Laser Treatments
Laser Treatments Overview
The skin tells your story. Sun-soaked summers, hormonal shifts, acne battles, the simple passage of time.
Laser technology offers a way to gently rewrite some of those chapters, addressing concerns that lie at the surface and beneath it without the need for surgery. From erasing brown spots and broken capillaries to softening scars, removing tattoos, and stimulating fresh collagen, today’s lasers are remarkably versatile.
At Golden State Plastic Surgery, we view laser therapy as both a stand-alone treatment and a powerful finishing touch, aiming to polish the canvas of your skin.
Our Laser Technologies and Services
Different concerns require different wavelengths, energy levels, and delivery methods. At Golden State Plastic Surgery, we offer a range of laser platforms, allowing your provider to match the right tool to the right concern.
Dr. Anne Zhuang, board-certified in dermatology with fellowship training in cosmetic and laser dermatology, leads our cosmetic laser services. Through our partnership with Golden State Dermatology, patients can also access an even broader network of laser expertise across the region.
Our laser treatments include:
Ablative Laser Resurfacing
This treatment addresses deeper texture concerns such as acne scars, deeper wrinkles, and aging skin by methodically smoothing the outermost skin layers and stimulating deep collagen production. This is a highly effective treatment, but does require the most downtime.
Fraxel Dual Laser
This laser helps reduce the appearance of sun damage in the form of fine lines and pigmentation. It can also improve skin texture in those with acne scars, surgical scars, and enlarged pores. This device can be used anywhere on the body and is safe for all skin types. Recovery is less than traditional resurfacing, usually 1-2 weeks.
Diolite Laser
The Diolite laser is ideal for vascular or pigmented skin lesions, including facial spider veins, lentigines (flat brown spots), keratoses (slightly elevated pigment spots), and freckles.
Pulsed-Dye Laser
Persistent redness, visible facial vessels, and small red bumps (angiomas) respond especially well to laser therapy. Patients with rosacea-related skin changes, broken capillaries around the nose and cheeks, and cherry angiomas often see significant clearing in one to three short sessions, with little downtime.
Laser Resurfacing for Acne Scars
Acne scars are a different challenge than fine lines or sun damage. Ice pick, rolling, and boxcar scars are textural, etched into the skin’s foundation by past inflammation rather than sitting on the surface. Fractional and ablative resurfacing treatments create controlled microscopic injuries that prompt the skin to rebuild smoother, denser collagen beneath the skin.
Most patients need a short series of sessions, and improvement continues for months afterward as new collagen forms. For deeper scars, your provider may also recommend pairing laser resurfacing with subcision, focused chemical peels, or even surgical scar removal to reach scars from multiple angles.
Why Patients Choose Laser Treatments
Lasers occupy a unique space in cosmetic care. They reach concerns that creams cannot, achieve precision that surgery is not designed for, and produce changes that build over time as your skin renews itself.
Among the reasons patients turn to laser therapy:
- They address pigment, redness, and texture all at once
- They trigger long-term collagen remodeling, not just surface change
- Treatment sessions are typically brief, often under an hour
- Results compound over a series of sessions
- Many treatments work on areas beyond the face, including hands and décolletage
- Older scars, sun damage, and tattoos that once felt permanent can be meaningfully improved
- Treatments can be combined with surgery, injectables, and skincare for a layered approach
What Happens During a Laser Session
Every laser appointment begins well before the device is turned on. During your initial visit, Dr. Zhuang will examine your skin, discuss your history, including sun exposure, medications, and previous treatments, and walk you through what’s realistic for your skin type and goals.
From there, most sessions will follow these steps:
Skin Prep: Makeup, sunscreen, and oils are removed, and the area is cleansed. If numbing cream is part of your protocol, it’s applied and given time to take effect.
Eye Protection: Both you and your provider wear specialized shields. Eye safety is non-negotiable with any laser.
The Laser Application: The handpiece glides across the treatment zone, often with a cooling spray or chilled tip to take the edge off the warmth. You may notice a sensation like a rubber band snap or sustained heat, depending on the device.
Soothing: Cooling pads, calming serums, or post-procedure ointments are applied immediately afterward.
Take-Home Plan: You’ll leave with detailed instructions specific to your treatment, including what to use, what to avoid, and when to return.
Sessions typically run 20 to 60 minutes, with deeper resurfacing treatments on the longer end.
How Lasers Work Alongside Other Services
Lasers excel at concerns that surgery and injectables can’t fully address, like pigmentation, vascular issues, texture, and superficial scarring. That makes them an excellent complement to many procedures we offer:
Surgical Rejuvenation
Eyelid Surgery
Blepharoplasty sharpens the structure of the eye area. Gentle periorbital laser work refines the delicate skin surrounding it and can also improve the post-blepharoplasty scars.
Reconstructive Scar Care
Following post-Mohs reconstruction or other reconstructive work, laser therapy can flatten, fade, and refine scars over time.
Your provider will help you sequence treatments thoughtfully. Some work might be best before surgery, some after, and some need to be timed around healing.
Schedule Your Laser Consultation
The right laser plan depends on your skin, your concerns, and your timeline. We invite you to book a consultation at Golden State Plastic Surgery to explore what’s possible. During your visit, we’ll examine your skin, discuss your goals, and design a treatment approach that fits your life.
