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Evidence-Based Procedural Dermatology pp 271–286Cite as

Nonablative and Minimally Ablative Resurfacing

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Abstract

Skin damage, resulting from surgery, trauma, acne scarring, or excessive skin exposure, often prompts patients to seek medical advice. Nowadays, even expected signs of aging, such as rhytides and “age spots,” can be distressing enough to lead patients to inquire about treatment. Traditional treatment modalities include the use of topical retinoids, bleaching agents, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and lasers. With the recent advances in technology, lasers and light sources have now become the technique of choice for skin resurfacing. Conventional lasers, like the carbon dioxide (CO2) or erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG), are ablative and thus remove the entire epidermis and portions of the dermis during treatment. Consequently, results are impressive, but there is a great degree of associated postoperative ­morbidity. Patients are often advised to expect 1–2 weeks of “downtime” in order to recover from the swelling, oozing, crusting, and discomfort that results from the procedure [1] (V/B).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Dermatology, Loyola University - Stritch School of Medicine, 2160 South First Avenue, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA

    Shraddha Desai

  2. Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ashish C. Bhatia

  3. The Dermatology Institute of DuPage Medical Group, 2155 CityGate Lane, Suite 225, Naperville, IL, 60563, USA

    Ashish C. Bhatia

Authors
  1. Shraddha Desai
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  2. Ashish C. Bhatia
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Correspondence to Shraddha Desai .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aesthetic Surgery, Professor, Departments of Dermatology,, Chief, Section of Cutaneous and, Feinberg School of Med, Northwestern Univ, Chicago, 60611, Illinois, USA

    Murad Alam

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Desai, S., Bhatia, A.C. (2012). Nonablative and Minimally Ablative Resurfacing. In: Alam, M. (eds) Evidence-Based Procedural Dermatology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09424-3_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09424-3_15

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-09423-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-09424-3

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