Vancouver fractional CO2 laser treatments for skin resurfacing & rejuvenation (in Surrey)

A fractional CO2 laser works by breaking up one main CO2 beam into thousands of tiny beams. These beams penetrate into the deep layers of the skin – much deeper than a Fraxel® DUAL laser. In essence, they create many tiny ‘wounds’ in the skin, on purpose.

This process removes the top layers of old tissues. After treatment sessions, the body begins to repair itself by pushing out old skin as it heals. It replaces old skin with new skin.

The healing process increases collagen in the skin. The increased collagen has a skin tightening effect, which happens as an off-shoot of skin resurfacing. This is why CO2 laser treatments can be used as an anti-aging treatment.

In the old days, the only way to perform this treatment was by skin ablation, illustrated below.

Nowadays, we can use fractional CO2 lasers. These keep much of the skin in-tact, as illustrated below. This results in faster healing.

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Generally speaking, most skin conditions require 1 – 2 treatments with a fractional CO2 laser. This is much quicker than with other treatments. However, keep in mind that depending on the severity of the condition you’d like to treat, the number of sessions can differ from person-to-person, and for each treatment area.

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Before your treatment, we either use an injectable anaesthetic, or apply numbing cream on the area to be treated. The type of anaesthetic you receive will depend on the strength of the treatment.

Numbing takes about 30-45 minutes to kick in, in most cases. Once the numbing is complete, we use the fractional CO2 laser to create small, intentional holes in the skin. This happens in sequenced, square sections at a time. We cool the treatment area simultaneously, to help with pain.

The procedure takes about 2 hours.

Discomfort can range from mild to moderate, depending on your pain tolerance levels.

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This treatment does require downtime. It can take as little as 5 days, or as long as 10 days before you will be able to go out normally (depending on what you’re comfortable with). This is because your skin will be very red and swollen after the treatment. It will feel and look like a bad sunburn.

Your skin may then peel for 2 to 7 days thereafter. It can also be pink for a number of weeks, as healing occurs.

The deeper the treatment, the longer you can expect the healing time will be. You should be able to use non-comedogenic makeup to cover up the redness after about 7 to 10 days.

We will recommend aftercare products and procedures during your consultation with us.

All-in-all, however, our treatment requires a much shorter recovery time than with older CO2 lasers. This is because our laser is fractionated, rather than ablative (see explanation above).

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It is common to experience redness, swelling, blistering and the like after a CO2 skin resurfacing treatment. Pigment changes are also possible.

The degree of downtime and side effects you experience will depend on the strength of your treatment.

To prevent side effects, you will be prepped with pre and post-procedure care instructions during your consultation with us. Some prescription medication may be required to prevent cold sores or other infections after the treatment session(s).

Serious complications arising from fractional CO2 laser treatments are rare, when they are performed in a reputable, doctor-led clinic. A doctor is at our clinic on a daily basis. We are available for help, should any issues come up during or after your treatment.

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A detailed consultation at our skincare clinic in Surrey (near Vancouver) will help us give you a recommended treatment plan and cost. Your final quote will be based on your particular skin condition. To achieve desired results, we tailor treatments for each patient, rather than using a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

You can get a general idea of the cost of Vancouver CO2 laser treatments, as well as other skin rejuvenation methods, by filling out the form above.

You may notice that the price for true, fractional CO2 laser treatments are higher than for other skin rejuvenation laser procedures. This is mainly for three reasons:

• Results can be achieved in a fraction of the time, compared to other treatment options.
• The machine itself is extremely costly to operate.
• The training and experience needed to perform the procedure is extensive.

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