Austin Dermatologist - Laser Skin Tightening

Skin tightening is a procedure by which you can have firmer, smoother skin on the face, chest, arms, hands, stomach or other areas. By using the deep penetrating, yet safe wavelengths of light from the Candela GentleYAG laser, your skin can see improvement in firmness, reduced wrinkles, and improvement on elasticity, texture, pore size and smoothness.

As we age, the rate of collagen production slows, resulting in skin laxity. The laser creates a beam of light that penetrates deep into the skin tissue where it delivers a controlled amount of targeted therapeutic heat, stimulating the body to produce more collagen to plump and firm the skin creating a smoother younger appearance.

Laser Skin tightening is not a substitute for plastic surgery, but is an alternative, more affordable treatment producing more subtle improvements. For many clients, stand-alone skin tightening with the Candela GentleYAG is all that is needed, but it can also be used in conjunction with a face lift to further improve the quality of the skin. Depending on the severity of wrinkles and lines on the face, laser skin tightening can also be paired with Botox or filler injections to complete the look.

Some clients report a mild tingling or stinging sensation during the laser treatment, but many report little or no discomfort. The sensation created by the laser is often described as similar to the snapping of a rubber band on the skin. Some areas can be more sensitive than others, but our lasers use a patented cryogen spray system that cools the skin immediately prior to each laser pulse allowing even sensitive areas to be treated in a relatively painless fashion.

The number of collagen stimulating treatments can vary depending on the severity of the condition being treated. You may begin to see slights improvements after a couple of treatments, but at least 4-6 treatments are recommended, spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart, to achieve optimum results. Full benefits will likely not be accomplished if a full series of treatments are not performed.

Generally, treatments take about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the area treated.

Your skin should be clean and dry, free of make-up, creams, oils, or other skin products. The treatment are should not be exposed to sunlight, tanning booths or self-tanning products for 2 weeks prior to treatment.

There is little to no downtime. The skin may feel similar to mild sunburn, and there may be slight redness of the skin following treatment, but both are usually resolved in less than 30 minutes. There may be very slight swelling of the area lasting 1-2 days. Patients can receive a treatment during lunch and return to work immediately without co-workers noticing. Make up can usually be applied a few minutes after the procedure.

All procedures performed on the body have potential for side effects. But side effects are very rare, but may include redness, swelling, rash, pigment changes, blistering or bruising.

Optimal results are usually seen about 3 to 6 months after the treatment series is completed, but some improvement may be seen in as little as 1-2 weeks following the second treatment.