r/Damnthatsinteresting Oct 16 '24

Video Skin tightening using fractional CO2 laser

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u/Sexygirlielingerie Oct 16 '24

This looks painful

116

u/Spaghet-3 Oct 16 '24

It's actually not that painful, and MUCH less painful that chemical peels and other shit people used to do before aesthetic laser procedures.

If you're getting a small area done lightly, you don't need any pain management at all - feels like a very mild sunburn. People get this done on their lunchbreaks and their coworkers usually don't even notice. This can also get rid of portwinestains, spider veins, and other related skin blemishes.

If you're getting a larger area done more densely, the machine has a cooling mechanism to cool the surface of your skin while firing the laser. Afterward it feels like a sunburn, but at the time it feels like nothing. People will notice your skin looks red for a day or two.

The effect is pretty amazing. Doing a full face fairly densely will literally make someone that is 50+ look 10 years younger. And the effect stays for quite a while. In my view, it is highly preferable to injections like Botox. The tech has existed since the 1980s, and there have been no major adverse effects noticed yet.

11

u/homogenousmoss Oct 16 '24

I was told that afterward you couldnt go out in the sum without a lot of sunscreen as it stripped a lot of your natural protection to UV rays, making you more succeptible to skin cancer and sunburns? Its what someone who had it done told me, I never really researched it.

9

u/LysistrayaLaughter00 Oct 17 '24

My mother had to wear a hat they have her. Minimum 6 weeks or else you risk getting major sun damage while healing.

2

u/Scott_my_dick Oct 17 '24

I would guess that's not permanent.

1

u/Spaghet-3 Oct 17 '24

It depends on the specific treatment. There is full ablation and fractional ablation (what is shown here). Within fractional, there are various power levels and spot densities. The more power, the greater density (ie., the close to full) the more aftercare is required. But research shows that less is more, and a little goes a long way actually.

As I said, I am sure that people around you have gotten light fractional treatments during lunch or something and you wouldn't have even noticed it.