Laser Treatments

The most common mistake in laser aesthetics is buying the wrong device for the problem. A laser that erases a sun spot will do nothing for a broken capillary, because the two target different things in your skin. So the first thing we do at a consultation is work out which concern is actually bothering you most.

MultiFrax — our workhorse resurfacing laser, and the right starting point for most people. It is a non-ablative fractional laser running two wavelengths, 1550 nm into the collagen layer and 1927 nm at the surface, so one pass treats sun damage, melasma, fine lines, acne scars and rough texture together. Three to five days of downtime, $400 a session.

CO2 — the aggressive option. It is ablative, meaning it removes tissue rather than heating it, which is what deep wrinkles and heavy scarring sometimes require. More result, more recovery. $750 a session, and we will usually suggest starting with MultiFrax unless your skin clearly calls for it.

Laser hair reduction — an entirely separate treatment with its own pricing, targeting the pigment in the hair follicle rather than anything in your skin. Priced by area from $30, with a $100 minimum per visit. It is our most-booked laser service.

If you would rather work backwards from the thing you see in the mirror:

For resurfacing treatments we cleanse and apply a topical numbing cream for 20 to 30 minutes, then the laser pass takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes for a full face. Most people describe it as heat with an occasional rubber-band snap. Laser hair reduction needs no numbing and takes anywhere from a few minutes for a small area to about 45 for legs or a back.

Afterward, resurfacing looks and feels like a strong sunburn — pink, warm and tight for a day or two, then slightly rough as the treated skin turns over. Makeup is usually fine by day three. Hair reduction leaves the area pink and warm for a few hours and nothing more.

Aftercare is short but not optional, and it is almost entirely about sun. Bland moisturizer, no active ingredients for a week, and daily SPF. Skipping sunscreen after a pigment treatment is the fastest way to bring the pigment straight back.

Laser risk rises as skin tone deepens, because the same pigment the laser targets is also present in the surrounding skin. That does not make deeper skin tones untreatable — it makes device choice, settings and a patch test matter far more. We assess your skin at the consultation and can arrange a test patch before committing to a series.

Sometimes the honest answer is a different treatment entirely. Microneedling works through your own healing response rather than heat or pigment absorption, which makes it safe across every Fitzpatrick type and often the better choice for acne scarring on deeper skin. Chemical peels are gentler on pigment-prone skin. If either is the safer route for you, we will say so rather than sell you a laser series.

A few things rule out laser hair reduction outright: grey, white, true blonde and fine red hair carry too little pigment to absorb the light, so they will not respond no matter how many sessions you buy. Minimum age is 16.

All laser treatments are performed in studio at Redlands or Riverside, Monday through Saturday by appointment, by our physician assistant and our registered nurse. Lasers are the one part of our menu that does not travel — injectables and most skin treatments can be done on a mobile visit, but the devices and the controlled setting belong in the studio.

Consultations are free. Financing through Cherry and PatientFi is available if you would rather spread a series of three across a few months instead of paying for it up front.