Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

• Desire for a more youthful appearance with smooth silky shining skin.
• This procedure is excellent if you focus on fine, medium or even deep wrinkle lines.
• If you have pigment spots, age spots, blotchiness it will remove these.
• Acne scarring can always be improved, usually 40% to 60%, sometimes better depending on the features and your skin thickness and anatomy.
• Skin texture especially irregularity, can be improved and made smoother.
• Large pores are often made smaller.
• Facial skin laxity will be improved and tightened. This is not a substitute for a facelift but it will tighten your skin and the amount depends on your anatomy and feature. You will see this result.

HOW IT WORKS

• Laser skin resurfacing utilizes a carbon dioxide (CO2) energy source. This is designed deliberately to specifically interact with the skin layer. The laser machine has a computerized head that disperses this laser beam at a very specific energy level, size, and density calibrated exactly to your skin type and needs. This provides for extremely precise removal of one layer of the skin at a time to gently expose the underlying, youthful skin. Absence of bleeding makes this a very accurate technique.
• The laser is then used to treat the skin a layer at a time for few or multiple "passes" determined by the thickness and healthiness of the skin and depth of pigment, scars, or wrinkles that need to be removed.
• Since the laser beam is a sort of "cold" energy source, it does not burn or damage the skin beyond or beneath the exact level of the layer being treated.
• The skin will regenerate from the skin cells that reside in the sweat glands and hair follicles that are preserved.
• Healing time depends on how deep the treatment is and how many layers of skin were required to be removed, and how many regenerative skin centers are present.

THE PROCEDURE

• Anesthesia consists of either local or general.
• It is performed in the outpatient surgical center and takes only 1/2 to 1 hour at most.
• You are completely comfortable throughout the entire time and there is no pain at all.
• There are no incisions at all.
• Laser treated areas are usually the eyelids, forehead, around the mouth, or any combination of these or the whole face. Laser does not extend below the jaw or into the neck as the skin is thinner in that region. Peels are used below the jaw line.
• There are no dressings at all. You will not be wrapped or look like a mummy at any time.
• Ointments and creams are placed on the laser areas. These have an anesthetic substance as well as a cream so you will not feel pain, or only very little after surgery and while healing.
• This can be combined with other plastic surgical procedures.

THE RECOVERY

• You can go home after several hours or can stay overnight.
• You can shower on the second day after surgery and get in the shower and enjoy the mist as often as you like.
• There is some pain that is mostly gone by the second or third day and easily controlled by medications.
• Swelling is mild to moderate and peaks a two to three days then disappears rapidly over the next three weeks.
• There is no bruising whatsoever.
• There is redness associated with healing. This is rapidly and nicely decreased by special treatments and ointments but redness then pinkness then light pinkness occurs and lasts up to 6-9 months. This is easily camouflaged after about 7-10 days.
• You will have an open oozing surface of the face that leaks apple juice colored fluid for anywhere from 3-10 days depending on your anatomy and the level of lasering performed. This does not scab or even crust. The creams keep it soft and easy to remove with warm compresses.
• Makeup can be applied as early as the third day after surgery and you can begin to appear in public somewhere between 7-10 days.
• You must be prepared to avoid sun exposure almost entirely, especially early on since this may pigment the skin darker.
• You will have creams and ointments prescribed to help you heal, then preserve your result.
• You can resume many activities within the first week, and most by at least three weeks.
• There are no stitches to be removed.
• Expect to be off of work for one, often two full weeks.

THE RESULT

• You will look younger.
• Beautiful, smooth, shiny skin.
• Less acne scars, more even texture to the skin. Easier to put on make-up in these situations.
• Removal of blotches, spots, bumps, raised skin tags or lesions.
• Lasts the rest of your life and always looks better than if you didn't do it. You can repeat or "touch-up" the procedure later if needed.
• Natural and presentable appearance in the second week that just gets better over the next three to six months.

Skin Care

• Chemical Peels
• Laser Resurfacing (Laser Skin Rejuvenation and Pigment and Wrinkle Removal)
• Botox (Dynamic wrinkle line remover)
• Dermabrasion

Breast Surgery - Body Contouring - Facial Surgery - Skin Care

Plastic Surgery
Ernest G Layton, Jr., M.D.
1-866-714-4900 or 830-792-3702
Consult@DrErnestLayton.com
Serving: Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Marble Falls, Texas