Laser treatments are a great way to rejuvenate the skin; they can manage the look of ageing skin and improve skin tone, texture, health and quality. Patients get dramatic results when they embark on a course of laser treatments, and we get great feedback!
Today, there are a lot of different lasers on the market, and that can make it difficult to know which type will be best to treat your specific skin concerns.
One question we hear a lot at The Lovely Clinic is:
“What is the difference between ablative and non-ablative lasers?”
In simple terms ablative lasers are for treating skin that needs more work (such as scarring or lines and wrinkles) and non-ablative lasers are for patients who have more superficial skin concerns (such as milder textural issues and desire to improve polish). Let’s take a look at the differences in these laser types in more detail.
How do ablative lasers work?
Ablative lasers are more invasive than non-ablative lasers. They work by vaporising the outer layer of the skin, which starts the skin resurfacing process. Ablative lasers you may have heard of include CO2 lasers and Erbium lasers.
After having this treatment you will need some downtime to recover. Your skin will be red, sore and may scab over as part of the healing process. However, the benefit of the healing process is that your body begins to make more collagen, and this is where the magic happens. The results from ablative lasers will always be larger than those from non-ablative.
As your body heals and the new collagen kicks in, you will see dramatic results from your ablative laser treatment. These lasers can provide very effective results for patients who are experiencing the effects of ageing or who have damaged skin.
They can improve the look of:
- Deep lines and wrinkles
- Sagging and lax skin
- Brown spots and age spots
- Hyperpigmentation and melasma
- Sun damaged skin
- Skin tone and texture
- Scarring, including acne scars
- Stretch marks
How do non-ablative lasers work?
Non-ablative lasers are not as invasive as their ablative counterparts. Instead of vaporising the outside layers of the skin they gently heat up the tissues under the skin. Like the ablative laser, the purpose of this treatment is to stimulate more collagen which of course, has the knock on effect of treating ageing skin and other skin concerns that patients present with.
Non-ablative lasers are better for patients who don’t have severe signs of ageing or stubborn skin damage, and for those who don’t have a lot of time to spend recovering from treatment. They still provide excellent results, but it will take longer and more sessions of non-ablative laser treatment to see the results compared to having ablative laser treatment.
Fractional or non-fractional?
To make understanding the different types of laser treatment even more complicated, ablative and non-ablative lasers can be fractional or non-fractional. So what exactly does that mean?
Well, fractional lasers only treat a fraction of the skin’s surface. When you have fractional laser treatment the device will move over all the areas of the skin in its entirety, however the laser will only be treating 10 or 20% of the skin. Non-fractional lasers, in comparison, work on the entire surface area that is to be treated.
Lasers can be;
- Ablative and fractional
- Ablative and non-fractional
- Non-ablative and fractional
- Non-ablative and non-fractional
How do I choose the right laser treatment?
Now we have explained the differences in the types of laser, you may still be wondering how to choose the right laser treatment for you. Your best option is to book for a consultation with a medical aesthetics clinic, who will be able to advise you fully of all your options and which type of laser treatment will fit into your lifestyle and yield the results you expect to see.
Laser treatment near me
At The Lovely Clinic in Chelsea we have handpicked some of the very best lasers that are both ablative and non-ablative. These include state of the art Sciton lasers such as the Halo (for melasma, general skin texture improvement), Clear Silk (for redness, healing, the Red Carpet Glow with no downtime), Clear V (for visible blood vessels on the body), Profractional (for supreme amounts of polish or treatment of acne scars), Nanolaser Peel (for superficial resurfacing), Microlaser Peel (for deeper resurfacing) and Contour TRL (for full field ablation and the gold standard for improvement of fine lines and wrinkles).
Our patients travel from all over London to see us at our clinic in Chelsea where we are conveniently located to serve our neighbouring boroughs of Knightsbridge, Kensington and Westminster.
Why not book a consultation today, so we can talk you through how laser treatments can change your outlook on how you look and feel, and benefit your skin health.
