The FDA has cleared the Alma Hybrid laser system for prescription use in laser skin resurfacing, including wrinkles and fine lines, texture irregularities, age spots and uneven pigmentation, and acne scars
about 30 minutes to 2 hours, by area
about 5 to 7 days at home; up to about two weeks for CO2 in general
Maybe it’s the fine lines around your mouth that show up in every photo. Or the sun spots, the blotchy tone, the old acne scars you still notice up close. Some days your skin just looks more tired than you feel.
CO2 laser resurfacing is a type of laser skin resurfacing that treats tiny columns of skin, and new skin grows in as they heal.
So does it really work? Here’s what you can look for as your new skin grows in:
So how do you fit CO2 into a real life? That’s where this laser helps. The Alma Hybrid can run one deeper treatment or a series of lighter ones, and which suits you depends on your concern, your skin, and the downtime you can take.
Valerie sets that plan with you at the consultation, and it may be another treatment we offer: plasma skin resurfacing, microneedling treatments, and chemical peels.
For lines and rough texture, the laser removes the surface and heats the layer beneath, and the new collagen can leave skin smoother and firmer.
For age spots and uneven tone, the skin heals more evenly.
For acne scars, healing can make shallow scars less noticeable, best where they aren’t growing or thickening.
For 6 to 8 weeks, spend little time outdoors during the day, cloudy or cool days included.
Planning ahead? Fall or winter can be easier for CO2 than the weeks before summer.
If you have darker skin, this is a fair worry, and you deserve a straight answer. Darker skin carries a greater risk of healing with dark patches, and very dark skin usually isn’t a good fit. The studies on this laser enrolled skin types II to IV, so they don’t show how the two darkest types, V and VI, fare.
That’s why Valerie reviews your skin type and health history at your consultation, before any plan. Still unsure? Call to book an appointment and ask Valerie about your skin.
CO2 may not be a good fit if you have:
It isn’t for you during pregnancy or a skin infection, or while you take certain medicines. Wait out any tan or sunburn too, since the laser could burn or discolor tanned skin.
Tell Valerie first if you’ve used acne medicine now or in the past two years, since some cause unwanted side effects with scar treatments, or if you tend to form keloids. She reviews your medicines and health history at the consultation.
Laser treatment can also bring pain, bleeding, or a problem not fully treated.
Valerie reviews your health history before any plan, and you can call with questions Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Your skin keeps improving for up to a year, and the effects can last many years. Normal aging still brings lines and wrinkles back over time, and CO2 laser resurfacing can be repeated. Valerie sets your plan, including any repeat treatments, with you.
It may not. People with a lot of loose or sagging skin may not be good candidates for CO2 laser resurfacing, and lifting or tightening isn’t among the laser’s cleared uses. Valerie reviews what bothers you at the consultation, and you can read about treatments for sagging skin.
Often one deeper treatment or a series of two or three lighter ones, the two plans used in a study of 44 people. Acne scars rarely clear in one session, and you may need three or more. Valerie sets your plan, and how many treatments it includes, at the consultation.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you call. The days after CO2 feel a lot less daunting once you know what each one holds, and your first call can be just questions: about your skin, your calendar, or whether CO2 suits you at all.
Valerie sees patients at our Merrick office Monday to Saturday. We’d love to hear what’s been bothering you.
