Advantages of Pearl Fractional and Pearl Fusion Lasers

Lasers have come a long way in recent years for facial cosmetic procedures.  The latest cutting edge lasers such as the Cutera Pearl Fractional and Pearl Fusion lasers are the state of the art in facial laser resurfacing.  They work miracles in improving skin tone and texture, restoring lost volume, repairing sun damage, and reducing wrinkles, acne scarring, pore size and other skin irregularities.

Pearl Fractional laser treatments work by exposing a fraction of the skin to pulses of tiny laser beams. These laser beams remove small amounts of damaged tissue and stimulate the body’s natural process for creating new skin full of healthy collagen.

The Pearl Fractional and Pearl Fusion laser have the advantage of producing excellent, immediate results with only a single short treatment, minimal discomfort, and short recovery time.  The procedure is virtually painless and only takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

In addition, these laser techniques have a very fast recovery time.  You can expect only about three to five days of “social downtime”.  During this period, patients should avoid sun exposure are encouraged to relax at home for at least two to three days.

Following the procedure, the skin will look and feel sunburned.  A natural protective dressing will form as part of the healing process.  The redness will start to face after two days and the protective dressing will begin slough off after about 3 days revealing fresh, healthy skin.

Most patients will experience the desired results after a single treatment.  The patient will see noticeably more vibrant, youthful skin shortly after the procedure and the process of natural collagen production will continue for months.  Some patients may wish to schedule follow up treatments for optimal results.

Types of Laser Skin Rejuvenation Treatment

Laser rejuvenation has become a very popular cosmetic procedure for improving the appearance of skin damaged by age or other causes. There are traditionally  two different types of lasers used for laser rejuvenation

Ablative lasers are used for resurfacing the skin. They treat the top layer of the skin (called the epidermis)  while non-ablative lasers treat deeper layers of the skin (the dermis) without affecting the epidermis.  Non-ablative lasers stimulate the growth of collagen in the dermis, resulting in smoother, more youthful skin.

Ablative laser treatments use high temperature lasers to remove unwanted tissue.  This type of laser skin resurfacing treatment is very effective for improving the appearance of sun damaged skin, and treating moderate to severe skin damage including acne scars, freckles, enlarge pores, and rosacea.

The downside of ablative laser treatments is that your skin will be swollen and red similar to a sunburn for several days after the treatment.  Full recovery time can be as long as two weeks.

Non ablative lasers have very few side effects.  Because they work by stimulating collagen growth rather than by removing tissue there is very little, if any, redness or swelling after the treatment.  They are effective for treating mild skin damage and reducing mild to moderate wrinkles.

Fractional lasers are a recent development that are similar to ablative lasers, but they only treat a percentage of the depth of the epidermis.  This procedure produces excellent results like an ablative laser with much reduced down time. 

Some fractional lasers also have a non ablative component for stimulation of collagen growth.  These combine the benefits of ablative and non ablative lasers while minimizing side effects and recovery time. 

Talk to your facial plastic surgeon about what types of laser rejuvenation treatments will be most beneficial to you.