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Worried about wrinkles, discoloration, or uneven skin texture? Laser skin resurfacing may be just the thing you need to restore your skin and achieve a more youthful appearance that looks completely natural. Laser treatments range in their abilities, but there are primarily two options we use here at Quintessa Aesthetic Center: BBL lasers and Sciton Halo lasers.
- Broadband Light (BBL) therapy laser treatment specifically targets brown and red spots. It works by heating the upper layers of the skin with non-coherent light. This light energy is absorbed by the brown and red spots, this triggers a chemical process that promotes skin cell and collagen regeneration.
- Sciton Halo lasers reveal a youthful layer of skin and require no downtime. The Halo is a combination of two lasers, one non-ablative laser to coagulate affected tissue, and one ablative laser which vaporizes away the affected tissue. Halo devices use non-ablative and ablative wavelengths.
Regardless of which treatment you select, caring for the skin after laser treatment and following the best practices provided by your healthcare professional will help you enjoy great results for as long as possible.
So how do you maintain these youthful results? Here is what you can expect during recovery as well as some helpful advice skincare advice to make sure you see long-lasting results.
Expect Changes in Your Skin After Laser treatment
Depending on the type of laser treatment you select, the possibility of redness may be as short as a couple of hours or as long as several days post treatment. After a BBL or Halo laser treatment, patients can expect the former. Furthermore, some amount of skin peeling afterward is to be expected.
The main goal behind each of these laser treatments is to exfoliate the top layer of skin so that new skin can form. We like to tell our patients the skin is similar to different grades of sandpaper following BBL laser treatment. After treatment, your skin may feel rough for the first few days, then slowly, the granule size of the textured skin will shrink.
For those who want to diminish fine lines and texture nuances on the skin with no downtime at all after treatment, the Sciton Halo laser is your best bet. The Halo laser provides aggressive laser resurfacing that will restore your youthful glow without the commitment to hiding away for days as the skin heals.
Skincare Immediately After Laser Treatments
If you’ve chosen a more aggressive laser treatment that requires downtime as the top layer of skin peels off, then you’ll want to make sure you care for the treated area as directed by your provider. Put stronger products like prescription-strength retinoids and exfoliants away for now, and instead, use gentle, moisturizing products such as Aquaphor or petroleum jelly. These products will form a protective barrier over your delicate, healing skin following treatment. They’ll also act as a liquid bandage, protecting your skin from bacteria and other infectious agents. In addition, these skincare products will help trap moisture in the skin and relieve discomfort.
Certain products are specifically designed to help the recovery process after a deep laser treatment. Specifically, there are two products that are closely related to each other. Oxy-Mist and Amino-MistThey both contain ingredients that improve wound healing and help with the production of collagen beneath the skin’s surface.
Skincare After Several Days
After the first several days after laser treatment, you might be able to stop using the protective barrier of petroleum jelly on your skin but you’ll still want to be very gentle and cautious about caring for the skin. During this stage, look for lotions that focus on moisturizing the skin rather than products that actively fight wrinkles. A lotion with hyaluronic acid is often ideal during this period. Hyaluronic acid helps your skin cells hold and regulate moisture, keeping your skin appearing hydrated and plump.
Makeup can cover any persistent redness, but only if your skin is no longer peeling. If makeup is new territory for you, the staff at Quintessa are happy to help you find a product that provides enough coverage and will even show you how to apply it.
Skincare After You Are Fully Healed
Once your skin is fully healed after laser treatment, you may use your corrective or restorative skincare products once again (as approved by your healthcare provider). These contain more aggressive ingredients such as retinoids which help maintain the results of your laser treatment by fighting wrinkles or by keeping hyperpigmentation at bay. The goal is to encourage a healthy amount of cell turnover and to protect the skin from sun damage and other factors that contribute to the signs of aging. Even though it’s tempting to save money on drug store brands, prescription-strength products usually contain more active ingredients and are only available at medical spas and doctor’s offices.
Get A Customized Skincare plan
At Quintessa, we are more than happy to help design a customized skincare plan to meet your post-laser treatment needs with our Aesthetic Advisor Program. Aesthetic needs are so unique that they require specific, personalized guidance. An Aesthetic Advisor is your motivator, educator, and mentor. Having an expert Aesthetic Advisor can also save you money as you no longer need to experiment with products that may not be right for you. At Quintessa, we believe the true essence of beauty begins with relationships. That is why we do our best to understand how to best guide you through your skincare journey after laser treatment and help you maintain satisfactory results long term.
Consider Other Skin Treatments Between Sessions
Even with the best skincare routine, the results from laser skin resurfacing treatment won’t last forever. You can help extend the necessary time between laser treatments by considering other, less intense treatments in the meantime.
Chemical peel
For example, you might consider a chemical peel from time to time to help maintain your results. Similar to laser treatments, chemical peels are available in a variety of strengths. A mild peel has the least amount of downtime and can be useful if you just want to give your skin a little boost. If it’s been a while since your laser skin resurfacing treatment, you might need a deeper peel to provide the results you want.
microneedling
We are also proud to offer medical aesthetic services like microneedling and microdermabrasion treatments to go along with your facial services. These treatments, along with other services, speed up cellular turnover, and promote new collagen creation.
cleansing brush
At the very least, everyone should invest in a cleansing brush such as the Clarisonic. It removes dirt and oil up to 11 times better than washing alone and aids in cellular turnover.
