What is CO2 Laser?

Fractional resurfacing or carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers is a non-surgical skin rejuvenation treatment. The CO2 laser has the longest wavelength and is suitable to treat deep wrinkles, more severe textural changes from aged skin, fine lines, acne scars and surgical scars.

CO2 laser is usually recommended to treat depressed acne scars. Depressed acne scars cause depressions or pits in the skin. They are the result of inflammatory acne such as red blemishes, pimples, zits and nodules that sit on a collagen rich scar tissue, preventing the skin from repairing. Some examples of depressed acne scars are boxcar, icepick and rolling scars.

Boxcar scars have steep, defined edges and resemble chicken pox scars. They are quite deep and in many ways, they can resemble the print left on the skin from pushing a finger nail into it.

Ice pick scars are deep and narrow often resembling a large, empty pore on the skin and it is these scars that catch the light the most, so they are the most obvious and unfortunately as a result the most difficult to cover up.

Rolling scars can be broad depressions in the skin, or shallow indentions in the skin. Rolling scars have rounded, sloping edges, hence the name ‘rolling scars’. They often have a rough texture and a wavy or rippling appearance and they are the result of damage under the skin.

How Does It Work?

Privé’s CO2 laser used for skin resurfacing works by removing outer layers of damaged skin and stimulate the regeneration of skin underneath. This is done by placing fractionated laser beams onto the skin, delivering energy to the deeper layers of skin. The energy heats up the dermis layer and in turn stimulate our body’s natural repair process to rebuild lost collagen in the skin, without injuring the skin’s surface. At the same time, fractional technology leaves the healthy tissues intact between the laser beams to accelerate tissue healing.

The procedure starts with the nurses applying numbing cream to the treated areas for about 30 mins. This is followed by the procedure itself which will usually require only about 15 mins. Most patients will find this procedure highly tolerable although you can expect the skin to appear “sunburnt” for about 2-3 days. One should also avoid intense sun exposure during the healing phase period.

Safety & Side Effects

Conventional Fractional CO2 laser treatments usually cause patients to have redness for 5-7 days and scabs for 1 week. With the latest generation of Fractional CO2 Lasers used at Prive Clinic, it will help to significantly improve downtime while delivering optimum results.

*Treatment is conducted by a certified doctor.