Differences Between Ablative and Non-Ablative Resurfacing

Posted on April 9, 2018 in Non-Surgical

If you have aging of your skin, welcome to the club that everyone is a reluctant a member of. Skin aging is normal and unavoidable. Sun exposure, facial muscle contractions, and loss of skin elasticity result in signs of aging, such as age spots, wrinkles and dulling of your skin. Depending on how severe your signs of aging are, they can make you appear older than you actually are.

A great way to combat the signs of aging is by employing an effective treatment called laser skin resurfacing. Your wrinkles and scars are minimized while inviting new layers of skin to produce new collagen and elastin. This process improves your skin firmness, texture, pigmentation and quality.

There are two types of laser resurfacing:

Ablative

This type of skin resurfacing is more dramatic. It typically is performed in one treatment and due to its more invasive treatment; it usually requires a period (typically around a week) of social downtime. This painless recovery is usually spent at home while your face heals and recovers.

Non-Ablative

The results of this type of skin resurfacing are less noticeable and may require more treatments. If you wish to achieve the same results of an ablative treatment, you will need multiple non-ablative treatments. After this type of treatment you will only require a few hours or up to 1 to 2 days of slight redness, swelling and scaling. This type of treatment is good for you if you have dark skin tone.

To learn which skin resurfacing treatment is right for you, contact Dr. Ransom at Ransom/MD today.

Posted on behalf of Ransom/MD

Dr. Ransom

Dr. Evan Ransom is an Ivy League-educated and Ivy League trained Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He is a Double Board Certified Head and Neck Surgeon and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and fellowship-trained in facial plastic, reconstructive, and laser surgery. His practice is in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving patients from San Francisco, Oakland, Marin County, Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, Walnut Creek, the East Bay, and all over Northern California.