Beauty Doc Blog

If you’ve determined it’s time to declare all-out war against the signs of aging – fine lines, age spots, wrinkles, and damage caused by smoking or exposure to the sun – there are a variety of minimally-invasive procedures to resurface the skin.

Resurfacing involves removing the damaged outer layers of skin so that, as part of the healing process, the new cells will emerge and provide a smoother, more youthful appearance.

These procedures require no incisions and may not require anesthesia. Patients experience very minimal or non-existent downtime following the procedures.

Common skin resurfacing procedures include:

• microdermabrasion, a procedure which uses a combination of mild abrasion and suction to spray tiny crystals across the face and then remove them, along with the outer layers of skin;
• dermabrasion, which scrapes away the top layers of skin in order to smooth wrinkles, fine lines and scars;
• chemical peels, which cause age spots to dissolve by making the skin’s tissue seem less transparent;
• laser skin resurfacing, which removes veins and dark spots by utilizing short bursts of a laser’s light;
• photo rejuvenation, which reduces redness and provides the skin with a smooth, even tone;
• laser resurfacing, which utilizes a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser to remove areas of damaged or wrinkled skin, layer by layer. This procedure is done in conjunction with another cosmetic operation, such as a facelift or eyelid surgery.

Skin resurfacing procedures may cost from a couple hundred dollars for microdermabrasion to a couple thousand dollars for laser skin resurfacing.

Ideal candidates for skin resurfacing procedures would be someone with the desire to repair wrinkled or sun-damaged skin, smooth the skin, remove spider veins or age spots, eliminate vertical wrinkles around the mouth or crow’s feet around the eyes, even out blotchy pigmentation, or to abolish scars caused by chicken pox or acne.

Keep in mind that while nothing can stop your skin from aging, skin resurfacing may subtract several years from your appearance.