Sciton Laser Skin Rejuvenation
The elements and the march of time are not kind to our skin. That’s, even more, the case in the sunny, dry weather here in Scottsdale. When you combine the sun’s UV rays and our dry windy days with the declining production of collagen, you have the perfect recipe for the development of lines, wrinkles, age spots, areas of sun damage, and other skin problems.
At Ong Institute, we can rejuvenate the skin with our Sciton laser treatments. Laser skin rejuvenation can be done with different degrees of aggressiveness, depending upon your individual skin damage.
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What is Sciton laser skin rejuvenation?
The Sciton laser machine is an erbium machine which uses the Erbium to produce the lasers. This machine has a functionality that emulates CO2 and YAG.
The penetration is the difference. For surface skin, the penetration of the Erbium laser only targets the darker pigment in the melanin of age spots and other pigmentation problems. For more involved skin issues, such as acne scarring, you want to penetrate into the skin’s second layer, the dermis. That’s where the CO2 functionality comes into play. It penetrates through the epidermis into the dermis through hundreds of tiny punctures. This is fractional resurfacing, and it triggers the body to respond as if wounded by building new amounts of collagen and elastin to “heal” the perceived wounds, although they actually fully heal in just a couple of hours.
This combination allows us to treat a wide range of skin issues for our Ong Institute patients, and it does so completely non-invasively.
What skin issues can be treated with the Sciton laser?
Our CO2 fractional treatments trigger a full healing response in the body. This improves:
- Moderate lines and wrinkles
- Acne scarring
- Skin texture problems
- Skin tone
- Dyschromias
- Skin thickness
- Pigmented lesions
The Erbium YAG treatments are superficial. They improve:
- Shallow lines and wrinkles
- Age spots
- Port wine spots
- Areas of hyperpigmentation
- Rosacea
- Skin texture
There are also various Sciton types of branded treatments, including:
How does Sciton laser skin rejuvenation work?
The body has amazing healing capabilities, and for laser skin resurfacing, the goal is to engage these natural healing mechanisms to rejuvenate the skin both on the surface epidermis layer and in the skin’s second layer, the dermis.
On the surface skin, the Sciton platform uses an Erbium YAG laser. When we direct the laser light energy down onto the target areas, the light energy is absorbed by the melanin in the sun-damaged areas such as age spots. The energy breaks up the melanin and these areas of darker skin slough off in a few days. Laser energy can also close broken capillaries and lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The dermis is where our body creates collagen. To trigger new production, the goal is to have the laser energy penetrate the outer epidermis and enter the dermis. When the energy enters the dermis it converts to heat, and when the body senses heat in the dermis it assumes a wound has occurred. It responds by remodeling the existing collagen in the area and immediately starting production of new collagen to “heal” the perceived wound, although in these procedures the tiny punctures heal within a couple of hours. For these deeper treatments, the Sciton platform employs a CO2 laser. This improves the skin over the following weeks.
What are the benefits of Sciton laser skin rejuvenation?
These treatments are becoming more and more popular as patients seek less invasive options for skin rejuvenation. By combining two lasers, the Sciton platform allows us to provide both surface skin rejuvenation and deeper collagen production increases that improve the skin from within. All of these improve the skin without any real recovery or downtime. Sure, your skin can be red for a few days afterward, but these are easy to take procedures that can make significant improvements in your skin. What’s not to love?
How long will the results of my Sciton laser skin rejuvenation last?
These are permanent results. After all, even just superficial Erbium energy makes the skin slough off old, dead skin cells and age spots. They won’t come back. As for the CO2 portion, the new collagen and elastin produced are also permanent. Your skin improvement is permanent.
Of course, the march of time won’t stop. And in sunny Scottsdale, it’s not as if the sun won’t still throw its UV rays onto your skin. So, while the improvements in pigmentation, skin texture, and the like are permanent changes, you’ll develop new sunspots and other pigmentation issues, and your body will continue to produce less and less collagen every year. That’s why Dr. Ong encourages patients to think of maintenance laser treatments moving forward.
How many Sciton laser skin rejuvenation treatments will I need?
This varies depending on the patient. If you’re simply having the Erbium YAG superficial treatments, these can be repeated every couple of months, as there really isn’t any recovery time. CO2 fractional resurfacing is more aggressive and should only be done once or twice a year. This is because your skin improvements are much more elaborate and longer-lasting. The beauty of this laser is it can be adjusted to offer superficial treatments (such as micro laser peels), deeper full laser treatments, and fractionated treatments for darker skin tones and scars. The Scitos is fully customizable to meet your needs.
Is there any recovery after Sciton laser treatments?
For Erbium YAG superficial treatments there isn’t any recovery time. Your skin may be a little red for a day or so, but that’s about it. We have a variety of recommended treatments and products to help aid in your recovery, including SkinCeuticals products.
After CO2 fractional resurfacing, there is a little recovery. You don’t have to alter any plans (other than to stay out of the sun), but your skin will need to heal. This is what you can expect, although this can vary with the patient:
- Day 1 — You will leave our Scottsdale offices and your skin will appear as if moderately sunburned and it will feel tight.
- Day 2 — Your skin will now appear bronzed and darker.
- Day 3-4 — Your skin will begin to peel, and areas may itch.
- Day 5 — Peeling should begin to end.
- Day 7-8 — Your redness should fully resolve.
How long do laser skin rejuvenation treatments take?
Our various laser treatments can take from 30 to 45 minutes, or over an hour for full-face treatment.
Are there risks with Sciton laser skin rejuvenation? Is it painful?
We apply topical numbing cream for fractional rejuvenation treatments with the CO2 laser. This ensures you stay comfortable during your session. The Erbium laser doesn’t need topical numbing.
These are low-risk treatments. These are potential risks that are very rare:
- Skin burns
- Scarring
- Changes in pigmentation (generally lighter areas with darker skin tones)
Patient Testimonials
“Dr. Cheri Ong is incredibly bright & well-credentialled, kind, a good listener, highly principled, and always looking for the best result for each patient. I couldn’t recommend her more.”
“Great experience with Dr. Ong and her services. I will be back for additional treatments for various things. She and her staff are wonderful.”
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Schedule a Consultation Today!
If you’re interested in learning more about the Sciton Laser Skin Rejuvenation please contact us for a consultation at (480) 771-7771 or fill out our contact us form below. We will discuss your needs and concerns, and determine your best course of action.
