CO2RE
CO2RE Laser
CO2RE® from Candela is a versatile fractional CO2 system featuring a 10,600nm wavelength that provides precision when targeting and effectively treating the skin’s surface, middle, and deep dermal levels. This versatile laser offers a wide range of treatment intensities.
- Light: Provides superficial fractional treatments in the epidermis increasing epidermal cell proliferation. This is a light peel that is a complexion refresher.
- Mid: Penetrates more deeply for a stronger fractional ablative effect, producing additional coagulated tissue below the dermal-epidermal junction. This produces epidermal and dermal resurfacing and is used to improve skin tone and texture.
- Deep: Penetrates through to the dermis for the deepest fractional ablative effect, surrounded with significant coagulated tissue deeper into the dermis. This is deep fractional resurfacing and is used to improve scars, fine lines and wrinkles.
- Fusion: Unique scan pattern combines treatment depths and intensity of thermal injuries to optimize treatment in the epidermis and dermis simultaneously. This is a combination of superficial and deep fractional resurfacing and is used for superficial texture variations and fine lines and wrinkles.
Fractional vs Ablative treatment:
- Fractional: The newer fractional technology is different as it does not resurface all of the skin, but creates thousands of tiny treated spots with untreated adjacent skin in between. By leaving thousands of areas of untreated epidermis, the skin heals much faster with much less discomfort.
- Ablative: Ablative skin resurfacing removes the epidermal layer of skin. Ablative lasers vaporize tissue and are more aggressive than fractional lasers that leave the skin intact. Ablative lasers result in far more down time and a more difficult recovery process; however, they produce the most dramatic outcomes. For severe facial wrinkles, dyspigmentation, and textural skin challenges, the ablative laser is often the treatment of choice. With ablative lasers there is a higher risk of potentially severe damage in the form of scarring, discoloration, and infections of the skin.
ou to discuss your concerns and create a personalized treatment plan to keep you looking and feeling your absolute best.
Downtime
Every individual heals differently depending on what level of CO2 resurfacing you underwent and what your skin type is. Immediately following treatment the area will be red, swollen, and tender. The skin may ooze for multiple days. CO2 laser resurfacing takes about 7-14 days for the surface of the skin to heal. Once the surface is healed, bacteria are unlikely to be able to enter the skin and cause an infection. The deeper channels of the skin continue to heal over the next 3 months and the skin will continue to look pink during this healing process. If the skin is still pink, it means the skin is still healing and building collagen, which helps with skin firmness, texture, and wrinkle reduction. Proper wound care is essential for the best possible result and prevention of infection, scarring, and long term side effects.
Results
Results will become visible once the skin has healed from the procedure. For light treatments, this may occur within 2-3 days. Deeper treatments may require up to 2 weeks or more of healing before you start to see your improvements come to life. For full results it takes a minimum of three months, though sometimes it can take a full year.
Candidate
For fully ablative treatments, the ideal candidate has a fair to light skin tone and wrinkled, sun-damaged, or scarred skin.
Fractional CO2 laser treatments, which remove only a fraction of the skin’s surface, may be an option for people with medium to deep skin tones (Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI) without too much risk of pigmentation issues.