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Ablative CO2 Lasers for Skin Tightening: Traditional Versus Fractional

BACKGROUND With patients more resistant to invasive treatments and those that result in significant downtime, there has been a rise in using lasers to improve skin laxity and induce tissue tightening as an alternative to surgery. Traditional and fractional ablative resurfacing induces skin tightening through precise dermal heating and a wound-healing effect. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review was to discuss the mechanism of action of using ablative lasers to induce skin tightening and compare traditional versus fractional technologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A review of the literature was performed. RESULTS The authors discuss traditional and fractional ablative lasers for achieving skin tightening. CONCLUSION Neocollagenesis and dermal remodeling seen after ablative resurfacing contributes to the clinical improvement seen in tissue tightening. Fractional photothermolysis may enhance tissue tightening effects of ablative lasers because of its ability to ablate deeper into the reticular dermis without significant risk for scarring.