What is Nonablative Laser and Light Therapy?
Nonablative laser and light treatments (other equivalent terms include subsurface resurfacing, photorejuvenation, and laser toning) have been used for several years for the aesthetic improvement of photoaged skin, particularly of the face. These treatments provide an alternative to traditional full-face laser resurfacing, an ablative modality in which carbon dioxide and/or erbium:YAG lasers are used to remove the entire epidermis and portions of the dermis. Ablative resurfacing improves skin roughness, fine and moderately deep facial wrinkles, and dyspigmentation by replacing the damaged epidermis and superficial dermis with a new papillary dermis and overlying epidermis. While results in expert hands are impressive, patients undergo an unpleasant healing period of 1-2 weeks during which time there is swelling, oozing and crusting, as well as discomfort. All nonablative treatments improve skin texture and tone, some improve wrinkles or surface irregularities including scarring, and som
