Question:
Everything I’ve read about laser skin resurfacing treatments says that they don’t hurt. My brother, though, got a laser peel for acne scars, and he said it hurt a whole bunch. I too suffer from acne scars, and I’d like to get a laser peel, but I don’t want it to hurt. Can topical anesthesia be used during a laser peel?
Answer:
Your question has many good points to it. The laser procedure that your brother had received for laser skin resurfacing likely used a laser that causes a great deal of deep skin damage, which would make the laser more powerful, and subsequently more painful. At Renu Med Spa and Plastic Surgery we use the Fraxel laser to treat acne scars. When the Fraxel laser treatments are performed on the face, we apply a topical anesthesia to the face about an hour prior to the Faxel laser treatments. A special skin cooling device is also used during Fraxel laser skin resurfacing to make the procedure even more comfortable.
Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld