Dear Dr. Seckel, What is the most effective skin exfoliation method for removing facial wrinkles? I have tried face creams but they don’t work. I have also tried microdermabrasion but I still have wrinkles. I don’t want to have the down time associated with laser resurfacing. Is there anything else? Thanks, Audrey, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Dear Audrey,
Yes there is a very effective method for skin exfoliation to remove facial wrinkles with minimal down time. It is the MicroLaserPeel® is a laser skin rejuvenation peel using the Sciton Erbium laser. The Erbium laser is called a cool laser because it does not burn the skin like the CO2 laser does, thus after a MicroLaserPeel® the skin heals much faster than after a laser resurfacing with the CO2 laser.
The other big difference with the MicroLaserPeel® is that this laser skin rejuvenation peel does not go as deep as a traditional CO2 laser resurfacing. A CO2 laser resurfacing removes 450 to 600 microns (a micron is much thinner than a human hair) while a MicroLaserPeel® usually only removes 20 to 40 microns of skin. Thus following a MicroLaserPeel® the skin heals very quickly, you are only pink for 4 to 5 days and your face returns to normal but with new smoother skin. I recommend 3 to 4 MicroLaserPeels® done 6 weeks to 3 months apart for effective wrinkle removing exfoliation.
You are smart to focus on skin exfoliation for wrinkle removal. Many wrinkle cures today try to remove facial wrinkles with creams, lasers, IPL, photo fcaial therapy, radiofrequency waves and infrared waves. These non-surgical facial rejuvenation methods attempt wrinkle removal by stimulating the deeper layers of the skin to form new collagen. The problem is that if you don’t exfoliate the old wrinkled skin first, you will still have wrinkled skin even after you form new collagen in the deeper skin layers.
I call my technique sequential MicroLaserPeels®, meaning several superficial erbium laser skin rejuvenation peels done over the period of a year. The MicroLaserPeel exfoliates up to 5 or 6 times as deep as a microdermabrasion. You just need to be willing to be pink fro 4 or 5 days. For further information on facial rejuvenation and the new non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques read Save Your Face or contact me.
Sincerely,
Boston, Massachusetts