All of these non-surgical treatments mostly without full anaesthesia, downtime, or significant discomfort. The end result is a subtle, yet undeniable difference that will leave people wondering what you’ve done to look so radiant and refreshed. They might chalk it up to a wonderful holiday and never have any idea that you took advantage of today’s excellent knife-free innovations that can help take years off your appearance.
More about medical laser facials
There’s an important distinction between medical lasers and lasers used in beauty salons. Medical lasers are much more powerful and can reach deeper layers of the skin. This is why they can only be used under medical supervision, by trained professionals in licensed medical clinics, improper use could cause severe damage to the skin. Lasers, such as the ones mentioned below, are also far more precise, so they leave the surrounding skin undamaged.
Three medical lasers have shown great results on signs of ageing and sun damage:
The Fraxel™ DUAL shows dramatic results in treating sun damage, wrinkles and pigmentation with very little downtime. It has two laser options which, depending on the patient’s needs, can be used separately or together. One laser treats texture, open pores, fine lines, and pre-cancerous skin cells, while the other treats wrinkles, acne scars, texture and tone. A cooling system ensures comfort during treatment. As the growth of new, healthy skin cells are stimulated, the result is an improved overall appearance of the skin.
The ideal candidate: Fraxel™ DUAL can treat the face, neck, décolleté, hands and arms of all skin colours and types. Watch how Mooimaak, with Clare Wiese-Wentzel participant Yvonne Nell experienced this treatment for her skin to improve rough texture and scarring.
The Pearl Fractional laser treats skin imperfections due to ageing, post-acne scarring and sun damage. It uses heat to create tiny pore-sized holes in the skin so there’s minimum downtime and can selectively target damaged skin while leaving the healthy surrounding skin intact. It also stimulates the growth of new collagen, so skin is plumped up from below, signs of photo ageing and other imperfections are reversed, and you’ll enjoy a smoother, brighter complexion overall.
The ideal candidate: People with light-to-medium skin tones.
The CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) laser is used for deeper lines, wrinkles, sun damage and scarring. It removes the outer layers of damaged skin and stimulates the regeneration of healthy skin underneath. It can be used around the eyes and mouth, on acne scarring as well as the face, neck, chest and hands. A local anaesthetic is used to relieve any potential discomfort and, if the entire face is being treated, alternative methods may be used. The CO2 laser is perfectly safe with minimal side effects but it is advisable to have a consultation with a Skin Renewal doctor to discuss suitability and possible complications with CO2 laser skin resurfacing.
The ideal candidate: This treatment is not recommended for darker skins such as skin types 5 and 6 (Fitzpatrick scale). In these cases, we recommend the Fraxel DUAL treatment. Watch how Patricia Viviers from Mooimaak, with Clare Wiese-Wentzel experienced the CO2 laser for severe pigmentation and sun damage.
Heard about the liquid lift?
If you want to lift, volumise, target dynamic wrinkles or reshape difficult areas such as the nose, chances are you’ll find a non-surgical facelift - or ‘liquid facelift’ – is preferable to surgery. A completely knife-free treatment with almost no downtime, it combines two or more non-surgical procedures including Silhouette suspension sutures, Princess LFL anchor threads, PDO threads, botulinum toxin and dermal fillers.
The ideal candidate: Absolutely anyone who has started noticing the subtle signs of ageing, sagging and wrinkling. The beauty of these treatments is that the sooner you start, the better as they all encourage the skin to produce more of its own collagen and elastin so you’ll get instant results while the results of ageing in the future are slowed down. To see behind the scenes footage of how this treatment is done, watch how participants on Mooimaak, with Clare Wiese-Wentzel experienced these treatments.
To find out more about treatments that are an alternative to surgery, visit your nearest branch of the Renewal Institute.