A Look at Facial Resurfacing

If you are experiencing unsightly wrinkles, you might want to consider a laser treatment called facial resurfacing. This procedure is also referred to as a laser peel, laserbrasion, and laser abrasion. No matter what name you give it, the results are the same - smoother, younger looking skin that will help you look the age you feel.

Facial Resurfacing Versus a Face Lift

Facial resurfacing is not the same as a face lift. A face lift involves actually lifting the cheeks and reshaping the neck in order to counteract the effects gravity has had on your face. With a face lift, parts of your skin are cut and "nipped and tucked" in order to change the appearance of your face, including removing sagging skin and extra deposits of fat. A face lift does not include the use of a laser.

Facial resurfacing with a laser can not perform the extreme changes you can get with a face lift. It can, however, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lines in your face. In fact, you can look as much as ten to twenty years younger after removing these signs of aging with facial resurfacing.

 

Facial Resurfacing Options

When it comes to facial resurfacing, you have a few options before you. If your entire face needs to be resurfaced, that is one option. On the other hand, you may only need a perioral laser peel. A perioral laser peel only removes the fine lines that are located in the "moustache" area located above your upper lip and the "bleed lines" from lipstick. Or, you might choose to have a periorbital laser peel. This procedure removes the fine lines that are located around your eyes in the area that is typically covered by eyeglasses. There is also a laser peel specifically for your nose, which can help eliminate the effects of sun damage on the skin in this area. You can even have a laser peel on just your earlobes!

Deciding if Facial Resurfacing is Right For You

There are many factors to take into consideration when determining whether or not facial resurfacing is right for you. First, your expectations need to be taken under consideration. Facial resurfacing is limited in what it can accomplish. If you are looking to have skin removed or sagging skin tightened, facial resurfacing is not the procedure you are looking for. If on the other hand, you are hoping to minimize the appearance of fine lines or to help smooth out small wrinkles, then facial resurfacing is the right choice for you.

You should also take your skin color under consideration when looking at undergoing facial resurfacing. Those with brown, black, or olive skin are at risk of having the pigmentation of their skin change after undergoing facial resurfacing. Therefore, it is important to have your skin thoroughly examined by an expert to ensure you are a good candidate for the procedure.

If you have taken accutane in the past twelve to eighteen months, you are not a good candidate for facial resurfacing. This is because those who have taken accutane within this time period are more likely to develop abnormal scarring from facial resurfacing. The same is true for those with active skin infections.

You also need to be aware that certain lines that result from the natural movement of you face, such as from squinting, smiling, talking, blinking, and chewing, will eventually reappear over time. Therefore, you should not look at facial resurfacing as a means of preventing signs of aging, but simply as a way to remove some of the signs that are already there.

Facial resurfacing can take years off your skin and help bring back your self-confidence. Nonetheless, it is important to research it thoroughly and to develop realistic expectations before proceeding with the treatment.