• Ideal Skin Resurfacing Candidates
• Your Personal Consultation
• Skin Resurfacing Procedures
• Recovery
• Skin Resurfacing Results

Skin resurfacing provides significant and long-lasting improvement of sun-damaged, unevenly pigmented, or coarsely wrinkled facial skin. Usually you will undergo a single procedure rather than the series of treatments commonly recommended for milder revitalizing techniques. It is not uncommon to have a second resurfacing treatment one or more years after your initial procedure.

You may be a good candidate for a Laser Skin Resurfacing if you have any of the following types of conditions:

• You have a light complexion, burn easily and have many fine facial lines
• You have deep lines around your lips and eyes
• You have moderate wrinkling at rest with or without splotchy pigmentation

A personal consultation is the first step. Dr. Pearl will assess your physical and emotional health and discuss your specific cosmetic goals for surgery.

You should arrive at the consultation prepared to provide complete information about:

• Previous surgeries
• Past and present medical conditions including Acutane treatment for acne
• Treatments you have received
• Medications that you are taking, including nutritional supplements and herbal remedies

Laser Skin Resurfacing is now the most popular technique to improve skin surface irregularities. Like other resurfacing methods, the laser is effective in treating wrinkles, blotchiness or age spots, and scars from acne or other causes. It can be used on the entire face or specific areas. The laser also has a mild tightening effect on the skin, particularly in the lower eyelid area. There are a variety of lasers in use today. Dr. Pearl predominantly uses Erbium and CO2 lasers to obtain the best results. Particularly around the mouth, Dr. Pearl combines CO2 laser resurfacing with dermabrasion.

Dermabrasion uses a small, rapidly spinning wheel with a roughened surface similar to fine-grained sandpaper to abrade the skin, removing its upper layers. This resurfacing technique is well suited for the treatment of facial scars or vertical wrinkles around the mouth. The treated areas usually will blend well with the surrounding skin so there is little if any noticeable difference in pigmentation.

A few days following laser resurfacing or dermabrasion, your new skin emerges. Usually initial healing takes place in 4-8 days. The skin's pink color will fade over the next few months and, in the meantime, may be covered by makeup. In most cases, you should be able to return to work within a week or two.

Skin Resurfacing can produce exciting results that are long lasting. It is not uncommon to perform a secondary procedure 6-18 months after the initial treatment. Dr. Pearls says, "I believe it is far superior to heal uneventfully and get back to work and normal activities quickly than to risk delayed healing and possible scarring by trying to resurface deeply."

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