Facial Resurfacing
The MedSpa at Wake Plastic Surgery proudly serves Cary, Raleigh, and the surrounding areas.
Healthy facial skin is important to all of us. And there are so many ways that we can enhance our skin health. Many skin flaws can be corrected with appropriate cleansing, hydration, and anti-oxidants delivered with topical products. Treatments such as HALO, ProFractional, micro-needling, and gentle chemical peels can be very effective in refreshing the skin, improving pore size, and helping to maintain a healthy, rejuvenated skin appearance.
Why choose the Medspa team at Wake Plastic Surgery?
Laser resurfacing procedure can be safe and very effective. But they are also treatments that can result in permanent injury or scarring if not performed correctly. Our highly trained Medspa providers, under the supervision of Dr. Stoeckel, have more than 15 years of combined experience using these treatments to effectively help their patients and can be trusted to keep you safe.
Schedule A ConsultationWhat conditions are treated with facial resurfacing?
Mild acne scarring improved with the erbium peel.
Solar damage
The long term effects of the sun are usually damaging to the skin. Dyschromias are patchy or blotchy spots on the skin that develop from UV radiation. Facial resurfacing methods are quite effective in blending the skin and improving pore sizes. Erbium peels and dermabrasion are often combined with surgical procedures of the face to optimize the end results. The goal is to produce a facial skin surface that is as smooth and even as possible in terms of both color and texture.
Fine acne scars and solar damage improved with a combination of both dermabrasion and erbium peel resurfacing.
Mild acne scars
Facial resurfacing can be helpful in the treatment of mild acne scars and can be completed with both dermabrasion and erbium laser treatments. Dermabrasion involves the use of a dremmel instrument with a fast-rotating, rough-edged head which mechanically removes the top layers of skin. The depth of the treatment is controlled by the surgeon and the pressure applied with the dremmel. Erbium based laser energy can also be used to resurface the facial skin surface. The laser energy is absorbed by water in the skin and causes the tissue to evaporate. The depth of treatment is controlled by the settings of the laser and can be either superficial or deep.
This patient improved both some skin solar damage and fine acne scars with the erbium laser peel completed along with a face and neck lift.
Traumatic scars
Facial resurfacing can also be useful in treating traumatic scars that have not healed under optimal conditions. If scars are slightly thickened or raised from the skin surface, the appearance can often be improved with a skin resurfacing treatment such as dermabrasion or deep erbium peeling. Scars that develop after trauma can often become thickened and hardened. Resurfacing is often effective in reducing the thickness of the scars and smoothing out irregularities. These treatments cannot erase scars, but can improve them in most cases.
How does facial resurfacing work?
Facial resurfacing is simply the controlled removal of the top layer of skin cells to allow more healthy cells from deeper layers to come to the surface. This can be accomplished with chemicals in the form of chemical peels, with mechanical energy in the form of dermabrasion, or with laser energy. Each modality achieves the same goal of removing the unwanted surface skin and allowing the deeper skin cells to come to the top. Each form of resurfacing enhances collagen production, improves pore structures as well as fine lines and wrinkles.
What is the typical down time?
Every patient is slightly different and the depth of treatment will have a large effect on the amount of downtime. But in general, for light treatments, most patients should expect 3-5 days of mild irritation and redness of the skin. Pain medications are rarely, if ever, needed and most discomfort is easily controlled with over the counter medications.
How many treatments will I need to have for best results?
All patients should see notable improvement after a single treatment, but many patients see long term benefits after a series of treatments. Deep treatments will result in more significant and long lasting results, but with longer downtime. More superficial treatments will need to be completed more often, but the downtime is less bothersome.