We all know that there have been major advances in non-surgical skin rejuvenation over the last 10 years and in more recent years there have been advances in laser technology. Although there are a variety of non-ablative treatments, the Emerge is one of the newest.


What are the differences between ablative and non-ablative laser treatments?

Ablative lasers such as CO2 and Erbium are more invasive, they work by removing the epidermis, the outer layers of the skin. It’s a great way for treating the visible signs of ageing, deep facial scars and those wanting significate results quick and can take time off work as recovery is much longer and clients often experience side effects such as mild discomfort, swelling, oozing and crusting of the skin.

Non-Ablative lasers are perfect for improving skin tone and texture. It also improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles without the downtime that comes with Ablative lasers.

Non-Ablative lasers work by Photo Thermolysis, delivering a single wavelength of light to produce a controlled injury to the skin. The heat induced damage targets the tissue to produce new collagen, this is done without actually destroying or harming the surface of the skin as it creates a skin repair response.

There are different ways of delivering the light of a non-ablative laser, they can be either non-fractional or factional. Non-fractional means the laser acts on the entire area of the skin and fractional targets a proportion of the skin at one time. The fractional approach allows the skin to heal much quicker than if the whole area of the skin was treated using the non-fractional method.

Fractional treatment works by creating thousands of microscopic areas on the top layer of the skin, these tiny pulses are delivered as an array of microbeams to create columns of coagulation in the epidermis and dermis while leaving the surrounding tissue unaffected.

The microscopic areas of the treated, damaged skin are eliminated slowly over many weeks and are replaced with new tissue.

The body’s natural healing process then rebuilds the treated tissue with new collagen and elastin, which are the building blocks of youthful looking skin.

What are the benefits?

Non-Ablative fractional laser is perfect for addressing imperfections such as

  • Fine Lines
  • Wrinkles
  • Scarring
  • Age Spots
  • Surgical Scars
  • Pore Size Reduction
  • Pigmented Lesions
  • Stretch Marks

When considering a Non ablative fractional laser treatment be mindful that your skin needs to have been UV free for up to 2 weeks or to have been using a SPF50 like HELIOCARE 360 or ZO SKIN HEALTH such as Smart Tone or Daily Sheer and no fake tan on your face for two weeks prior.

What to expect during and after treatment?

The area of concern is marked out, whether it’s just your eye area or full facial. The laser head is moved over the area in a pattern delivering energy to areas being treated. Two passes are normally made at different levels of intensity and a cooling aid will be applied in between the passes.

After treatment you may experience temporary redness, warmth and slight swelling for 24 to 48 hours after treatment.

Over the next few days your skin may start to flake and your skin may have a ‘sand paper’ texture this means the treatment is working and the old skin cells are working their way out of your skin in preparation for new fresh cells.

Depending on your skin condition we recommend you have between 2 to 3 treatment 4 weeks apart to achieve the optimum results.

Kate from The Retreat Laser Clinic has a clinic each month at Eterno Aesthetics. If you would like to book an appointment contact our clinic coordinator on 07891728226.