Written by Jessica Lacey. Reviewed by Dr Graeme Glass, PhD (Updated 17 September 2024) 

Lasers are a leading global technology in skin rejuvenation and can treat a vast array of skin concerns. But the world of laser skincare treatments can also be complicated and confusing. Increasingly replacing the need for cosmetic surgery, laser procedures have advanced significantly in the past decade and both updated versions and entirely new systems are introduced to the market every year. 

What Is a Laser Skin Rejuvenation Treatment?

Laser skin rejuvenation is an umbrella term for the use of light energy to induce tissue repair and regeneration leading to the improved appearance of wrinkles, scarring and skin laxity. Traditional lasers do this by inducing a controlled burn; a focal area of tissue destruction that stimulates the natural reparative processes. Additionally, lasers may also be used to improve the appearance of skin blemishes by specifically targeting red and brown marks. As a thermal injury, albeit a controlled one, there are potential complications and a recovery period after treatment is anticipated.

What Is Laser Skin Resurfacing?

Laser skin resurfacing addresses the tone, texture and appearance of skin by treating the epidermal surface layer, whilst also heating the dermal layer just below it. This may be done through causing controlled damage to the skin, so as to trigger skin's internal repair response to create new skin cells or alternatively, through energy transference to reawaken dormant skin cells. 

Do All Laser Skin Tightening Treatments Involve Skin Resurfacing?

Laser skin tightening treatments can focus on either resurfacing; or they can entail Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), whereby light beams travel through the skin to varying depths in order to stimulate cell activity. The latter technology (LLLT), used in The LYMA Laser, is not considered a skin resurfacing treatment as it does not involve damage of the epidermis.

Can I Get the Same Results as Skin Resurfacing Treatments Without Pain?

Skin resurfacing treatments that achieve the quickest results often cause the most injury to the skin and longest post-treatment downtime. Softer approaches, such as LLLT do exist and can achieve the same impressive results over a longer time period. There are broadly two types of skin resurfacing laser treatments: ablative and non-ablative. Ablative lasers remove the top layer of the skin, while non-ablative lasers are used to heat up the underlying skin tissue without harming the surface itself. Both work by causing controlled thermal injury, which in turn promotes the production of collagen and cell renewal, (see below).

In-Clinic Skin Laser Treatments

Skin resurfacing lasers: ablative and non-ablative. Both categories of laser cause thermal injury, or heat up the skin to distress it. Ablative resurfaces the top epidermal layer of skin and non ablative heats up the lower dermal layer. However, the level of impact and injury to the skin differs between these two categories.

Ablative Skin Laser Resurfacing

Ablative laser resurfacing causes superficial wounding to the skin, whilst also heating up the water molecules in its lower dermal layer to trigger the healing response. New collagen cells form to rebuild and repair, an action which consequently lessens the appearance of ageing.

Having laser skin rejuvenation doesn't stop when you leave the dermatologist's office, there can be a full programme of pre and post-care as well as risks you need to mitigate.

Here we describe briefly the most popular in-clinic ablative lasers technologies:

CO2 Lasers: Fully Ablative

Carbon Dioxide lasers are classed as 'fully ablative' and as such, are surgical grade and remove the very top layer of skin, therefore treating the entirety of the skin's surface.

Risks and realities of the Er:YAG laser:

Fully ablative lasers create thermal damage in the epidermis, strip the surface layers of the skin and are therefore the harshest, most invasive clinic treatment approach. The intensity of these lasers causes extreme discomfort during treatment so a local anaesthetic is generally required as well as intravenous sedative medication. Skin may take as long as six months to repair fully and the recovery time can take up to 6 weeks. There is also a high risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from healing, especially to dark skin.

Erbium Laser

Erbium lasers can be ablative or non-ablative. Their biggest appeal is that they are highly attractive to water and therefore able to quickly deliver wavelengths of laser light into the dermal layer to vaporise skin's water content. The Erbium laser's ability to target a specific treatment area of concern means Erbium lasers are regularly chosen for skin aging concerns such as fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. This increased accuracy in the treatment area is also why Erbium lasers are often favoured over CO2 lasers.

Risks and realities of the Er:YAG laser:

The recovery with Erbium resurfacing is easier than with the CO2 lasers and requires slightly less downtime however, Erbium is still an intensive clinic laser treatment for dramatic rejuvenation results so can be acutely painful. The recovery time can take up to 2 weeks.

Fractionated Lasers

So named for their ability to deliver both heat and light in a pixelated manner, fractionated lasers can be seen as a mid-way point between ablative and non-ablative laser treatments. Fractionated lasers' ability to isolate the exact area of skin that requires treating has made them a hugely popular choice in dermatologist offices because they're able to accurately pinpoint scars and pigmentation patches as well as fine lines and wrinkles. By far the most commonly used is the Fraxel that has two different wave-lengths for treating various skin conditions such as dullness, sun damage or fine lines.

Risks and realities of the Fraxel laser:

The popularity of this laser puts it at risk of being used by untrained technicians and the discomfort during treatment may mean patients abandon the course before completion, therefore never achieving the results they were after. Also, there is a chance of aggressive breakouts due to high skin cell turnover and darker skin tones are at higher risk for developing excess scarring from collagen overproduction. Expected downtime is between 3 to 5 days.

Non-Ablative Skin Rejuvenation Lasers (In-Clinic)

Non-ablative lasers work by heating up the water in underlying skin tissue without harming the surface and the body responds by producing new collagen cells. The skin therefore appears firmer, more even and rejuvenated. Non-ablative lasers cause less cosmetic damage than ablative lasers because their energy is directed much lower into the deeper tissue but take more sessions to achieve similar effects.

Nd:YAG (Neodymium)

Neodymium is the crystal the laser passes through and is a non-ablative laser resurfacing alternative to the Erbium Er:YAG laser. With both longer wavelengths and longer pulse durations than the Er:YAG, the Nd:YAg has a lower risk of skin trauma. Generally speaking, the longer a wavelength, the deeper it penetrates and because the Nd:YAG beam is capable of travelling deeper into the skin, bypassing melanin cells where pigmentation lies, it is far more effective for people with brown or deep skin tones. Nd:YAG lasers are used to treat a variety of concerns, such as spider veins, scars, wrinkles and most notably hand wrinkles in which clinical trials found the non-ablative Nd:YAG to outperform the ablative Er:YAG.

Risks and realities of Nd:YAG Most Nd:

YAG lasers have a built-in cooling tip to blast freezing air and counteract the burn of the laser zap but pain is not insignificant so local anaesthesia is still administered. Multiple treatments may be needed to achieve an optimal outcome. The recovery time is around 7 - 10 days as skin goes through the healing process. Scabs will form and then naturally drop off. 

Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT)

LLLT is a rapidly expanding arena of laser skin treatment due to its minimally invasive nature, the widely reported more positive patient experience and affordability per session.

Experts report on the ability of Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT) to stimulate, regenerate and repair tissue without causing any thermal damage in a process called photobiomodulation. LLLT is being introduced in many of the more advanced dermatology clinics.  The LYMA Laser utilises Low-Level Laser Therapy in its at-home cosmetic laser device.

LED Light Therapy

LED light therapy involves various wavelengths of light, most often red and blue light frequencies, able to transfer energy to epidermal cells to optimise their function, causing them to behave like younger cells. This type of cosmetic light therapy is often referred to in clinics as a Photofacial and most commonly used to treat blemishes, inflammation and fine lines and wrinkles.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

When it comes to widely accessible skin treatments, many people consider IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) as a reliable mid-point option. IPL uses broadband light and is able to reduce the signs of sun damage, spots, redness, veins, wrinkles and most cosmetic concerns. Although there is no downtime following IPL treatment, IPL does not sidestep pain, nor does it avoid causing irritation and redness to the skin.

Risks and realities of IPL treatment

IPL and Photofacials are not legally required to be carried out by medical professionals. Thus, there may be a lack of training and misuse of powerful light devices.

At-Home Skin Laser Treatments

For safety reasons, at-home devices operate at a much lower power than in-clinic systems. The LYMA Laser however is an at-home skin rejuvenation machine that emits a clinic-grade laser beam that's completely safe to use yourself.

The main types of laser or light devices that you can use at home are:

At-Home LED Devices

LED light therapy masks are made up of different light frequencies, most commonly red light to increase blood circulation and blue light to combat blemish-inducing surface bacteria.

At-Home Infrared Devices

Infrared light is a frequency of light that's beyond what the human eye can see and near-infrared is one frequency closer to visible light, but still invisible to the naked eye. Infrared is used to stimulate photobiomodulation; a process that increases the ATP in skin cells, (a measure of energy within fibroblast cells) and promotes collagen production within the skin.

The LYMA Laser

The LYMA Laser is widely considered by independent experts to be an effective at-home devices due to its cold near-infrared cosmetic laser technology and remarkable ability to support the photobiomodulation process. As a light-weight, handheld device the LYMA Laser has caused a seismic shift in the laser skin rejuvenation treatment world.

The LYMA Laser is engineered to deliver Low-Level Laser Therapy. This technology has been extensively studied and recognised to deliver clinic-grade results on many type of skin conditions, including wrinkles, loss of elasticity, redness, pigmentation and more.

Is The LYMA Laser Safe to Use?

This at-home Laser is able to achieve these results without any of the associated pain or discomfort of other laser treatments and removing all of the risks of traditional laser treatments. 

Who Should You Speak to for Advice on Laser Skin Treatments?

It is vital to consult the right advice before choosing a laser treatment. Book free consultations from several skin clinics before making a decision. 

If you'd like further advice or have a specific question regarding The LYMA Laser and how it could benefit you, please contact Concierge who will be more than happy to advise and assist you on your journey to your best skin.

Your Questions About Laser Skin Renewal Treatments