There’s a popular saying that you’re only as old as you feel, and it is entirely possible to experience youthful exuberance and an active lifestyle even in one’s later years. However, decades of exposure to the sun, weathering the elements and contending with unhealthy habits like smoking and eating junk food inevitably work their way into the surface of the skin, making many of us look as old or even older than our actual age. Fortunately, modern dermatology has developed an effective response to the ravages of aging, in the form of the rapidly evolving field of laser skin resurfacing. Advances in laser technology have produced gentler, safer lasers that provide swift and efficient rejuvenation of a person’s skin. Through this cutting-edge treatment, wrinkles, acne scars, discoloration and other skin disorders are reduced and eradicated, without any of the pain and discomfort associated with other types of resurfacing procedures.

Laser skin resurfacing today involves the use of pulses of high-energy light waves to pinpoint and destroy damaged skin cells, while leaving healthy skin cells intact. These fractional lasers, as they are commonly known, focus several hundreds or even thousands of beams into an area as small as a single square inch, resulting in unprecedented treatment accuracy and faster healing. There are many classes and makes of skin lasers used by different physicians, but they generally fall into one of two types: ablative and non-ablative. Ablative lasers work on the surface and upper layer of the skin, known as the epidermis, to treat various imperfections such as lines and wrinkles. Non-ablative lasers, on the other hand, penetrate into the deeper layers of skin to treat blood vessels that cause birthmarks and spider veining, or target sebaceous glands that are responsible for hyperactive acne growth.

As with other resurfacing treatments, which include chemical peels and dermabrasion, the objective of the procedure is to remove the top layers of skin, allowing the stimulation of the dermis underneath, which should grow back healthy tissue that does not have the damage inflicted on the old skin. The main advantage of laser skin resurfacing is that it produces highly accurate results, due to the precision laser bursts. Also, lasers can target deeper layers of skin without harming the surface tissue.

The treatment lasts anywhere between a few minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of resurfacing necessary to produce optimum results. The laser emitter is passed over the area requiring treatment, sometimes repeatedly, to remove all of the damaged layers of skin tissue. The feeling has been described as having a rubber band snapped against one’s skin. As such, anesthesia or sedation are normally not applied except in particularly aggressive procedures.

Recovery from laser skin resurfacing varies widely due to the great number of kinds of lasers available, and the areas of skin that are susceptible to treatment. Generally, however, redness, swelling and mild discomfort are typical aftereffects, which go away after a few days and can be controlled with standard medication and ice packs. The surgeon may bandage the area for a few days, and apply ointment to speed up healing. Sometimes, patients develop reddish crusts on the treated area, which lasts anywhere between 3 to 10 days, and should not be picked off or scratched, or else scarring may form. As with other skin treatments, patients are strongly advised to stay away from exposure to the sun for a few weeks, and apply a strong sun block to further prevent aggravation from the sun damage that may be inflicted on the now healing skin. Make-up should also not be applied to the treated area for one to two weeks.