Reveal Smoother, Healthier-Looking Skin with Advanced CO2 Laser Treatments
Laser skin resurfacing is an effective way to improve wrinkles, sun damage, uneven skin tone, acne scars, and other signs of aging by stimulating the skin’s natural renewal process. Using advanced fractional CO2 laser technology, Dr. Nadia Blanchet provides personalized treatments that can refresh your appearance while balancing your desired results with your available downtime.
If you are considering laser skin resurfacing in Richmond VA, the information below explains how the MIXTO CO2 laser works, what you can expect during recovery, and important considerations before treatment. During your consultation, Dr. Blanchet will discuss your goals and recommend the treatment approach that best fits your needs.
What is the MIXTO Laser?
The MIXTO is the 3rd CO2 laser that I have owned and by far the best.
Laser skin resurfacing in Richmond VA using fractional CO2 technology is a technique that uses a laser to vaporize the surface layers of the skin. This allows softening or elimination of wrinkles, abnormal pigmentation, scars, and other skin imperfections.
Fractionated CO2 means the energy is delivered on a grid which I will demonstrate to you and is a modification which allows for much faster healing than standard CO2 and fewer complications in terms of changes of pigmentation or scarring. It also allows the benefits of carbon dioxide lasering to be used safely on the skin of the neck, chest, and hands for texture, lines, color unevenness, and sun damage.
What to Expect During Treatment
The procedure is done in the office under local anesthesia (cream supplemented with nerve block injections) or with intravenous sedation depending on the extent of the area to be lasered and your preference. It takes 30 to 60 minutes.
Each treatment gives you about a 30% to 50% improvement in texture, lines, and about an 80% improvement in age spots and pigmentary irregularities. Occasionally, a second treatment can be done 6-12 months after the first.
You will be able to decide how much “down-time” you prefer. If you prefer, we can give you a series of lighter treatments spaced apart by months instead of one stronger treatment. We will discuss your goals and time limitations together.
Preparing for Your MIXTO Treatment
There are several good studies that ideally, prepping the skin pre-MIXTO laser resurfacing will lead to faster healing and better results. This will involve a Retin-A product, glycolic acid pads, and Hydroquinone depending on your skin type. These products can be obtained through my office.
Recovery After Laser Skin Resurfacing
After the laser treatment, the skin is left moist with bland ointments until healed. The grid is originally visible and then sloughs off. There is swelling, oozing, and crusting which heals in most cases within 5-10 days.
This is followed by redness that usually fades to pink within 4 weeks depending on the depth of treatment. The light pink skin may last several months but is a sign of deep and more permanent resurfacing and is easily hidden.
The initial bright pinkness may be initially covered by using a green concealer followed by an opaque foundation or Derma Blend. If this amount of healing time is unacceptable, we can do a lighter treatment, but the end effect will be less.
During the healing phase, you must avoid the sun and use sunscreen daily to help prevent changes in skin pigmentation for about 1-2 months. A bleaching compound (hydroquinone) may also be prescribed before and after the treatment if you tend to hyper-pigment (darken) with skin injury.
Buff and Shine CO2 Laser Treatment
If you have had the “Buff and Shine” CO2 Laser treatment with the MIXTO, the healing time is much faster because it is a less aggressive treatment.
You will have a light crust for 4 to 5 days and will be pink for just a few weeks. This treatment can be repeated as long as the skin is no longer red to eventually give the effect of the full-depth laser. The Buff and Shine is also significantly less expensive.
Additional Treatment Options
Lately we have given the option of using platelet-derived growth factor (Ariessence) in addition to the laser. The results are faster healing and dramatically younger-looking skin.
We have also been combining Ellacor (micro coring) with CO2 laser for more dramatic results, although this adds a few more days to recovery. Please discuss this with Dr. Blanchet if you are interested.
Risks and Important Considerations
Although complications are rare, they can occur. These include:
- Prolonged redness or itching
- Milia (small whiteheads)
- Temporary acne
- Infection (viral or bacterial)
- Changes in skin pigmentation (darker or lighter)
Please inform me of any previous facial cosmetic procedures, if you are pregnant or taking medications like Accutane, oral contraceptives, Retin-A, Alpha-Hydroxy or other acid creams, and if you have ever had fever blisters or shingles.
LET ME KNOW IF YOU SMOKE! Nicotine will slow your healing and increase your risk of scarring and infection. You need to be nicotine-free two months before and one month after this procedure. This means no smoking, no vaping, and no nicotine patches or other replacements. Also, let me know if you have had pigmentary changes in response to skin injury or sun exposure or if you form thick scars or keloids.
It will be a pleasure to discuss laser skin resurfacing in Richmond VA with you in my office. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance (804-320-8545).
Additional Information
Find Before and After Photos, Instructions, and Videos here: