Erbium laser resurfacing is designed to remove surface-level and moderately deep lines and wrinkles on the face, hands, neck, or chest. One of the benefits of erbium laser resurfacing is minimal burning of surrounding tissue. This laser causes fewer side effects -- such as swelling, bruising, and redness -- so your recovery time should be faster than with CO2 laser resurfacing. In some cases, recovery may only take one week Ask your doctor how long recovery is likely to take for you.
If you have a darker skin tone, erbium laser resurfacing may work better for you.
The concept of fractional photothermolysis revolutionized cutaneous laser resurfacing when introduced by Manstein et al in 2004. Using a nonablative, 1550-nm Er-doped fiber laser, full-thickness columns of thermal injury (termed microthermal treatment zones or MTZs) are created in a pixelated pattern just below the level of the stratum corneum, with the surrounding skin left intact. Because epidermal barrier function is intact, healing is rapid, without oozing or crusting. Patients typically require a series of treatments for the best response for a variety of conditions such as photodamage and atrophic scarring. However, with the deepest scars or rhytides, the amount of overall improvement may be marginal with this nonablative approach. A study has shown that multiple sessions are effective in facial rejuvenation, stimulating the formation of new collagen and resulting in better skin texture and finer wrinkles.