UCSF Facial Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery offers a wide variety of office-based laser procedures. Dr. Knott and Seth themselves treat you and administer all treatments with a personal and gentle touch to provide a pleasant and comfortable experience. If you are interested in learning more about any of these office procedures, please call us today to schedule a consultation.
Candidates
Great patients for laser treatments are those who notice aging changes such as fine lines and wrinkles in their skin and desire to refresh their look. Also minor skin irregularities such as acne or surgical scars can benefit from laser treatments. With age, the layers of cells in the skin regenerate less frequently and become less active. This leads to decreased production of skin collagen (which gives skin its strength) and elastin (which allows skin to stretch), producing thinner skin that is prone to wrinkling. Laser and light therapies work by stimulating your skin's cells to regenerate and produce more collagen and elastin, resulting in thicker, rejuvenated skin with less wrinkles.
Consultation
During consultation, Dr. Knott and Seth will analyze your skin type, discuss your aims and determine which procedure is best for you. These are important considerations as not every skin type is a good candidate for every type of laser therapy. They will also discuss the details of the therapy in detail with you along with answering all of your questions.
Procedure
Laser procedures are carried out in our office at UCSF Facial Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery. You will be asked to wash your face with a gentle cleanser in the office to remove makeup and natural oils. Laser procedures are typically well tolerated, but topical numbing creams can be provided to help improve your comfort during the procedure. Laser procedures typically takes less than an hour, depending on how much of the face is being treated.
Recovery
Immediately after the treatment, your face will feel warm and your skin will appear pink. To soothe your skin, you should wash your face with water and apply a lubricating ointment. You may experience some dryness and crust formation as you heal. Depending on the type and amount of laser performed, recovery times may vary, but typically your skin is back to normal in three to five days. Most swelling subsides after one week. You should also stay out of the sun and limit exercise and activity while you are healing.
Products and Treatment
To learn more about laser treatments and whether or not these procedures are right for you, please call us today to schedule a consultation.