Non-Ablative Fractional Laser Richmond, BC
Profile Laser and Skin Care can dramatically rejuvenate your skin with fractional laser treatment provided by our state-of-the art Alma Lasers TM Harmony XL® system. The Pixel® 2940 hand piece is designed to be incorporated as part of Alma Lasers’ Harmony® multi-application laser platform. Pixel® laser skin resurfacing technology lifts years from your face and stimulates new collagen to grow. The non-ablative fractional laser helps offset years of sun damage and improves your skin’s texture and tone to fight fine lines, wrinkles, and even acne scars. Pixel® laser skin resurfacing provides noticeable results, often in as little as a single treatment.
How Does Non-Ablative Work?
The Pixel®’s 2940nm Er:YAG ablative laser is delivered to the skin through a microoptical lens. This creates 49 (7×7) or 81 (9×9) pixel-sized ablation dots on the skin within an 11mm x 11mm treatment zone, which each penetrate between 20 and 50 microns deep (a micron is one millionth of a metre). The practitioner can decide between the 49 and 81 pixel configuration, depending on the area and type of treatment required. With the smaller 49 dot pattern, the energy is split between fewer pixels, so each pixel receives more energy and the depth of penetration is higher than with the 81 dot pattern. Unlike traditional ablative laser resurfacing, which removes the whole of the top layer of skin in the targeted treatment area, this fractional method damages only certain zones within the selected target area (producing tiny white dots or pixel-like treated areas on the skin), leaving the other zones within it perfectly intact. Therefore, we only treat approximately 20% of the skin within the treatment area. This allows the skin to heal much faster than if the whole area were treated, as the ‘healthy’ untreated tissue surrounding the treated zones helps to fill in the damaged area with new cells. This causes collagen remodelling, skin tightening and an improvement in skin texture as the area heals. Unlike some other fractional laser skin resurfacing machines used in some clinics, the Pixel® 2940 device doesn’t require single patient disposables such as treatment tips, optical dyes, and gels, which helps to make the treatment both faster and cheaper for the practitioner and client. A treatment session for a full face in our laser clinic in Richmond will take approximately 15 minutes, with hands taking approximately 10 minutes.
The Pixel® 2940 was cleared by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) for fractional ablative laser skin resurfacing in 2006 and also received the European CE Mark in September 2006.
The longevity of results is comparable to ablative laser resurfacing and as always is dependent on future ageing, the effects of gravity and sun exposure.
The Pixel® 2940 machine offers speedy healing and minimal to no downtime.
Treatment is generally considered to be well tolerated and almost pain free, with a light flicking or ‘elastic band’ feeling on the skin as the laser is fired, and some sensation of warmth felt during treatment. The treatment of deeper wrinkles and scars may produce more discomfort and heat effect, but your practitioner can manage this effectively for you if necessary. Some may use a cold air device to aid any discomfort felt.
The manufacturers claim that the Pixel® 2940 delivers results on par with traditional ablative lasers, but that it eliminates the possible side effects associated with such traditional ablative methods such as hypo- or hyper-pigmentation (dark or light patches forming on the skin), post-procedure infections, swelling, erythema (redness) or oedema (swelling caused by inflammation).
Immediately following treatment, the skin may feel tighter or firmer, and have a smoother feel to the touch. Some minor redness (like sunburn) and skin flaking (from the dots) can be expected in the days post-treatment, similar to a superficial chemical peel, but with no pain or discomfort expected. Cooling gels or aloe vera may be applied to the treated skin to reduce the redness, which should resolve in 24 – 48 hours, depending on skin sensitively. It is also advisable to apply sunscreen to the treated area.
Most people can return to work almost immediately, and in the case of women, any residual redness can easily be covered with makeup.
Unlike the Fraxel® device, there is no temporary ‘bronzing’ effect on the skin post Pixel® treatment.
Multiple treatment sessions are required with Pixel® 2940 to obtain optimal results. A treatment programme of 3–5 treatments, spaced 1–4 weeks apart, is recommended by the manufacturers to achieve the best results for indications such as sun damage, acne scars, enlarged pores and rough skin texture, fine lines, and pigmentation.
The number of treatment sessions required depends upon the individual patient and the condition undergoing treatment; your practitioner will be able to create an appropriate treatment regime for you.