At a glance

Concerns: sunspots, fine lines, wrinkles, scarring, skin texture
Procedure: ablative CO2 laser treatment
Time to complete: 30-60 minutes
Time to recover: 4-7 days
Result: moderate improvement over 2-3 months
Longevity: years
Risk: extremely low

What is Fractional CO2 Laser

Fractional CO2 laser skin treatments are a form of ablative laser treatment that can decrease the appearance of sunspots, fine lines, wrinkles, and scarring, and improve skin texture. The treatment is used to give your skin a fresher, more youthful skin tone and texture. It can be applied to the face, neck, and chest regions. CO2 laser treatment provides minimal downtime with some of the best results you can get without having surgery.

How does it work?

The CO2 laser delivers light in an array of narrow, focused “microbeams”, to create columns of heat within the skin. These microbeams penetrate deep into the dermis, vaporizing the tissues, leaving small wells in the skin that are filled-in by new stem cells to form new healthy tissue. As opposed to non-ablative lasers, the CO2 laser does break the skin. Because of the heat it immediately cauterizes, and so there is usually no bleeding or bruising.

Treatment is performed under local anesthetic, using a hand piece gently guided across the skin delivering microbeams of CO2 light energy into the skin. Treatments usually last 30-60 minutes, depending on the surface area treated.

A series of treatments may be required to achieve your desired results. Dr. Horton will be able to give you more information about CO2 laser skin resurfacing and expected outcomes.

What is recovery like?

You may experience lingering redness, warmth, swelling, or tightness in the treated area, which fades within 4 to 7 days. Generally, you can receive a treatment and go back to work or to other activities the next week. Because the light pulses are confined to narrow columns in the skin, much of the skin is left unaffected and there is a quick healing process; most people notice positive changes in skin tone and texture within two to three months. Many patients will see a significant improvement within a single treatment.