A. NO! Face lift in this case will only make you look pulled and will do nothing for the skin wrinkles and lines. Fractional CO2 resurfacing is your best option. This procedure does have downtime since the skin is fractionally ablated (destroyed) and healing must occur. Depending on the settings, number of passes and the area of coverage, downtime can be 4-10 days. The usual is 7 days. You cannot go outdoors or be around a lot of people because it risks contamination and infection. Sun exposure is a "no" for a while. Your board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon can go into details, but it sounds like this option would be perfect for your needs.
Q. I have been using Botox to treat my crow’s feet for a few years. I like the results, but I am still concerned with the small wrinkles underneath my eyes. Should I consider a laser treatment?
A. Fractional CO2 resurfacing is a great option to treat eye wrinkles. A metal shield is used to protect your eyes so that the laser can reach those fine lines of your lower eyelids while your eyes are protected. After treating your eyelids, you may want to complete the treatment on your full face for full rejuvenation. CO2 resurfacing will also improve your skin texture and remove sun damage and age spots. You will want to prepare for at least 5 days of downtime where no eye makeup or contacts can be worn.
Q. I am a teacher and I would like to have Fractional CO2 resurfacing during my summer break, but I was told I should wait until winter. What are the risks of doing laser treatments in the summer?
A. Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing is an ablative laser, meaning that the top layers of the skin are injured, stimulating a repair response of new collagen. The new growing skin will be photo-sensitive. It can easily be damaged by sun exposure, resulting in pigmentation of the skin called post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation. This is why it is best to do ablative lasers in the winter when you are at less risk for sun exposure. Daily protection of SPF 30 or greater, and physical protection such as hats and visors, should be worn for a minimum of 8 weeks following any ablative laser treatment.
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