Laser Skin Resurfacing

Laser Skin Resurfacing replaces damaged or scarred skin with brand-new skin

Ablative laser skin resurfacing removes a customized depth of skin that is replaced with new, smooth skin. It’s the best treatment option for anyone with sun damage, crepey skin, multiple fine wrinkles, and certain types of scars.

There are two main types of ablative laser treatments, each with its advantages, and the clinicians at Skinspirations can help you decide which type is best for your goals. They’ve performed over 1,700 laser skin resurfacing treatments and their results are the best in Tampa Bay. 

Types of Ablative Laser Skin Resurfacing

Full-surface laser skin resurfacing

Full-field laser resurfacing removes the entire surface of the area being treated down to a pre-determined depth, as seen on the left side of this diagram. Fractionated ablative resurfacing vaporizes columns of tissue to the desired depth leaving the spaces between columns intact.

Full-field laser skin resurfacing can smooth out etched lines in the skin and remove sun damage, raised pigmentation, and benign growths. It can also produce tightening of the treated areas. Healing from full-field laser skin resurfacing can take up to fourteen days, depending on the area treated, but it can produce dramatic results with just a single treatment.

Full-field laser skin resurfacing has a higher risk of causing post-treatment pigment changes or infections than fractionated ablative laser resurfacing so it’s important to have the treatment performed by a doctor with many years of experience.

Fractionated ablative laser skin resurfacing

Fractional ablative laser resurfacing vaporizes columns in the skin down to a pre-determined depth and percentage of columns, leaving intact skin between each column. The intact skin left in place releases healing factors that help the treated area heal faster than with full-field resurfacing. Because the entire surface of the skin isn’t being removed, the depth of the vaporized columns can be deeper than what’s possible when the full surface is removed. This is especially important for improving scars. Unlike full-field resurfacing, fractional resurfacing can be done anywhere on the body and in every skin type.

With ablative fractional resurfacing, crepey skin, and fine lines can be smoothed out with only 5 to 7 days of downtime and less risk of pigment changes or infection than full-field resurfacing. Up to 20% of the skin in a treated area can be replaced with new skin with each fractional ablative laser treatment.

It’s important to have aggressive treatments like laser skin resurfacing done by a clinician with extensive medical and laser resurfacing experience. Dr. Cynthia Elliott has been performing laser skin resurfacing since 2008, has over 15 years of experience in emergency medicine, and is a certified Cutera laser trainer. Both Kate Dellangelo, DNP, and Dr. Stacy Chase at Skinspirations have more than ten years of experience providing laser resurfacing treatments.  

Skinspirations’ multiple laser resurfacing treatment options (described in more detail by following the links below), can improve wrinkles, “crinkles” (like fine “smoker’s lines”), crepey skin anywhere on the body, sun damage, rough texture, some types of scars, and can remove raised brown spots & benign skin growths.

If you’d like to learn more about whether a laser resurfacing treatment is the right choice for your appearance goals, schedule a complimentary consultation at Skinspirations by registering online here, emailing us, or calling 727-571-1923.