CO2 Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing of the Face & Body

Silk Touch Medspa is the first to bring the Fractional CO2 SmartXide DOT therapy to Boise, Idaho.  Renew your skin in about an hour!

CO2 Fractional Laser -One treatment

DOT Therapy™ CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing:

• Reverse the appearance of aged and sun damaged skin
• Improve texture and firmness
• Smooth wrinkles and lines
• Reduce the appearance of acne and other scars
• Renew your skin
• Downtime adjustable by physician

DOT CO2 Fractional skin resurfacin

SmartXide DOT CO2 Laser Resurfacing!

It’s about choice • It’s about control • It’s about the DOT!

Dot Therapy that is…the latest innovation for skin rejuvenation! DOT Therapy is performed using the SmartXide DOT CO2 laser system, featuring the unique DOT Scanner with Infinite Delivery Options for ablative skin rejuvenation with rapid healing. DOT Therapy is ideal for treatment of pigment, skin laxity/texture, wrinkles and acne scars.

What exactly is the Smartxide DOT CO2 Laser?

The carbon dioxide (CO2) laser has been the premier skin resurfacing tool for the past decade. Its primary advantage over peeling and other laser techniques is that it tightens the skin naturally, while stimulating increased collagen production. The results approximate that of a mini-face lift, without incisions.  CO2 ablative laser resurfacing has been the “Gold Standard” for non surgical facial rejuvenation and removal of facial skin wrinkles and photo aging since 1995.  However, due to it’s power and complete removal of the skin, it requires intravenous or general anesthesia. It also has several limitations including a prolonged and difficult recovery period often lasting three weeks, prolonged facial redness that can last three months, hypopigmentation or lightening of skin color, and the potential for infection which can lead to scarring.

CO2 Laser Before

CO2 Laser After

During the past five years new technology called fractional laser resurfacing has been developed which has dramatically shortened recovery time and lessened the occurrence of complications.  With fractional laser resurfacing the laser beam is broken up or fractionated into many small micro beams  (DOTs!) which are separated so that when they strike the skin surface small areas of the skin between the beams are not hit by the laser and left intact. These small areas of untreated skin promote a much more rapid recovery and healing with less risk of complications. The small areas treated by the fractional micro beams, called micro treatment zones, cause sufficient laser injury to promote new collagen production and resultant facial skin rejuvenation. ( See Diagram Below)

The 2000s saw the development of lasers like Fraxel, which is a non-ablative fractional resurfacing laser.  Although it offers less downtime, the results are subtle at best.  The Smartxide DOT CO2 laser represents a new generation of ablative fractional resurfacing lasers (see far right above).  Unlike Fraxel, the Smartxide DOT actually removes the heated column of skin tissue (ablation) and provides more substantial wrinkle removal and deep skin tightening.

DOT Therapy (Dermal Optical Thermolysis) is the ideal micro-ablative approach to skin rejuvenation. It creates thousands of microscopic perforations, which induce immediate skin tightening and stimulate new collagen growth, improving the skin’s texture and tone to fight fine lines and deep wrinkles, and even acne scars.  DOT Therapy also leaves the skin around each of the perforations intact, which allows the epidermis to heal from the edge of these tiny holes very rapidly, significantly decreasing downtime and promoting rapid healing.  As a result, Smartxide DOT offers the results of the traditional CO2 laser, but under local anesthesia with less discomfort and less downtime!

Actual Skin  Laser DOTs

Timeline after DOT shows new skin at 1 week and skin tightening at 3-4 weeks

So, what kind of anesthesia and downtime are we talking about?

The DOT Smartxide treatment requires only local, topical anesthesia that is applied approximately 45 minutes prior to the procedure.  After this period of time, the treatment is virtually painless.  At approximately 3-4 days after the procedure, you will peel the upper layers of skin, revealing a fresh, new surface.   We provide you with medications during this period to promote wound healing and minimize discomfort.   After this phase, there may be some residual redness but most patients can resume their normal activities.  The new collagen production doesn’t begin for 3-4 weeks after the procedure and we would like you to followup at this point.

Who is a candidate for Smartxide DOT CO2 Laser Treatment?

DOT therapy can be used to treat the skin of all ages and most skin types.  It is ideal to treat the signs of sun-damage including  pigment irregularities, wrinkles, skin laxity/sagging, and rough texture.  It also can be used to treat all types of acne scarring and stretch marks. We have several other treatments that we couple with DOT therapy to maximize results.  Please call  for a free consultation  to discuss this exciting, new treatment!

Click here  for >>DOT Therapy Laser Skin Resurfacing FAQ

Compared to other ablation lasers

The size of the treatment dots varies from 120 to 1,250 microns, but average dot size is 300 microns. Some other laser units offer heads with different spot sizes (Lumenis Active FX). SmartXide Dot offers surgical heads that allow the device to be used for surgical incisions as well as skin resurfacing applications. Unlike Fraxel Repair, which features continuous tracking across the treatment area, SmartXide Dot allows various patterns  lined up to complete the treatment. Other treatments which feature this approach include Quanta MIXto and Lumenis FX. Unlike most competing technologies, SmartXide Dot does allow a complete ablation option.

Dr. Kerr’s extensive work with DOT therapy technology has given us the experience to provide an exceptional level of care for our patients.