Price: Starting at ~$1,700
Procedure Time: 45 minutes
Recovery Time: 1-2 weeks
Introduction to
CO₂ Laser Skin Resurfacing
As we get older, the most prominent area on our body that shows signs of aging is our skin. Whether environmental factors or genetics, skin aging is a big concern for many people who want to look and feel their best. The good news is that there are a range of options that can help reverse the signs of aging and restore your youthful skin glow. Meet the carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser, a popular and powerful in-office skin resurfacing procedure used to rejuvenate the skin. In essence, a CO₂ laser treatment aims to improve the appearance of the skin by inciting controlled damage to a specific skin depth, thus stimulating the formation of new, healthy skin cells. CO₂ laser is a wonderful treatment that can treat multiple skin conditions such as acne scars, fine lines, wrinkles, or skin aging. If you are considering a CO₂ Laser in Birmingham, AL, come and see why double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Blake Raggio offers one of the Best Birmingham CO₂ laser procedures.
Laser Expert In Birmingham, AL
What is a CO₂ Laser?
The carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser is one of the original gas lasers and represents a trusted and powerful skin rejuvenating modality used to treat a variety of skin conditions. Carbon dioxide lasers very precisely remove thin layers of skin with minimal heat damage to the surrounding structures. The laser emits energy of a wavelength of 10,600 nanometers. Water within the skin cells absorbs this type of wavelength, resulting in the ablation, or controlled destruction, of the superficial layer of the skin. This treatment produces a type of heat injury that stimulates the skin’s structural components underneath, resulting in the formation of collagen and elastin. Collagen is a protein in the body that provides a tightly organized fiber network and contributes to the skin’s elasticity. When the skin starts healing after laser treatment, new skin starts to form that will be smoother, tighter, and more elastic.
CO₂ Laser
What are the benefits of a CO₂ Laser?
The best candidate for a CO₂ laser is anyone seeking more youthful skin to include improvements in texture (wrinkles), tone (laxity), and discoloration (pigmentation). Our Birmingham CO₂ Laser patients have seen improvements in the following:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Dark spots
- Poor skin tone
- Sun-damaged skin (photodamage)
- Acne scars
- Chickenpox scars
- Scarring related to surgery or trauma
- Seborrheic keratosis (“barnacles of aging”)
- Pre-cancerous lesions (actinic keratosis)
CO₂ laser is also highly effective in improving the following skin conditions:
- Post-surgical, chicken pox and acne scars
- Stretch marks
- Pigmentation issues like melasma and brown spots
- Rhinophyma or severe pore enlargement of the nose from conditions like rosacea
Depending on the specific issue you are looking to treat, Dr. Raggio and his team of specialists can determine whether a CO₂ Laser treatment can benefit you.
Who are the best candidates for a CO₂ Laser procedure?
If you have any of the skin issues listed above, you might be a good candidate for a CO₂ Laser treatment in Birmingham. We advise booking a consultation with one of our providers who can then assess your skin and determine whether this procedure is right for you. Our provider will ask questions about your medical history as certain issues can impact your ability to get a CO₂ Laser treatment. Generally, the CO₂ Laser Dr. Raggio employs is suitable for most skin types, however, patients with darker skin tones have a greater risk of hyperpigmentation.
What are the potential complications of Laser Skin Resurfacing?:
A general rule of thumb when thinking about the risks of CO₂ laser skin resurfacing is that this more aggressive ablative laser treatment will have increased therapeutic effects but also more risks of complications as compared to other lasers. As alluded to above, certain patients are more vulnerable to complications, including darker-skinned individuals with a known history of scar formation. Exposure to isotretinoin (Accutane) would also negatively affect skin resurfacing outcomes. For this reason, strict adherence to the pre-and post-care instructions provided by Dr. Raggio, especially sun avoidance, is critical to optimize results and minimize risks of complications.
Complications for laser skin resurfacing can be classified into immediate (minutes to hours) or delayed (days to weeks):
- Immediate complications include skin edema, burning, and itching sensations, and blistering. Complications requiring emergent management include anaphylactic reactions, inadvertent ocular damage, and cardiac arrhythmias.
- Delayed complications include bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. Scarring can occur as well, the risk factors for which are skin “picking,” recent isotretinoin use, exposure to therapeutic radiation, history of keloid formation, and aggressive skin sloughing in thin-skinned regions such as the neck. Prolonged erythema, acne, and milia eruptions are potential risks, but these tend to be self-limited. Patients with darker skin tone (Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI), estrogen use, pregnancy, or excessive sun exposure may be more prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or darkening. Hypopigmentation (skin lightening) and lines of demarcation can result as well. Lastly, incomplete responses can occur, sometimes requiring multiple treatment sessions to achieve the desired effect, which heightens the importance of realistic expectations.
What’s the first step to scheduling a CO₂ laser?
What are the first steps?
The first step to getting CO₂ Laser in Birmingham is to call Dr. Raggio’s practice, Raggio MD Facial Plastic Surgery, and schedule a consultation. During this session, you will speak with Dr. Raggio who will perform an in-depth facial analysis and walk you through the steps of the procedure. He and his team will assess your skin and goals to determine whether you are a good candidate for the CO₂ laser procedure. The consultation is also your opportunity to discuss your skin concerns and ask questions about the procedure.
Prior to your CO₂ laser procedure, you may be asked to avoid certain medications or topical creams to prepare your skin. This will be outlined for you in detail.
What to expect on the day of a CO₂ Laser treatment
On the day of your appointment, your assigned provider will first administer a type of topical anesthesia to numb the treatment area, which sits for 45 minutes for optimal effect. To further enhance your comfort, Dr. Raggio can offer you oral sedation and/or Nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Once you are maximally comfortable, Dr. Raggio will perform the procedure targeting either individual problem areas (eyes, forehead, mouth) or the full face and neck.
Your entire visit session may last about 2 hours (including the 45-minute numbing preparation), depending on the extent of the treatment area. Most patients are awake and mildly sedated throughout the procedure and feel little to no pain.
Following the CO₂ laser resurfacing procedure, a hydrating serum and emollient are applied to the treatment site.
CO₂ Laser recovery
Before leaving Raggio MD, Dr. Raggio’s team will review your post-procedure instructions to guide you through the recovery and healing process. You may be instructed to clean the treated areas with a home-based vinegar solution and to apply a topical emollient such as Vaseline to soothe the skin. This wound care is intended to prevent the forming of any scabs, which can increase the chance of scarring and prolong the healing time.
In general, the areas heal in 10 to 14 days, depending on the nature of the condition that was treated and the intensity of the laser settings. Of note, Dr. Raggio strongly encourages patients to adhere to a pre-laser skin care regimen starting several weeks before your CO₂ laser procedure which will speed up your recovery, minimize complications, and enhance the results. Also note, that the stronger the CO₂ laser settings applied, the longer the recovery time, but the more dramatic the results. Most importantly, you should avoid direct sun exposure for a few weeks before and after laser treatment and liberally apply sunscreens pre- and post-procedure. Please refer to the provided Chemical Peel information sheet for further details.
How much does a CO₂ Laser procedure cost in Birmingham, AL?
The cost of a CO₂ Laser procedure in Birmingham will vary depending on the following factors:
- Treatment areas
- Amount of time needed for your procedure
- Amount of appointments needed to achieve your goals
- The severity of your skin issues being treated
- Type of anesthesia being used
During your consultation, your assigned provider will assess your skin and give you a more accurate price based on your individual needs.
Why choose Dr. Raggio for your CO₂ laser?
By placing your trust in the capable hands of Dr. Blake Raggio, you are choosing a double-board certified Facial Plastic Surgeon who is an authority in the arena of face surgery. Whether a patient is seeking surgical or non-surgical rejuvenation for the aging face, Dr. Raggio relies on his unique and comprehensive training, as well as his artistic eye and appreciation for beauty, to help restore and create a more attractive and youthful appearance to the face in a subtle but natural way. Whether the issue is functional or cosmetic, Dr. Raggio closely and carefully listens to each individual’s concerns to design a personalized treatment plan for each and every patient. Above all else, Dr. Raggio is passionate about his work and enjoys making others feel more confident about themselves.
Dr. Raggio’s success is indicative of his esteemed credentials and qualifications.
He strongly believes in educating the next generation of clinicians and serves as a Clinical Adjunct professor with the Faulkner Physician Assistant Studies Program, as a Clinical Adjunct professor with Tulane University Medical Center Department of Head and Neck Surgery in New Orleans Louisiana, and as a Clinical Preceptor for the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine.
He is an active member of multiple medical societies, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS) as well as the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (AAFPRS).
Lastly, Dr. Raggio is one of only a few Fellowship-Trained Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons in the entire Birmingham Hoover Metropolitan area, and has obtained rare Dual board certification in both Head and Neck Surgery as well as Facial Plastic Surgery.
For these reasons, patients can be confident and rest assured that they will receive the absolute best CO₂ laser with Dr. Raggio and his team at Raggio MD Facial Plastic Surgery in Birmingham, AL.
Contact us
Schedule your CO₂ laser consultation
To schedule a consultation for CO₂ Laser in Birmingham with Dr. Raggio, call us today, and one of our patient coordinators will guide you through the steps. Alternatively, you can also contact us through the patient portal on our website, and our coordinator will respond promptly to schedule your consult.
