Everyone's skin ages differently. Sometimes it is in the genes, but often it is environmental factors that damage the skin. If you spent your younger years basking in the sun without sunscreen, you are probably seeing the consequences the older you get. By the time you realize the benefits of sunscreen and moisturizers, the damage has been done. This is not uncommon for women. In your teens and twenties, you enjoyed a youthful glow and thought a skin care regimen was for "older women." The bad news is that this is when most of the damage occurs and it may not show up until your thirties, forties and fifties. Since you can't turn back the clock, you decide laser skin resurfacing is what you need to smooth out the wrinkles and get rid of those dark splotches. Now, you just need to decide on the type of treatment.
Your surgeon will evaluate your skin and discuss with you the results you ultimately want to achieve. Based on this, he can help you decide on one of the several lasers available for treatment. Few of them are briefed below.
N-Lite
This treatment is wonderful if you are adverse to pain. It does not damage the skin anyways so anesthesia is not necessary and there is no recovery time. Immediately following the procedure, you can go about your day and none the wiser will know that you had work done. Because it doesn't damage the skin, there is no redness afterwards. The laser works by encouraging collagen production in the skin. Collagen fills the lines and wrinkles to smooth the face out. You should see the final results about three months after treatment. Oh, and it is also considerably cheaper than other treatments!
The bad news is that it is the least effective treatment for eliminating wrinkles, lines and spots. So, if you have serious skin issues, don't expect this to fix them. It may only slightly reduce the appearance.
Erbium
This type of laser is effective for mild to moderate wrinkles and discoloration. You can expect complete elimination of fine lines and a dramatic improvement in dynamic wrinkles (those creases and wrinkles that appear when you smile).
Compared to the N-Lite, this one uses an invasive process to smoothen the skin. It removes the outer layer of skin as well as stimulates collagen production. Because of this invasive process, you can expect redness and swelling along with some pain. However, a local anesthetic is used to numb the skin. Recovery time is usually about a week, but you may see redness for up to a month. Once the redness fades, you will see the end result. This process is a bit more expensive, but it is effective in producing very visible results.
CO2
This laser is the most invasive of all others, but it also produces the best results if you have deep wrinkles, lines and discoloration. It works the same as the Erbium, but it is able to remove more layers of skin. As a result, a local anesthetic is administered and, if you have the entire face done, a general may be used. The recovery time is about two weeks, but the redness may take up to four months to fade. This is when you will see the final results of the procedure.
Because this is an extensive procedure, the cost is more expensive than the other two types. However, if you have severe skin issues, this is also your best option for eliminating or dramatically reducing them.
Whichever category you fall in to, make sure you choose the right surgeon for your procedure. There are risks in any treatment, so make sure the surgeon is board certified to perform them. This is your best chance of achieving the results you want and having a safe procedure. A younger-looking you is just around the corner, go meet her!