After the age of 20, your skin produces 1% less collagen each year. When combined with the cumulative effects of sun exposure, unwelcome lines and brown spots are inevitable. There is now an effective solution to remove the signs of aging from your face, neck, chest and hands.
Laser skin resurfacing is the ideal solution for improving the appearance of enlarged pores, skin tone and wrinkles, giving you a more youthful-looking, vibrant appearance. With the Cynosure® Icon™ Laser, dramatic results are possible without the lengthy downtime associated with an invasive facelift or other, fully ablative laser treatments. This in-office treatment takes less than 30 minutes and provides remarkable results you are sure to be pleased with.
Age spots occur in people of all skin types, but they tend to be more numerous in fair-skinned individuals. Age spots can be round, oval or irregular in shape. Their colour varies from tan to dark brown or black, and their size can range from freckle-sized to several millimetres or centimetres in diameter, sometimes grouping together and making them more noticeable.
This fractional technology uses microbeams or columns of energy to penetrate through the skin’s epidermis into the dermis and selectively treat affected areas of tissue, while leaving the surrounding skin unharmed, thus facilitating faster healing. The laser promotes rapid healing by stimulating your body’s production of new collagen and elastin deep within your skin, replacing old, damaged skin cells with new, healthy cells. Over time, the support structure beneath the treatment areas of your skin will continue to progress, resulting in a younger and smoother looking appearance.
Before your skin resurfacing and rejuvenation treatment, your doctor will typically apply a topical anesthetic over the area being treated. Once you are ready for treatment, the topical anesthetic will be removed and the skin will be washed. You will also be provided with eye shields for protection from the light during treatment. The practitioner will then guide the laser hand piece over the treatment area. You may feel slight heat or a tingling sensation during the treatment. Depending on the size of the treatment area, the procedure should take about 30 minutes. Immediately after the treatment, the area will be cooled and we will apply an occlusive ointment, which should be used over the next few days to decrease healing time.
Refer to the post-treatment care instructions provided by your doctor for more detail.
Since the Icon™ technology delivers fractionated pulses of energy, you will experience a significantly shorter recovery time than with fully ablative lasers. Each tiny dot will quickly heal, enabling you to return to your normal lifestyle in as little as four days.
Fractional skin resurfacing has a faster recovery time with fewer side effects when compared to fully ablative resurfacing. Skin resurfacing and rejuvenation treatments are generally well tolerated. During your consultation, we will explain and help minimize any potential risks, based on your complete medical and skin history.