Combination Treatments in Calgary & Chestermere, AB

Broadband light treatments are often mistaken as lasers. They're not, which makes BBL a great complement to laser resurfacing! A BBL treatment works by sending rays of light to the deepest layers of the skin. There, the energy that is absorbed targets dark spots and hyperpigmentation as well as the signs of aging that relate to collagen loss. Broadband light is a type of intense pulsed light that can address numerous concerns at one time without ablating the epidermis. Concerns like rosacea, uneven tone and texture, sun damage, acne and acne scarring, and more.

It's advantageous to understand how ablative lasers work and how nonablative lasers work. This can help you know what to expect based on your treatment of choice. Knowing what to expect, you can plan accordingly for any necessary downtime and follow-up skin care. Clinically speaking, ablative is the term that is used to describe tissue removal. An ablative skin resurfacing treatment will remove a layer of skin cells. Conversely, nonablative laser treatment does not remove skin cells. Instead, the nonablative laser delivers energy to deeper layers of the skin, heating them to a precise degree at which collagen stimulation occurs. All laser treatments work by inducing some type of stress on the skin. The purpose of this controlled stress is to stimulate cellular turnover and tissue remodeling with more abundant amounts of collagen.

Historically, laser skin resurfacing has been perceived as a more aggressive form of treatment. Removing a layer (or multiple layers) of skin may result in prolonged peeling, redness, oozing, and other side effects. Modern laser skin resurfacing is not nearly that dramatic. Even ablative laser resurfacing is often performed in a fractional manner. Fractional laser resurfacing removes tiny dots of skin rather than the entire surface. Taking away only fractions of the overall surface achieves remarkable results without the same side effects and downtime associated with fully ablative laser treatment. That said, there is value in ablative laser treatment, which we use discerningly to address more significant cosmetic concerns, such as deep creases around the nose and mouth.

Ablative laser resurfacing creates a wound that forces more collagen, elastin, and other restorative substances into the target area. The full recovery process may take up to six weeks. However, this occurs in stages. Initially, ablative laser treatment causes swelling, redness, and scabbing. Moderate discomfort should be expected in the treated areas, but this should be manageable with over-the-counter medication. Cold compresses can also be applied to the area to soothe inflammation. Within one to two weeks, the completion of the cellular turnover process is usually complete. Old, damaged cells have sloughed off and healthy new cells now blanket the epidermis. Because these new cells are so young and delicate, the skin may continue to appear red or pink for a short time.

We love performing all of our combination laser treatments because we know that each of them offers significant results. As a standalone treatment, Halo™ combines ablative and nonablative technologies into a fractional procedure that targets micro-regions of the skin. This conservative approach gives you the benefit of low downtime. You may return to work as soon as a few days after your appointment. Keep in mind that if you combine Halo laser resurfacing with BBL or targeted ablative laser treatment, you may need a few more days to completely recover. Another benefit of Halo laser treatment is the correction of moderate sun damage and also improvement in pigmented spots and lesions. Overall, Halo laser treatment, combined with other technologies or as an individual procedure, restores a more youthful appearance and cellular activity to your skin!