What is it? | Consultation | Preparation | Procedure | Recovery | Safety & Risks

What is Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment?

Laser therapy is common in dermatology to achieve a reactivation of collagen and elastin, resulting in a tightening effect on the skin, reducing lines and diminishing spots. Specifically Fractional CO2-Laser is being used for cosmetic treatment of skin conditions like:

• photo-aged skin: fine wrinkles around the face, spots, pores, thickened skin
  (face, hands, décolleté)
• acne scars: the ideal treatment to improve skin texture and reduce the
  depth of scars, as long as acne is no longer active
• eyelids sagging: improves the texture of the eyelid, removes fine wrinkles
  and improves skin laxity without resorting to surgery

Fractional CO2 Laser are using a gas mixture containing about 20% of carbon dioxide and producing a laser in the infrared with a wavelength of 10.600 nm. Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers are a popular choice for skin resurfacing treatments and acne scar repair. Early treatment of skin cancer with CO2-Laser has also been reported. You should talk to your dermatologist if this might be an option for you.

Penetrating deep into the skin and underlying tissue Fractional CO2 Laser heat quickly the water in skin cells and remove them. This process is also called ablation. Because regular Fractional CO2 Laser resurfacing can be a painful process with a substantial recovery period, you should use Fractional CO2 Laser systems since they are substantially reducing recovery time and side effects.

Any area of the body can be treated. The most common areas are face, neck, hands and décolleté.

The duration of a Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment depends on several factors, like the area to be treated and can be between 30  and 50 minutes.

Ask you doctor about the number of cycles and intervals he or she recommends. Most treatments do require between 1-3 sessions with an interval of 1-2 months.

You may need additional treatments depending on the severity of your skin condition. For long-term benefit, any treatment should always be combined with an effective sunscreen. Consult your doctor to decide which sunscreen is right for you.

Make sure the equipment your doctor uses for this treatment comes from experienced medical or cosmetic equipment providers – the efficiencyof your treatment as well as your personal health depend on it (e.g. Laser).

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Consultation

The success and safety of your Fractional CO2 Laser treatment depends very much on your complete candidness. Your doctor will determine which areas of your body may benefit from it and evaluate:

1. Your motives, your expectations and desired outcome of the treatment.
2. Your medical condition, drug allergies and previous medical procedures.
3. If and which previous treatments you have already realized.
4. Your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors.
5. Take photographs for your medical record.
8. Discuss likely outcomes of this IPL treatment and any risks or potentialcomplications.

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Preparation for Procedure

Preparations might differ but in most cases your doctor will ask you to arrive with a clean face and follow these recommendation 3-4 weeks prior to the Fractional CO2 Laser treatment:

• consultation with your doctor
• taking photosensitizing and depigmentation medication
• schedule the use of sunscreen (at least LPF30)
• avoid direct sunlight

Following these recommendation will help to avoid partial de-coloration of your skin or other possible complications.
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Procedure

This treatment is usually performed under regional anesthesia. Your doctor will apply a topical anesthetic t the are of your skin that will be treated. It is important to emphasize the difference between regular CO2-Laser Treatment and Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment. You should not have regular CO2-Laser Treatment performed because of longer recovery periods and much higher risk of complications. If, against all recomendations, you should use regular CO2-Laser Treatment be aware that intra-venous sedation or general anesthesy might be required.

After applying anesthesia your doctor will move the laser over affected areas several times. The Fractional CO2 Laser will heat up the water in irradiated skin cells and evaporate them. This process is called ablation and can be either applied in a linear way or covering smaller circular areas.

The duration of your Fractional CO2 Laser treatment depends on the size of the treated area as well as depth of scars, etc. and can last between 30 -50minutes!

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Recovery from the Procedure

Immediately after the Fractional CO2 Laser treatment until the second day you will experience a certain reddening and swelling of the treated areas.

Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment, in stark contrast to regular CO2-Laser Treatment has very short recovery times. Whereas recovery times for regular CO2-Laser Treatment is between 3-6 months, patients treated with Fractional CO2-Laser have usually recovered after 5-8 days. In very rare cases some redness can endure up to 1 month.

Usually within 1-2 months, once your skin has fully recovered, the second session is performed. In this session the improvement you observe will be even more remarkable. However, in many cases only one treatment is required. It is essential to have this procedure performed by either a dermatologist or an esthetic surgeon.

Eight (8) days after your treatment you can use makeup and sunscreen. It is advisable to use sunscreen with an LPV of at least 30, and avoid direct sunlight as it can alter the regenerated skin pigmentation. Each skin-type is different and each patients skin reacts in a different way. Depending on our very specific skin condition and the treatment your doctor recommends, you should consult your doctor about what kind of skincare you should apply and how long the recovery will take in your specific case.

Your doctor might also recommend to continue taking depigmentation medication. A revision is required 8 days after the treatment – plan enough time in your stay to allow a timely revision and if required adjustment of the treatment or medication.

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Safety & Risks

Every cosmetic treatment involves a certain degree of risk and it is important that you understand the risks associated with the Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment. Each individual’s choice to undergo a cosmetic treatment is based on the comparison of risk to potential benefit. Although most patients do not experience these complications, you should discuss each of them with your doctor to make sure you understand the risks, potential complications and consequences of Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment.

• redness (erythema) and swelling (edema) in the immediate postoperative period
• cases of conjunctivitis usually disappear within 5 to 8 days
• partial loss of sensitivity is usually corrected within a few weeks
• pathological scarring, itches or pain can occur
• blindness after Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment is extremely rare but can be caused by laser injury in the eyeball during or after treatment
• infection after treatment is also extremely rare but if you experience it will require additional treatment, including antibiotics
• visible marks, scars and dyschromia in the treated areas might be observed
• asymmetry in treatment results might be observed, due to the inherent asymmetry in human faces
• chronic pain after treatment with Fractional CO2 Laser is very rare, but can occur
• effect on skin / skin cancer can develop whether or not this procedure is performed
• unsatisfactory results: because each patient’s skin react differently, you might be dissatisfied with the results of your treatment, experience deformities, loss of sensation or loss of function. This is rare but might require additional treatments.
• anesthesia – both local and general anesthesia – involve risk. There is a possibility of complications, injury and even death from all forms of surgical anesthesia or sedation.

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