Ablative Non-fractional Lasers
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Ablative lasers shine an intense beam of light at the skin. The light completely removes (ablates) the entire epidermis. It also stimulates the...

Ablative lasers shine an intense beam of light at the skin. The light completely removes (ablates) the entire epidermis. It also stimulates the underlying dermis to produce more collagen and elastin over time.

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3
21.2%
2
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1
39.4%

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May 22, 2009

Pros:

it works

Cons:

it's expensive, time consuming, and painful. It HAS to be done by a REALLY good doctor which makes it expensive.

DO NOT do this procedure if you have even the slightest doubt in your phsyician! It is not a mild procedure and it can make you look worse. The down time for this was a solid 5 days. You will be BEET red, hideous, and swollen, but if you follow the instructions EXACTLY you will like the results. I will post the day by day under the lasers forum.
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March 19, 2009

Pros:

Works like a charm, get knocked out with general anesthesia- so it's painless

Cons:

Expensive, 14+ days of downtime

I've got great results from Co2 laser resurfacing. I just got it done a 2nd time (1 year apart) and the results are better and better. Evened up the skin tone and smoothed out the pitted scars.
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April 7, 2008

Pros:

I had the full face co2 laser resurfacing 3 weeks ago. My face looks great! No more fine lines, you could hardly notice a deep wrinkles, the whole face looks like I've done a face lift

Cons:

Readness and itching. A small scar, as a spot, I hope it fades away.

2 friends of mine did Erbium and Fraxel laser. My face looks much better! But recovery time is longer,and it hurts more.
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October 31, 2007

Pros:

Almost totally erased terrible acne scarring all over my face

Cons:

expensive and long down-time -- two weeks. It's surgery, you look horrible after, red, swollen, hideous. Perhaps it isn't the right thing for everyone, I don't know.

I can't understand how people can get the surface of their face blasted off and not see some significant improvement in scarring! But according to some of these posts, it happens. But it saved my life, it got rid of most of the scars except four really deep ones. It doesn't work for raised scars, as far as I know, and may make them worse.
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August 27, 2007

Pros:

It reduced my chin scars that were mild to moderate by about 75%. I t produces collagen and makes your whole face wrinkes and all look younger. It takes at least two tx and time for the collagen to fill in depressions. I wear no make-up now.

Cons:

IT costs 4900 for 2 and you look like a monster for 7-10 days and can't go to work. It hurts too.

it can take up to a yr for full results. My chin scars improved by 75%. But of course i want them to be 100%. I don't think that will happen. It also takes about 5-10 yrs off your face, due to the collagen. It;s used for everything. You have too use retin a and hydroquine creame for a long time to increse the results. I go on the 30 for my two month post check after my 2nd one. Then you have a deep glycolic peel. The MD will let me no if i need another one. Before he said no and i'd never have to put fillers in my chin again. Overall i'm happy. I'm just too hard on my skin and want it too look like a baby's butt. Is there such a thing when your 39 and had acne on your chin. I also had some depressions from kenalog injections for yrs.It's called the coolaser at epione in bevery hills. That is the only place to get it, d/t the MD invented it and keeps it exclusive to himself.I still see imperfections on my chin, but i may have to deal with it. Again it was worth it.
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July 12, 2007

Pros:

Significant improvement (better than I expected). Skin is softer than it's ever been

Cons:

Down time/cost/anesthesia

I had CO2 resurfacing done 1.5 years ago and am quite satisifed with the results. I am 49 years old and quite frankly, most of the older procedures were quite scary, and as bad as my scarring was, it just never got in the way of my personal or professional life. The procedure, which I have no memory of because of the conscious sedation, was painless, post op painless, and the recovery was long and more annoying than anything else. Went out in public after a few days just out of boredom. Looked horrendous, but pretty much I generally don't care what other people think! Itching and crusting drove me batty. All in all, I had about a 70% improvement, and went in knowing that my skin would never, ever be perfect. The procedure cost $3700, and I had some micro dermabrasion prior to that to see how my skin would respond for about $1500. Took me a year to finally decide to get the procedure done. May or may not consider other procedures for more improvement
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The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
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Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

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Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

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  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
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Red flags:

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