, to deep chemical peels that require the qualifications of a more highly trained and experienced professional. Deeper levels of chemical peel treatment are effective in relieving moderate to severe wrinkling and sun damage, age spots, and even benign lesions and blemishes.
Advancements in other forms of resurfacing have, in some cases, made medium and deep levels of chemical peel treatment less applicable. Yet, because every face is unique, any option might become relevant. Often, chemical peels are used in combination with another procedure to complete or round out the overall result.
Selecting the right approach to skin resurfacing begins by talking with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has the qualifications and experience to recommend the right answer for you without bias toward any one solution. We invite you to contact us with confidence.
About Mike Majmundar, M.D.
Dr. Mike Majmundar is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon and has been named a Top Doctor by Atlanta Magazine, a National Top Doctor by U.S. News & World Report & Castle Connolly, a Top Beauty Expert by The Atlantan, Best Self, and Northside Woman, and Best Botox and Filler Injector by Jezebel. To read his patient reviews, visit RealSelf or Google+. Dr. Majmundar is also a member of the American Association of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), the world’s largest association of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons (with over 4,000 members) and the only organization dedicated to the advancement of plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face, head and neck, as well as the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery.
