Facial Resurfacing Featured Patient

If you have noticed a thickening of your facial skin texture or an increase in fine wrinkles you may consider laser resurfacing by Dr. Mowlavi. This minimally invasive procedure which can be performed with local numbing medicine and in less than an hour at Orange County Cosmetic Surgery will result in reduction of your wrinkles and rejuvenation of your skin texture. If you are looking for a non-surgical alternative, find out what laser resurfacing can do for you.

New to the scene is the Cool Helium Plasma(CHP) skin resurfacing technology, introduced by Bovie Medical Corporation, which stands to revolutionize skin resurfacing. The Cool Helium Plasma offers significant advantages over laser resurfacing by having an adjustable power delivery and operating at low to modest temperatures, both resulting in less damage to treated tissues yet providing superior resurfacing results. You can now obtain dramatic improvement in your skin texture by safely removing the uppermost layers of your skin in a comfortable and more tolerable way.

The Cool Helium Plasma uses a lower radiofrequency power combined with helium gas. The helium gas allows for the removal of the upper skin layers with temperatures in the 200 degrees Celsius range, much lower than its laser predecessor of 800 degrees Celsius. The helium gas envelops the Helium plasma stream, reducing not only the temperature of resurfacing but also protecting areas outside of the area of treatment. What this means for you is that you can expect effective skin resurfacing results without the risk of hyper or hypopigmentation problems, scarring, as well as minimizing downtime.

Patients can expect 1 to 3 passes to be performed based on roughness, thickness, and degree of wrinkling. These passes can be made within 30 minutes with no need for general anesthesia. After your treatment, you will be covered with Aquaphor, which is a gentle moisturizer, and a silicone mask. Patients can expect redness to resolve within 1 to 3 weeks, which is dependent on the aggressiveness of the peel desired; this is in contrast to the 4 to 8 weeks following CO2 laser resurfacing.

Because of the cooler resurfacing temperatures, patients are at less risk of hypopigmentation and/or hyperpigmentation and unnecessary injury to skin layers. Another advantage of the Cool Helium Plasma is that it destroys bacteria and has been hypothesized to be less vulnerable to postoperative infection.

In summary, The Cool Helium Plasma Skin Resurfacing system is an FDA-cleared breakthrough plasma energy technology. Plasma is a highly energized gas that produces heat that works both on and below the skin. It is approved for the treatment of deep facial wrinkles, sun damages, and thickened-leathery skin.

Time Magazine announced plasma technology as a top new modality based on over 10 clinical trials extending over a 6 year period. Plasma skin resurfacing technology will remove your superficial skin layers and activate collagen in your deeper skin layers. Patients appreciate the permanent reduction of deep wrinkles and feel that their skin is softer and possessing a shiny glean.

Since Cool Helium Plasma skin resurfacing helps with wrinkles, many patients ask me how they should decide between Botox and skin resurfacing when trying to erase their wrinkles. This is a great question and the answer easy to appreciate.

Botox paralyzes the underlying muscle and prevents patients from creating dynamic wrinkles; these are the wrinkles that are created when you activate your muscles or make an expression. These wrinkles are in contrast to static wrinkles which are imprinted on your skin even when you don’t animate. It is true that with years of Botox, your static wrinkles will gradually improve, but skin resurfacing provides an alternative to Botox by allowing for instant and permanent reduction of even the deepest of the static wrinkles.

The Cost of Facial Resurfacing 

The cost of facial resurfacing is determined mostly by what adjuvant treatments you will require. The price for the facial resurfacing using the Cool Helium J plasma ranges between $3500 to $5000 depending on whether you want to get general anesthesia or not.

However, you can add to your resurfacing plan by considering fat transfer to your cheeks and lips if they have demonstrated deflation. Others may also improve the appearance of their neck which can be done with a combination of liposuction and tightening of the saggy neck skin using the Renuvion subdermal coagulation capacity of the same Cool Helium J plasma tool. This is an excellent option for patients as they will not have any additional disposable costs since the same tool that allows for ablation of their cheeks will be used to tighten their necks.