A new laser treatment promises to tame wrinkles, pain-free. It's called fractional laser resurfacing.
Numbing cream is put on the patient's face so the laser will not hurt. Then, the technician marks the skin. The laser's light energy bores tiny holes in the skin. Healthy new tissue will eventually fill that in. It works because in between those damaged holes are untreated areas.
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"Where that healthy skin is, your immune system comes in," said Dr. Karen Stolman, a dermatologist
Stolman says the laser works on all severities of wrinkles, but not to the same extent.
"It will make those finer wrinkles disappear. It's just the deeper ones, they may not completely go away. It just may tighten a little," said Stolman.
The laser also helps correct acne scarring, and has shown some improvement with brown discolorations.
"I've seen before/afters that look 20 years difference. But we tell people at least 5 to 10 years," said Dr. Stolman.
Patients say after the procedure, their faces turned red like a sunburn and then peeled a little.
"My skin looks smoother, it's tighter. It's just kind of firmed it up in a lot of areas. I like that it's helped the bags around my eyes," said patient Pam Cakes.
Fractional laser resurfacing is not a cheap procedure. Some clinics charge $1,400 for one face treatment.
There is often an option for a lower strength setting for less money, but usually it takes several treatments to get the desired results.