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Laser & Plasma Resurfacing in Orange County

Skin resurfacing effectively improves the appearance and texture of the skin for a clearer, more youthful looking face without the expense and downtime of surgery. Dr. Graham Kemsley offers both laser resurfacing and plasma resurfacing for a gentle, effective alternative to cosmetic surgery that will dramatically improve surface skin imperfections.

Benefits of Skin Resurfacing

Both laser and plasma resurfacing for our Orange County patients enhances the look and feel of their skin. These treatments provide a variety of benefits including:

• Decreasing the appearance of wrinkles
• Removing uneven pigmented areas such as those due to sun damage and aging
• Diminishing minor facial scars including those caused by acne and chicken pox
• Enhancing skin tone
• Targeting specific areas or the whole face

Many of Dr. Kemsley's patients enhance cosmetic surgery procedures with skin resurfacing for a more dramatic rejuvenation. He will be happy to discuss the available options with you at your personalized consultation.

How It Works

Skin resurfacing is the process of removing outer layers of damaged, wrinkled, unevenly-pigmented skin and encouraging the regeneration of fresh, clear, younger-looking skin. Because laser and plasma resurfacing can be precisely controlled, your entire face can be treated, or just isolated areas, such as "crow's feet" around the eyes or fine wrinkles around the lips.

While both laser and plasma skin resurfacing remove the outer layers of skin, they differ in how they achieve rejuvenation.

• Laser skin resurfacing uses a beam of light to gently remove the top layers of the skin. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and usually takes between 30 minutes to 2 hours. Depending on the extent of resurfacing desired, we might use local or general anesthesia. As part of the healing process, new collagen is produced resulting in tighter, smoother, younger-looking skin.
• Plasma resurfacing removes the layers of skin with plasma, an ionized nitrogen gas. This outpatient treatment can take just 5 to 10 minutes for isolated areas and as little as 45 minutes for the entire face. We typically use local anesthesia with anesthetic cream for increased comfort.

As with any medical procedure, there are some risks involved with skin resurfacing. Dr. Kemsley will give you time to thoroughly describe your expectations and will explain the possible side effects at your consultation.

Recovery & Results

Laser skin resurfacing: You can go home the day of your laser skin resurfacing treatment and return to work in about 6 to 12 days. Initially, treated areas will look pink to red, similar to a sunburn. Patients usually have mild to moderate discomfort for several days. Within about a week the skin will heal over, but will appear pink for about 1 to 3 months. Once your skin has healed, it will be younger looking with more even coloring and fewer wrinkles. Skin tone also gradually improves for about 18 months after treatment.

Plasma resurfacing: Recovery from plasma resurfacing is usually even shorter than with laser resurfacing. The skin will look red from a few hours up to 10 days, depending on the intensity of the treatment. After plasma resurfacing, the outer layer of the skin dries out but stays in place for a few days, which helps the skin heal. Eventually the old skin sloughs off, revealing a layer of fresh, new skin. You will gradually see improvements in your skin texture and elasticity, along with diminished wrinkles, giving you a more vibrant and youthful appearance. Patients usually see continued improvements for up to one year as increased collagen and elastin production continues.