Complications of Laser Skin Therapy - Dr. Cory Torgerson (2024)

FAQs

What are the risks of laser treatment on skin? ›

Laser resurfacing can cause treated skin to become darker than it was before treatment (hyperpigmentation) or lighter (hypopigmentation). Permanent changes in skin color are more common in people with dark brown or Black skin. Talk with your doctor about which laser resurfacing technique reduces this risk. Scarring.

Laser therapy can result in misdirected or excessively intense burns, bleeding from the choriocapillaris, damage to macular and other ocular structures, and breaks in Bruch's membrane.

Reasons You May Not Be a Good Candidate

You have deep wrinkles. You're on certain medications that might cause more damage to your skin. You have a skin condition that hasn't been properly treated.

LASER skin resurfacing is a proven method for diminishing signs of aging, scars, blemishes, and pigmentation flaws as well as tightening the skin and improving skin tone.

The major danger of laser light is hazards from beams entering the eye. The eye is the organ most sensitive to light. Just as a magnifying glass can be used to focus the sun and burn wood, the lens in the human eye focuses the laser beam into a tiny spot than can burn the retina.

MicroLaserPeel is different and much more effective at rejuvenating the skin than microdermabrasion or chemical peels. It is also less invasive than Laser Skin Resurfacing, so the recovery time is significantly less.

You'll have some redness and swelling. You may also experience itching or stinging for a few days after the procedure. Depending on the treatment, some people may have what looks like a severe sunburn. The skin will be raw, oozing and may even blister.

You may not be a good candidate for laser skin resurfacing if you have: Active acne. Very dark skin. Deep wrinkles.

Do laser treatments help crepey skin? ›

The laser gets very hot, though it's still tolerable on the skin, and it stimulates the skin to make more collagen and elastin, resulting in firmer, less crepey skin that looks tighter. It works best for people between the ages of 30 and 65, and even people who do not yet have noticeable sagging may find it preventive.

The newest version of CO2 laser resurfacing (fractionated CO2) uses very short pulsed light energy (known as ultrapulse) or continuous light beams that are delivered in a scanning pattern to remove thin layers of skin with minimal heat damage. Recovery takes up to two weeks.

There is no solid research that indicates laser therapy exacerbates any malignant forms of skin cancers. Most forms of laser therapy operate at a frequency that barely penetrates the skin itself and are used primarily for cosmetic purposes.

The laser technique directs short, concentrated pulsating beams of light at irregular skin. Laser skin resurfacing removes skin very precisely, layer-by-layer by vaporizing it. Lasers remove the outer layer of your skin – the epidermis – and heats the underlying layer, called the dermis.

Risks/Benefits

Risks of laser surgery include incomplete treatment of the problem, pain, infection, bleeding, scarring, and skin color changes.

Repeated exposure to relatively low powered lasers, or from a single exposure to medium powered lasers may cause long term damage to sight or minor damage to skin. Exposure to high level lasers may cause depigmentation, severe burns and possible damage to underlying organs.