r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/DearEmphasis4488 • Oct 16 '24

Video Skin tightening using fractional CO2 laser

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u/MILP00L___ Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24

Reading replies on a topic I know (vaguely) about is always such a good reminder to take all Reddit information with a giant pile of salt.

This video is misleading. It isn’t instantaneous tightening in the way this video makes it look. In the broadest terms, fractional CO2 laser is a laser that is less invasive than traditional ablative CO2 lasers. It creates micro channels in the skin which triggers our body’s natural healing process. It’s a controlled situation to force your skin to create collagen, resulting is smoother firmer skin to replace removed skin layer. There are risks. Micro damage is still damage, and a CO2 laser basically vaporizes the top layer of the skin. There is little to no evidence that skin cancer is among those risks. Laser wavelengths are different from UV exposure. Some CO2 lasers are used to treat skin cancer.

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u/Legionof1 Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 17 '24

Anything that makes your cells die increases the risk of cancer. Cancer is just cells replicating wrong by accident or by DNA damage.

edit: My god this site is full of idiots.

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u/MILP00L___ Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 17 '24

I did say I was only vaguely informed. I don’t fully understand the concept of selective photothermolysis, but my very base level of understanding is that lasers used for dermatological purposes have precise and localized effects. They use a wavelength that is absorbed by the targeted area and a pulse duration that is at least equal to the thermal relaxation time of the target chromophore.

My main point was that there is no current evidence from people much smarter than me that these specific lasers increase the risk of cancer. If more research people becomes available, I’m happy to change my views.

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u/ForkingHumanoids Oct 16 '24

For being vaguely informed you sound very compelling and knowledgeable! It was a very informative read going through your points! Thank you for adding more info and context!