CO2 Resurfacing in Madison MS
LUMENIS ULTRAPULSE FRACTIONED CO2 LASER
Eliminates sun damage, fine lines, scars, stretch marks, wrinkles & more!
The trained and experienced team at Mississippi Medical Aesthetics in Madison MS is well-recognized for their expertise with non-surgical aesthetic treatments. The Lumenis Laser Resurfacing is a very sophisticated laser system. Mississippi Medical Aesthetics selected it for the simple reason that it is the best. It can be precisely adjusted for each patient’s skin type, their amount of wrinkling, and their amount of skin discoloration. Dr. Manning and Dr. Adams have performed hundreds of resurfacing procedures and have acquired the experience and the skill needed to customize the laser settings for each patient. The most critical factor in obtaining an exceptional Lumenis Laser Resurfacing result is the experience of the laser operator. Having the best laser on the planet is useless without a skilled operator using it. There is a small amount of downtime associated with this laser treatment but it is insignificant when compared to the incredible final result which will last for many years to come. The thing that stands out the most about the Lumenis UltraPulse laser is how a single treatment is associated with such a spectacular result. View our before-and-after pictures to see what we’re talking about.
How the procedure works…
The laser beam is applied in a fractional pattern leaving bridges of untouched skin which speeds up the healing process. High-energy fractional laser microbeams precisely target the deep dermal layers resulting in improved skin coloration, texture, and increases the amount of collagen in the skin. The new collagen is produced in an organized manner resulting in softening and smoothing of skin and improved texture.
What to expect for the procedure…
The results of the laser procedure are spectacular and will last for many years to come. Laser resurfacing is a highly advanced treatment which involves from 4 to 5 days of downtime. The exact amount of downtime is dependent on each patient’s unique healing response. The downtime is related to the amount of swelling and redness in the face in the days following the procedure. The downtime is more dependent on how you are willing to look in public than any other factor. Dr. Manning had the laser resurfacing procedure done on a Friday and was seeing patients on Monday. He said, “I was red and swollen and looked like I had come up short in a fist fight but I was functional. I simply told patients that I had recently had a laser resurfacing procedure and just went with it. Most of you will not be comfortable taking that approach hence the estimated 4 to 5 days of downtime. You will be much happier with the whole process if you do not rush your recovery and budget enough time to adequately heal. Laser resurfacing of areas that can be covered from view involve much less downtime (1 to 2 days). You will take an antibiotic and an antiviral medication for 1 day before your procedure and for 6 days following it. This protocol is the standard of care for a laser resurfacing procedure. It prevents infection while your skin is healing. You will be photographed before the procedure. A numbing cream is applied to the area to be resurfaced. The cream is left in place for 1 hour. A small iv is then placed and you will be comfortably sedated throughout the laser resurfacing procedure. The procedure takes from 10 minutes to 1 hour depending on the amount of resurfacing to be done. The numbing cream is reapplied to the treatment area at the close of the procedure. The numbing cream is quite effective and you will have little to no pain when you leave the clinic. If requested, pain pills will be made available to you but most pain is easily managed with Aleve, Motrin, or Tylenol. You will buy skin care products specifically designed to care for your resurfaced skin and be given instructions on how to use them.
What to expect after the procedure…
The day of the procedure is considered Day #0. The following day is Day #1 and so on. Below is a timeline of what to expect during the recovery process, Days #1 thru #7, realizing that every patient’s exact experience will be a bit different depending on their unique healing response. Do not be alarmed if you do not proceed exactly as predicted. The predictions are meant to be a general guideline, and every patient’s experience is unique. Some patients will be red longer, some will swell more, and some will flake off their old discolored skin on different days of the recovery process.
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Day #0
Your face will be swollen, red, and have several areas of pinpoint bleeding. Your significant other will wonder “what in the world have you done”. The pinpoint bleeding is where the laser was used to treat deep wrinkling by stimulating collagen production. It is that collagen production over the ensuing months that will diminish your deep wrinkling. The redness and swelling are your healing response in action. The more redness and swelling, the better your final result will be. For the first 3 nights following the procedure, you should sleep on 2 pillows to help mobilize the swelling.
Day #1
You can expect much more redness and much more swelling – with progressively less pain. The pinpoint bleeding will have fully resolved. You will look like you have been in a fight with Mike Tyson….and lost badly!
Day #2
A lot like Day #1 but with less discomfort. The response when anyone sees you at this stage will be “damnit boy, does that hurt?” Your pain level will be low, but it will look high.
Day #3
The redness is about the same but the swelling is usually worse. Your healing response is in high gear now. You will be tired of hiding out at home, and you will be thinking “what in the world have I done” and “will I ever look normal again?” Dr. Manning has personally undergone laser resurfacing twice and those were his exact thoughts both times on Day #3. Do not panic, Day #3 is almost always the worst day of the process.
Day #4
The redness is now improving, the swelling is finally decreasing, and old discolored skin is beginning to flake off. The good news is that you have now officially made the turn – after Day #4, you will begin to improve very quickly. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Day #5
The redness and swelling have significantly improved, most of the old skin has flaked off and beautiful new skin that is free of discoloration is now evident. As a general rule, women can go into their make up on this day. We recommend that you apply a small test spot of make up to make certain that it will not irritate your healing skin before proceeding with a full application. You are now at the stage of being officially glad that you have done the laser resurfacing procedure.
Day #6
You will still have some redness which is easily covered with make up. There is much less swelling at this point. The old skin has flaked off and people are beginning to ask “why does your skin look so good”? You are now really, really glad that you have done the laser resurfacing procedure.
Day #7
You will still have some redness that will continue to dissipate over the next week. Your complexion will be glowing, your skin will be very smooth and soft, your pores will be small, and your skin tone will be much more even. You will be able to comfortably attend social functions at this point. Your skin will look so good that all of your friends will want to know “what in the world have you done” – the same comment you heard on Day #0 but for a much different reason! You have completed the journey and your result will progressively improve as you produce more collagen over the next 6 months.Some patients stay red longer than others. Especially patients with a pale complexion, red hair, and blue eyes. It is also seen in patients who have severe sun damage with lots of skin discoloration. A more intense laser treatment is needed to clear the skin of severe sun damage.Some patients will have more swelling than others. Especially those patients with very severe wrinkling. A more intense laser treatment is needed to address severe wrinkling.The important thing to know is that we not only perform the laser resurfacing treatment, we have also experienced the laser treatment first hand. Every member of Anti-Aging Clinic for Women has had the laser resurfacing procedure. We understand the recovery process because we have all walked down that path ourselves. No matter how bad you may look through those first 3 days remember that, as a general rule, Day #4 is the turning point and you will improve very quickly from there. Your final result will not only be exceptional, it will be transformational.