Dramatically improve the youthfulness, texture, and firmness of your skin. Meridian Plastic Surgery offers patients laser skin resurfacing treatments that rejuvenate their appearance and diminish wrinkles, sun spots, acne scarring, and other blemishes.
Our Austin practice uses the Sciton® ProFractional™ laser to provide patients effective and focused treatment. This advanced technology resurfaces skin in a targeted way, leaving the surrounding skin intact. As a result, you can expect to heal more quickly and comfortably than with other treatments.
Meridian Plastic Surgery is a physician-managed practice. Led by a board-certified plastic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience, we are dedicated to the safety, comfort, and satisfaction of our patients. We welcome the opportunity to provide you with high-quality aesthetic care.
What Is Laser Skin Resurfacing and How Does It Work?
We commonly equate smooth and unblemished skin with a youthful and attractive appearance. However, as we age, our skin is likely to develop sun damage, scarring, wrinkles, and enlarged pores.
One way to rejuvenate aged and damaged skin is by encouraging your body to form new, healthy skin cells. Laser skin resurfacing helps in this process. The laser technology creates microscopic holes in the areas we treat. Around and in between these microscopic holes are untreated areas of skin.
Applying laser energy in this selective way allows the area to heal quickly. It also causes collagen to develop in these sites. Collagen is the main building block in skin tissue, and as it plumps and tightens the treated area, the skin becomes smoother, firmer, and clearer.
What Are the Benefits to Getting Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatment?
As your outer skin ages, it may develop wrinkles, scars, spots, and enlarged pores. Treatment can reduce or eliminate these blemishes.
Laser skin resurfacing is an effective option because it takes away this older layer of skin and encourages the development of new and healthier skin, leading to:
A more youthful appearance. Treatment can help your skin look and feel smoother, fresher, and more radiant.
Subtle rejuvenation. Laser skin resurfacing provides noticeable cosmetic improvement without radically changing your appearance.
Healthier-looking skin. Diminish scars, age spots, and keratosis (scaly patches) for an overall clearer complexion.
The treatment that we offer Austin-area patients is well-established and non-surgical, providing significant rejuvenation with only limited downtime.
What Skin Conditions Does it Treat?
The laser skin resurfacing technology that Meridian Plastic Surgery uses can improve a wide range of aesthetic concerns. During your initial consultation, we will perform a comprehensive examination of the areas you want to target and discuss treatment.
Wrinkles
Fine lines and wrinkles may have developed around your eyes, lips, chin, and other facial features. Laser skin resurfacing can diminish these lines and wrinkles for a more youthful appearance.
Crow’s Feet
One of the most common areas where wrinkles form is at the corner of the eyes. These “crow’s feet” lines can appear faint or can be deeply etched into the skin. Treatment encourages the redevelopment of collagen and elasticity, helping smooth away crow’s feet wrinkles.
Blemishes
Through years of sun exposure and other damage, your skin may no longer have a smooth and clear complexion. Laser treatment can diminish blemishes for a healthier and more youthful appearance.
Acne Scars
Adolescent and adult acne may have left behind prominent scars. Laser treatment can soften acne scars, blending them into your natural complexion.
Age Spots
Sun exposure can cause small dark spots to appear on your face, shoulders, arms, and hands. Our Austin practice offers laser skin resurfacing as a way of diminishing age spots.
What Is the Cost of Laser Skin Resurfacing?
At Meridian Plastic Surgery, the cost for three treatment sessions is $1,000 to $3,000. One of the factors that affect pricing is whether your procedure includes the use of human healing factors, which we may recommend in combination with laser skin resurfacing.
Am I a Good Candidate for Laser Skin Resurfacing?
You are likely a good candidate for treatment if you have areas of your face, shoulders, or arms where you want the skin to look smoother, healthier, and more youthful. Laser skin resurfacing can:
- Diminish fine lines and wrinkles, including crow’s feet.
- Soften / diminish blemishes, keratosis, or acne scars.
- Shrink enlarged pores.
All About the Laser Skin Resurfacing Technology
Older skin resurfacing lasers apply a single field of energy. The field affects all of the skin in the treated area.
The Sciton ProFractional laser, which we offer to Austin-area patients, works differently. ProFractional treats the skin in a series of tiny “columns” instead of as a single field. This leaves untreated skin between each column. The treatment has two effects:
- Your body will activate its wound healing response and develop new collagen. This will diminish signs of aging and blemishes in both the treated skin and untreated area around the “columns.”
- Because ProFractional affects less of your skin than a field laser, you should heal more quickly and comfortably and see results sooner.
Options with Sciton Laser Therapy
Many of our patients benefit from combining laser skin resurfacing with other treatments. These include:
Human healing factors. Meridian Plastic Surgery can produce a natural healing serum by taking a blood sample and spinning it in a specialized centrifuge. This separates the blood into different components, including healing factors that we can inject into your treatment site. Treatment can reduce your healing time and encourage the development of collagen.
Microlaser peel. To get rid of superficial irregularities, we may recommend that you start with microlaser peel treatments. Using ProFractional afterward can stimulate collagen development for smoother and healthier-looking skin.
BBL™. Before ProFractional treatment, we may advise patients to have BroadBand Light therapy, which can remove pigmented lesions in a targeted way.
The skincare clinic at Meridian Plastic Surgery offers patients extensive experience and advanced treatment options. We are dedicated to helping you achieve your aesthetic goals in a safe, comfortable, and supportive way.
In addition to laser skin resurfacing, we have a range of non-surgical solutions available. Our treatments range from injectables such as BOTOX® and dermal fillers to laser hair removal and medical-grade aesthetic products. We invite you to explore each of these solutions during your appointment.
What Should I Do in Preparation?
Start with a consultation at our Austin practice, where we will discuss your options and answer your questions about laser skin resurfacing. Some patients want to know how effective treatment will be in resolving their particular concerns. We are happy to talk about what to expect as well as review before and after photos.
There are no special steps that you need to take before you have laser skin resurfacing treatment. In some cases, patients have their first session on the same day as their initial consultation.
How Long Does Each Session Usually Last and How Many Treatments Should I Expect?
A laser skin resurfacing treatment takes about one hour. You can plan to have between one and three sessions depending on your aesthetic concern. Most patients wait 4-6 weeks between each session.
You should begin to see improvement in the quality of your skin after a single treatment with our practice. Deep lines and wrinkles or more pronounced acne scars may take more treatments than small blemishes.
What Does Laser Skin Resurfacing Feel Like? Does It Hurt?
Meridian Plastic Surgery wants your treatment to be as quick and comfortable as possible while providing you with the improvement you want.
As part of laser skin resurfacing, we use a strong topical anesthetic to desensitize the area. Patients often describe the sensation of treatment as a rubber band snapping against their skin. Most people feel that the trade-off — lasting and non-surgical rejuvenation — is worth it compared to more frequent and less effective treatments.
What Should My Expectations Be?
Plan to stay home for a full five days after your treatment. Redness, spotty bleeding, peeling, and sensitivity are all common during this time. Meridian Plastic Surgery will provide you with a skin regimen to follow to encourage healing.
By the fifth day, you should be able to go out and participate in normal activities. Expect to see improvement over the next 6-12 weeks as collagen production continues, and your skin becomes smoother and more even.
Other Things to Consider Before Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatment
Laser skin resurfacing can be an excellent way to improve aging and damaged skin, particularly in combination with other treatments that Meridian Plastic Surgery provides. You can also maintain the benefits for longer through regular visits with our skincare clinic.
Is It Really Worth It?
The treatment is completely worth it if you are bothered by acne scarring, age spots, or prominent lines and wrinkles. Sessions with our practice can give you a level of youthfulness and smoothness you may not have seen in years.
If you are interested in laser skin resurfacing but want to learn more, we encourage you to schedule a visit with our Austin practice. Our team members are happy to discuss details with you, answer your questions, and help you decide about treatment.
Are Home Skin Treatments Just As Effective as Laser Skin Resurfacing?
Home skin treatments are not as effective. These products may be able to reduce acne scars, skin damage, and other signs of aging, but the effects may only be temporary and not as noticeable as you would like.
Alternatively, our practice can use laser skin resurfacing to target problem areas at the deeper levels of tissue. The SCITON ProFractional is a medical-grade system that clears away aged and damaged skin and promotes ongoing collagen development.
Get Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatment at Meridian Plastic Surgery
You can have smoother, softer, and healthier-looking skin without surgery. Laser resurfacing can diminish skin damage and signs of aging in a fast, effective, and predictable way, helping you get a years-younger appearance.
Learn more about what to expect with laser skin resurfacing. Contact our Austin practice for an appointment by calling (512) 617-7500 or connecting with us online.