Medical Laser Blog - Fotona Straight Talk for the Physician

Skin Resurfacing Laser. And The Winner Is..….

There are three main lasers used in laser skin resurfacing.  They are CO2, YAGG and Er:YAG.  Each has advantages and disadvantages, but I believe the Fotona Er:YAG is the clear winner.  Why? The reason has to do with the basic issues of resurfacing to control ablation depth, coagulation thickness and heat deposition.  

Depth of ablation is controlled by energy delivery so all lasers are essentially equivalent.  The depth of ablation is chosen based on the lesion being treated and the degree of surface irregularity.

Coagulation is controlled by the native absorption coefficient (AC) of the wavelength into water and the pulse duration.  Because Er:YAG laser equipment has the highest AC, it is capable of the least coagulation.  Because the Fotona Er:YAG has a wide pulse duration, it is able to increase its coagulation thickness.   More or less, coagulation is chosen based on the need for homeostasis and for skin tightening purposes. Coagulation is related to heat deposition and is associated with a greater degree of pigmentation changes.  In individuals at risk for pigmentation changes, cold ablation is desirable.  On a practical level, cold ablation is only achievable with an Er:YAG.

Heat deposition is accomplished with coagulation or with stacked, sub-ablative long pulses.  The Fotona Er:YAG has the ability to separate the coagulation from the heat with its proprietary “Smooth Mode”.  Smooth mode is often used with a fractional handpiece (any of the modes can be) to achieve a minimal down-time skin, tightening effect.

Fotona is about versatility without compromise.  The Fotona Er:YAG can be used to give treatments like a micro-dermabration or a chemical peel, or to perform papillary dermis peels or a plasma treatments.  This can be done with or without fractionation, with independent control of depth, coagulation and heat.