Cosmetic surgery - Non surgical cosmetic procedures

Laser skin resurfacing 
Laser skin resurfacing is rapidly becoming the most widely used cosmetic treatment in Hollywood. When lasers were first used for skin resurfacing they would burn the top layer of skin away resulting in a 2 week recovery time. Now new lasers such as the Fraxel SR laser burn only a small fraction of your skin at a time with thousands of microscopic laser spots known as microthermal treatment zones. These tiny laser spots remove old, discoloured skin leaving the healthy skin intact. This means that the skin recovers much faster.

What can laser skin resurfacing be used to treat?
Laser skin resurfacing is being used successfully to remove acne, scars, wrinkles, age spots, sun spots, skin discolouration and generally to improve the texture of the skin. The laser skin resurfacing technique can also be used on areas other than the face such as the hands or neck.

How long does the laser skin resurfacing treatment take?
The laser skin resurfacing technique can take between 30 and 60 minutes.

What happens during the laser skin resurfacing treatment?
Firstly the skin is cleansed with a mild scrub skin cleanser then a blue tint is applied to the skin. The treatment area is then numbed with a mild anaesthetic ointment. Whilst the anaesthetic takes effect the blue tint darkens the folds in ths skin to make them more visible to enable more accurate positioning of the laser.

The robotic handpiece guides the laser across (never touching) the face. After the laser skin resurfacing treatment the blue tint and anaesthetic are washed off.

What is the recovery time after the laser skin resurfacing treatment?
Unlike older "ablative" lasers recovery time is reasonably fast but your skin will feel a bit like you have sunburn for an hour or so and will be pinkish for up to 7 days. You may observe flaking similar to sunburn as well.

How long do the effects of laser skin resurfacing last?
The results can last up to 18 months. You usually need 4 laser skin resurfacing treatments at intervals between 1 to 2 weeks for the best effect to be achieved.

What is the cost of laser skin resurfacing treatment?
The cost of the laser skin resurfacing treatment in the UK is usually about £300 for one area and £1,000 for the whole face.