Treatment Info

This safe non-invasive laser procedure restores the healthy, flawless skin of your youth with minimal downtime.

What is Laser Skin Resurfacing?

Previously, laser skin resurfacing using an ablative laser was a procedure commonly used to restore a youthful appearance to wrinkled, prematurely aged, scarred or sun damaged skin. While results were excellent, it was painful and had extended down time, leaving patients housebound and unable to return to work for extended periods of time. Things have now changed dramatically with the recent introduction of the fractional ablative laser – the PIXEL.

What is the Pixel Laser?

The Pixel Laser Skin Rejuvenation/Resurfacing is the latest approach to improving skin, complexion, texture, tone and acne scars and wrinkles using fractional resurfacing. This FDA-approved treatment represents the best of both worlds for skin resurfacing: it combines the proven effectiveness of an ablative approach (aggressive lasers that remove the outer layer of skin) with the client comfort and convenience of a non-ablative approach (lasers that do not remove the outer layer of skin).

How does it work?

Pixel skin resurfacing is based on the principle of micro-thermal treatment zones:

The Pixel laser beam fires a laser which is then split into many microbeams, producing tiny dots or pixel–like treatment zones, referred to as micro-thermal treatment zones (MTZ).
These MTZ penetrate deep into the skin removing the epidermis and upper dermis but leaving the surrounding tissues untouched and intact.
The treated pixels trigger the body’s natural healing process stimulating the growth of new healthy skin tissue and increased collagen formation. The small bridges of untreated areas act as a reservoir for more effective and rapid tissue healing and collagen production.
The result is new, healthier, smoother tissue in place of skin imperfections.

How Pixel Laser Skin Resurfacing Works

What conditions can be treated?

Any area of the skin can be treated that has surface irregularities including

Fines lines and wrinkles (including lines around the eyes)
Enlarged pores
Acne and Acne scarring
Melasma and deep pigmentation (including age spots)
Sun-damaged skin
Poor skin tone, and texture
Skin discolourations
Surgical scars
Stretch marks

What areas can be treated?

The Pixel laser can be used on all skin types and the treatment can be performed on the face including the upper and lower eyelids, the chest, back arms and hands/feet in fact any area of the skin that has surface irregularities. This is a much wider scope than traditional ablative lasers. Another benefit of a fractional ablative laser is that it can be used to treat thin skinned areas such as the neck and décolleté.

What is the treatment like?

A small hand piece is used to touch your skin with flashes of light in the area to be treated. At The Hadleigh Clinic we use a special cooling machine, known as a Cryo 6, which cools the skin as it is being treated so there is little or no discomfort during the treatment. Depending on the size of the treatment area, each session can take a few minutes to half an hour.

To learn more about the process (including pre and post treatment information) click here.

How many treatments are required?

Skin resurfacing with the Pixel laser is a gradual process that happens over several treatments. Depending upon the severity and extent of the condition being treated a course of 3-5 treatments every 3-4 weeks is normally recommended. Occasionally some clients may require more than 5 treatments and/or an occasional ‘top-up’ treatment once the initial course has been completed. Pixel laser treatment may also be used in conjunction with other light based therapies to achieve optimal results, see Laser 360.

How quickly will I see a result?

Most people report that the treated skin looks better 10-14 days after the first treatment. The results steadily improve with repeated treatments, with the full effect occurring 3 months after the last treatment.