Full Facial Rejuvenation
Our doctors specialize in skin smoothing surgery with the CO2 laser. These remarkable images illustrate the fantastic results that can be attained with this state-of-the-art aesthetic laser technology at the Advanced Skin and Allergy Medical Group. Many years of sun-damage and aging can be wiped away utilizing the precision of laser surgery.

After years of trips to Mexico and Hawaii, this 55 year old female is very unhappy with her skin. She looks over 70. She thought about a face lift but was told that it would not remove the many deep lines that she wanted to get rid of. She is an ideal candidate for the CO2 laser resurfacing procedure.

When given the option of local anesthetic vs. conscious sedation, she decided to have her procedure done while asleep at the local surgery center directly across the street from our main Yuba City office. The CO2 laser procedure was performed under conscious sedation with the assistance of an anesthesiologist.

Upon awakening, she felt great and had no memory of the procedure. Her skin looked quite raw for two weeks but by the third week she was in public with no one knowing exactly what she had had done. They only knew that she looked like a new fresh face. Sunscreen use on a daily basis will help to maintain the great results.

Full facial rejuvenation is the most popular laser technique which recreates the look of years past. In addition to the elimination of many wrinkles, the skin is restored to a brilliant healthy glow.


Localized Treatment
Our patients also have the option of treating localized regions of the face to restore their smooth youthful appearance. Eyelid and crow's feet lines will disappear and the skin will tighten more than 25 percent. Thus, CO2 laser surgery of the eyelids often makes eyelid lift surgery (blepharoplasty) unnecessary.

Aesthetic CO2 laser surgery has replaced all other methods of removing lip lines and wrinkles around the mouth. There has never been a method as precise as laser surgery to make the perioral region look younger. The old days of the whitening phenol peel are gone now that the CO2 laser is here.

A 45 year old female with history of many years of sun worshipping would like to improve the many lines around her eyes. She has already used Retin-A and glycolic acid creams with no relief. We discussed that aesthetic CO2 laser resurfacing would offer her the best results to improve the texture of her skin without the need for an eyelid lift (blepharoplasty). We reviewed the material risks and potential complications of the procedure and reviewed results of similar procedures on other patients.

Several weeks later, she came in for the procedure that is performed as an outpatient in our laser surgery suite. Her eyes are protected with shields and the eyelids are injected with a local anesthetic. She has also opted to receive a mild tranquilizer before the procedure. After being certain that she is totally numb in this area, the aesthetic CO2 laser makes several quick passes over the eyelids and crows feet area. The patient does not feel a thing.

After the surgery, she is instructed to go home and apply ice and antibiotic ointment for the next two days to be followed by ointment only until the skin fills in with a new layer in approximately two weeks. She is checked in our office 2-4 days after the procedure and weekly until all healing has taken place.

Although she was advised to expect redness of the treated skin for two months and possibly up to six months, all of her redness is gone in just seven weeks. She loves her new youthful skin and now maintains it with daily sunscreen and alphahydroxyacid creams.

The CO2 laser also brings excellent results in mouth and lip surgery, eliminating many of the unsightly lines that come with age.

A 56 year old female has a long history of sun exposure and smoking. She complains that she is tired of lipstick getting into the cracks and wrinkles above and below her lips. We discuss the options of treatment which include dermabrasion, phenol chemical peel and the preferred method of aesthetic CO2 laser treatment.

The CO2 laser offers the most controlled method with the least risk of scarring (often seen after dermabrasion) and little risk of permanent whitening (which is seen after phenol peels). She does extremely well after several passes of the CO2 laser under local anesthesia. She's back to her normal activities two weeks after the procedure but she uses make-up to conceal some redness for two months. We advised her to give up sunbathing, but she probably won't follow our recommendation since she is addicted to sunlight.


Acne Scar Removal
Acne scars can also be improved with the smoothing effects of the laser. The same smoothing technique is used as for wrinkle removal. Small scars will disappear and deeper scars will become less deep and less noticeable. In severe cases with very deep scars, we often combine a minor surgical technique to cut out larger scars first and then finish the procedure with the laser on a future day to create an outstanding result.

A 40 year old executive with a long history of severe acne scars is tired of having a rugged, irregular look. She has considered dermabrasion but has decided to undergo the safer CO2 laser resurfacing. The procedure is done under local anesthesia in our office in Yuba City. She healed well and was back to work in 12 days using makeup to conceal some redness. She couldn't be happier with the improvement which will continue show up for 6 months. Her skin has a new smoother look.