What is a face rejuvenation procedure?
Facial rejuvenation is done to promote new skin growth, promote collagen production and improve the look of an aging face. This can be done surgically and nonsurgically.

What are the common methods for this?
The most common procedures are:chemical peel, dermabrasion and laser treatment.

What is a chemical peel?
A chemical peel is just that — a chemical that is applied to the face which then peels off the top layer of skin. Chemical peels are one of the oldest types of cosmetic procedures. There is evidence in ancient Egyptian writings that show that they would put milk out in the sun to sour, creating lactic acid that they would then use on their skin. Unlike the ancient Egyptians, we have access to scientific labs and a variety of acids which means we can control the depth of the burn we are creating to optimize results.

What is dermabrasion?
In this procedure we use a diamond fraise to ‘sand’ the skin. This form of treatment really provides us with a lot of control to target specific acne scars, pox marks, wrinkles, sun spots and more. This precision allows us to really focus on the areas a patient wants.

Since this tool scrapes off old skin – it promotes new growth and collagen production, similar to a chemical peel.

What is a laser treatment?
For laser treatments, we use light energy for the same effect. By focusing this high-energy beam of light we can burn the skin and get similar results to a chemical peel or dermabrasion.

This is the newest treatment we use. The options here are quite fascinating. If we focus the laser to an unique wavelength of light, it allows us to treat tattoos and colored pigments.

How is a laser treatment used on your face?
It starts the same as a chemical peel or dermabrasion, we take that first layer of skin off. The difference here is that we are then able to fractionate the laser. This means we drill holes deeper into the next layer of skin. This method does not cause scarring because we are able to leave behind stem cells located in hair follicles and sebaceous glands. By focusing the laser deeper into the layers of skin we can promote more collagen production.

Which treatment option is the best?
Each treatment is ideal for a specific purpose. Patients looking to do a full face skin rejuvenation are great candidates for chemical peels. They are done right in our office and they are not terribly painful procedures.

If you want to target specific scars or specific areas, dermabrasion is often a better option. It’s great because the physician has complete control of the treatment area and depth.

The laser is recommended for targeting dark spots, tattoos or deep wrinkles as we can safely penetrate lower layers of skin.

Are these treatments safe for all skin tones?
There is a risk of hyper or hypo pigmentation after a chemical peel, dermabrasion or laser procedure. The risk is higher the darker your skin tone is.

What is the recovery time for these procedures?
We recommend at least one week of downtime to fully regenerate the outer layer of skin. Most people stay home until the peeling slows or stops, which can take about one week.