Ablative Laser

What is an ablative laser?

An ablative laser is a type of laser light that is absorbed by structures containing water – and since skin is mostly water – it vaporizes a very thin, controlled layer of skin at a time. 

What can an ablative laser treat?

Ablative lasers are well suited when very precise removal of a skin lesions at a cosmetically sensitive area of the face is desired.  Once their benign nature has been determined, skin growths like moles(nevi), age spots (seborrheic keratosis) and oil glands (sebaceous hyperplasias) are commonly treated with ablative laser. 

Other less common conditions, such as large keloids of the earlobe or a cholesterol deposit around the eyes called xanthelasma can be treated with ablative laser. 

Ablative laser can also be delivered in a fractional way to perform laser resurfacing.

What is the recovery like after ablative laser?

On the day of treatment, we review the procedure with you, you sign forms and we take photos in our dedicated photo studio. The skin is cleansed, numbing agent is injected at the treatment area and your eyes are shielded. Local anesthetic is very effective at controlling the pain from treatment. Laser light is applied in small increments to treat the growth layer by layer, and cotton applicators are used to visualize the treatment area. This is repeated until the growth has been levelled to the desired layer. 

All patients should expect the area to heal from the bottom over 7-10 days, possibly with a crust/scab. A few weeks after the procedure, the area will appear more red than surrounding skin. We avoid treating tanned skin and advise to avoid direct sun exposure to minimize rare risks of hyperpigmentation from the device. Removal of a growth with ablative laser does leave a scar – but it is the treatment with which we can most minimize the appearance of this scar. 

Curious to see if you are a candidate for ablative laser ? Contact our office for a consultation.