Laser Skin Resurfacing

Laser skin resurfacing is a procedure that can take decades of aging off the face in a matter of minutes. Although chemical face peels are reliable for sun damage and fine wrinkles, the laser can address much deeper wrinkles, acne scars and other complexion problems. Ideal laser patients are those without extreme skin sagging, but with wrinkles and sun or age spots. Laser skin resurfacing can be done on patients with lax skin, although these patients may benefit from face-lift or other cosmetic procedures at the same time. Laser skin resurfacing is still the gold standard for wrinkle improvement and to date no technology has surpassed laser skin resurfacing. The recovery is one to two weeks, but don’t be fooled by “light” lasers claiming huge results with minimal downtime. It is a myth! If you want to improve 40-50 years of aging, ten days is not an unreasonable recovery.

Dr. Niamtu has had a longtime interest in laser therapy and lectures internationally on the subject. Our office has eight types of lasers on premises at our accredited surgery center .

These lasers are used for resurfacing (ablative lasers) and for minimally invasive (non ablative) treatments such as spider veins , facial skin pigmentation and sun damage and skin tightening. Dr. Niamtu is also involved in a clinical research project with several laser wavelengths for minimally ablative skin resurfacing. He is working with Lumenis and Iridex corporations for their Fraxel type technology and has presented this information at scientific meetings.

CO2 Laser Resurfacing Remains the Real Gold Standard for

Wrinkle & Pigment Improvement

Laser Treatment Only	Laser Treatment Only
Laser and Facelift	Laser for Acne

This patient is shown with ultraviolet photography before and after laser resurfacing by Dr. Niamtu.  Notice the improvement of the sun damage and age spots.  This is also a recognized treatment for precancerous lesions such as actinic keratoses.

Dr. Niamtu is also a Fellow with the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery and a member of the International Society of Cosmetic and Laser Surgeons, Inc.

Dr. Charles H. Townes:  I met the man that invented LASERS

One of my proudest handshakes was with Dr. Charles Townes. This guy pretty much invented the LASER. That includes the one on your key chain, the ones I treat patients with and the ones on our military aircraft. Talk about a cosmetic surgery super hero! When we chatted, he talked about Einstein’s opinion of his project! He worked with Einstein, I had goose bumps, I felt like I was standing next to Sir Issac Newton!

Dr. Niamtu with Dr. Townes in 2010

Click here to see Dr. Niamtu’s Blog entry on Dr. Townes

Dr. Niamtu received the best speaker award at a medical meeting in Florence Italy for his papers on laser resurfacing technology. See more information on this award.

Dr. Niamtu is part of faculty of the faculty at national laser meeting in New York

Dr. Niamtu described a technique to enable digital photography and software to be used with UV light to evaluate facial pigmentation abnormalities and aging changes. This is very useful in deciding the appropriate laser treatment and is the first description of this method in the scientific cosmetic literature. This article was published in the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery in December 2001.

Click to view article

In September 2008, Dr. Niamtu published an article proving that multiple pass, high energy laser skin resurfacing could be safely performed without wiping away the char layer (burnt skin). Previous to this article it was thought that leaving the laser char would complicate the result but Dr. Niamtu performed the first human histologic study in the scientific literature to prove this point and dispel previous articles on this subject. The problem with the previous methods of wiping char with gauze between laser passes increased the damage to the skin and resulted in longer healing, increased post laser pain and increased skin redness after laser. Dr. Niamtu’s research has made laser recovery faster and easier.

Click above image to read Dr. Niamtu’s research article

Dr. Niamtu has published a 1,000 page comprehensive textbook on cosmetic facial surgery which includes a large chapter on his laser techniques.  Few surgeons receive the honor to publish such a text with a major medical publisher like Elsevier .

To see other articles Dr. Niamtu has written about lasers and laser treatment click on the image below.

See media coverage and publications about Dr. Niamtu and Laser Resurfacing.

See how the laser treats Facial Scars and Acne Resurfacing .

The images below show the significant improvement of wrinkles and age spots with laser treatment.  This patient is shown about 20 days after her laser procedure and still has some fading pinkness of the skin.

Active FX, Fraxel and Fractional Laser Treatments

  The Video below shows Dr. Niamtu performing Deep FX laser for a neck scar.

One of the new technologies in laser skin treatments is Fraxel or fractionated laser resurfacing. Dr. Niamtu owns the Lumenis Active FX laser which is one of the leading fractional lasers. This is a technology that allows for good results with minimal downtime. This type of skin resurfacing is not as effective as more aggressive CO2 laser treatment, but is a good compromise for those patients that need some improvement but cannot afford the 10-12 day recovery of more aggressive laser treatments. Although the Active FX, Deep FX, Fraxel and fractional lasers have a place for many patients, the media and some doctors overplay the effects of these lasers. They cannot and will not equal the effects of more aggressive laser treatment and may need several treatments on some patients. To see more about the Active FX, Fraxel and fractional laser treatment click on chart at top of page.

The newer fractional lasers such as Active FX and Fraxe l, have even shorter recoveries of 3-5 days, but again are a step down in results.

Deep FX laser resurfacing is also a fractional treatment but penetrates much deeper than Active FX or other lasers. The combination of deep penetration and fractional treatment (only selected areas of the skin) enable good results with less downtime.  This laser has some new and exciting applications for burn patients and scars such as acne scars or traumatic scars.

Dr. Niamtu is an instructor for Lumenis Lasers and is shown teaching other physicians the use of the Lumenis Deep FX laser

Before and After Active FX Laser  click to enlarge

The above patient is shown during the healing phase of Deep FX laser resurfacing with improvement of her acne scars

A Word About Laser Recovery

The laser is one of the most important tools to enter cosmetic facial surgery and offers something for everyone. Aggressive laser treatment has longer recovery times but much more impressive results. Multiple pass CO2 laser is an example of this and still remains the gold standard for wrinkle removal and improvement of skin aging and carries a 10-12 day recovery.

Moderate laser treatments like the CO2 Lite treatment is a step down in results but also a smaller recovery of about 7 days.

This patient is shown 24 hours after CO2 laser resurfacing to the face and neck

click here for Ten Tips for Easier Laser Recovery

No two patients have the same amount of aging and therefore require different degrees of laser treatment. Patients with severe wrinkling and sun damage may opt for the longer recovery to erase decades of wrinkles and sun damage where younger patients my only need some laser freshening and can get by with shorter recovery times.

Post Laser Hyperpigmentation

Many laser or chemical peel patients can experience temporary hyperpigmentation (blotchy tan coloration of the lasered skin) as part of the normal healing process.  Patients with pigmented skin and/or dark eyes or hair color are more prone to hyperpigmentation.  It is a temporary condition and resolves in several weeks with bleaching creams.  Post laser hyperpigmentation will generally appear about a month after the procedure and resolve in the recovery process.

Dr. Niamtu provides free consults to see what type of laser treatment and recovery best fit your skin and schedule. Call 804-394-FACE (3223) to schedule a comprehenisve consultation.

Click here to see Dr. Niamtu’s Blog on sunscreens and protecting the skin from sun damage.