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| Skin Resurfacing Treatments at a Glance |
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With many options available for helping your skin achieve a nice, healthy look, it may be easy to become confused. Here are the key facts about the main procedures available to plastic surgeons. Be sure to consult your doctor to determine what is the best for your skin.
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AHA Peels | TCA Peels | Phenol Peels | Dermabrasion | Laser Resurfacing
| | AHA Chemical Peel | What It Treats:
| For fine wrinkles, age spots, pre-cancerous growths.
| How It Works:
| Mild chemical solution (alphahydroxy acids include glycolic, lactic, or fruit acids) lightly peels skin.
| Where Its Done:
| Takes 10 to 15 minutes in doctor’s office; no anesthesia. Resume normal activities right away.
| How Frequent:
| Can be repeated weekly.
| Usual Results:
| smoothes rough, dry skin. Brighter looking skin. Fresher texture.
| Average Cost:
| Ranges from $75 to $200 per treatment.
| | TCA Chemical Peel | What It Treats:
| For moderate sun damage, fine lines and weathered skin, pigment problems.
| How It Works:
| Trichloroacetic acid is applied, the chemical penetrates into the dermis.
| Where Its Done:
| Doctor's office or surgery center as an out-patient procedure; sedative. Chemical application itself takes 10 to 15 minutes. Moderate discomfort and mild swelling for about a week.
| How Frequent:
| Often repeated, spaced out over weeks.
| Usual Results:
| Smoother, fresher looking skin.
| Average Cost:
| Full face ranges from $1600 to $2000 per treatment.
| | Phenol Chemical Peel | What It Treats:
| For extensive, coarse wrinkling, pre-cancerous growths, marked discoloration, scarring. Not for dark ethnic skins.
| How It Works:
| Carbolic acid is applied to skin.
| Where Its Done:
| Surgeon's office-based surgical facility or outpatient surgical center; takes one to two hours; sedative. Uncomfortable and very red for about two weeks. Must use sunblock at all times.
| How Frequent:
| Can be done in stages.
| Usual Results:
| More even, smoother, tighter skin.
| Average Cost:
| Ranges $1000 to $2000.
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| Dermabrasion | What It Treats:
| For deeper scars and deeper wrinkles, severe sun damage, pre-cancerous growths, uneven skin color.
| How It Works:
| High speed sanding wheel skims away layers of skin to the dermis layer to produce collagen. Dermaplaning is a deeper planing of skin used for crater-like scars.
| Where Its Done:
| Doctor's office, surgical facility or hospital. Can take anywhere from minutes to hour-plus; local anesthetic and sedative. Extreme redness for 2 weeks.
| How Frequent:
| Can be done in stages.
| Usual Results:
| More even, smoother, tighter skin.
| Average Cost:
| Ranges $1000 to $2000.
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| Laser Resurfacing | What It Treats:
| For moderate to severe wrinkles especially around eyes and mouth; scars from accident or acne, tattoos.
| How It Works:
| High-energy beam of light used like high-tech scalpel to remove layers of skin. Different types of lasers (CO2, Erbium YAG, Cool Touch) suited for specific problems.
| Where Its Done:
| Doctor's office, surgical facility or hospital. Can take anywhere from minutes to an hour-plus; local or topical anesthetic and sedative; general anesthesia extensive treatment. Recuperation of one week. Skin will be very red, swollen, could crust.
| How Frequent:
| Can be done in stages.
| Usual Results:
| Smoother, tighter skin.
| Average Cost:
| Ranges from $2750 to $4200 for full face; $1000 to $2600 partial face.
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Getting Started
If you are considering a cosmetic medical procedure, consult a board-certified plastic surgeon about the process, risks, recovery time and costs. For confidential, personalized information at no cost or obligation, use the Find A Specialist tool to find a board-certified plastic surgeon near you. It’s your first step to looking and feeling better today!
Share your thoughts and questions in the discussion Forums.
Learn more about chemical peels, laser resurfacing or dermabrasion now.
Learn about other plastic surgery procedures to consider in addition to chemical peels, laser resurfacing and dermabrasion.
To search for information about other ways to enhance your appearance, visit the eBody home page now. |
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