This new study was led by Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel, vice chairman of plastic surgery, director of the Clinical Center for Cosmetic Laser Treatment and chief of plastic surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Dallas, who is among the few surgeons using a new carbon dioxide-based fractional laser that offers quicker recovery time while going deeper into the skin to help reduce wrinkles, tighten surface structures and treat pigmentation differences.
"UT Southwestern was one of only two U.S. centers to receive the Food and Drug Administration-approved laser for initial testing before making it available for patients. Plastic surgeons at UT Southwestern have completed testing and are now starting to use the new carbon dioxide-based fractional laser, which combines minute focused columns of laser-induced injury with heat deposition for less skin damage and quicker recovery time,” said Kenkel.
He added: “Fractional lasers are like aerating your lawn, where you have a bunch of holes in your lawn, but you have normal lawn in between. This allows for more rapid healing because intact, normal skin bridges the gap between the laser-induced injured skin.”
“We can vary the distance between the holes, which has an effect on how much tissue we choose to treat. The treatment parameters are determined by what we are trying to accomplish for each of our patients.”
He also said that the technology potentially could be one of the last decade’s biggest advancements in the laser world.