What is TwinLight™ Fractional Rejuvenation?
TwinLight™ Fractional Rejuvenation is a simple 3-step procedure optimized to significantly improve skin smoothness and give it a fresher, healthier look. It is a gentler alternative for treating fine lines and wrinkles with minimal downtime and clean, natural results.
Using fractional light allows for highly precise sculpting and rejuvenation of the skin. Treatments can extend from light touch-ups to deep collagen remodeling, ideal for those who want drastic rejuvenation effects, but are not inclined towards aggressive surgical or chemical alternatives.
How Does It Work?
Past skin rejuvenation procedures treated large areas of the skin, whether it was aged or not. But with TwinLight Fractional Rejuvenation, the laser light precisely targets only areas of the skin where skin ageing has occurred, leaving the surrounding healthy skin untouched. The heat from the laser energy also stimulates the production of new collagen in the dermis because the surrounding, untreated skin speeds the rejuvenation process. This treatment is suitable for all skin types and tones, with minimal downtime. TwinLight Fractional Rejuvenation is performed in three simple steps:
- Conditioning: An Nd:YAG beam is passed over the surface of the skin. The first pass provides a short stimulus to the skin, the second pass penetrates the tissue, causing deep FRAC-3® heating and conditioning the skin for an effective fractional treatment therapy.
- Fractional therapy: Old, worn-out skin is ablated away by a fractional Er:YAG laser. The precise micro-ablated channels will be replaced with new, tighter and healthy tissue as new skin forms.
- Peeling: The skin is ablated with a light, full Er:YAG beam, which finishes the treatment and removes superficial imperfections.
What to expect during and after TwinLight treatments?
Most patients find the treatment quite tolerable. With TwinLight™ laser you feel a heat/prickly sensation rather than pain. To overcome this we use a cool compressor that blows cold air on the area and can also apply topical anaesthetic if requested, though most find this unnecessary.
After the treatment, it is normal for the skin to feel quite warm for up to 24 hours (similar to a sunburn). We recommend avoiding all heat exposure for the first 48 hours and maintain sun protection ongoing. Most patients can still go about their normal routine with little worry during the healing phase. They may notice some changes but the majority of these can be covered with a corrective mineral makeup. The intensity and duration of side effects depends on the level of the treatment. Redness and swelling usually persist for a few days but can last for longer after more aggressive treatments. There may also be some mild peeling and a crusty appearance that lasts for about a week. How soon and how quickly the skin peels will be different for each individual.
We don’t advise having a TwinLight™ treatment in the same week as a special event as this ‘downtime’ will last approximately 7-10 days.
What is the ‘typical’ healing phase of TwinLight™ treatments?
Day 0-2 |Inflammation
Your skin will be red and feel very dry. You will look and feel as though you have been sunburnt. Some people may experience minor swelling, although this is quite unusual. During this phase the blood vessels dilate and white blood cells migrate to the area to assist with healing.
Day 2-7 | Re-epithelialisation
Your skin will feel very dry and tight. You may notice that you have micro-crusting which feels quite rough to touch and looks slightly indented in the skin if you were to examine it very closely – this is easy to cover with mineral makeup. After this you will begin to flake and shed for a couple of days. This removal of the dead skin cells is part of the normal healing process. Do not peel away any skin that is not ready to come off on its own. Cell migration and maturation begins as wound healing takes place. The flaking may clear more quickly in some people than in others but usually takes 5-7 days.
Day 7-6 months | Remodelling
This starts when the flaking has cleared. The remodelling occurs in the deeper layers of the skin (the papillary and reticulated layers of the dermis) which is where protein production begins. This protein production takes time and it may six months before the full effect of the skin rejuvenation can be seen.
How many treatments are required?
The amount of treatments required depends on what is being treated and how the procedure is approached (i.e. parameters used). Often patients prefer not to have any significant downtime after their treatments therefore a gentler approach is taken and requires more treatments to produce the desired result. The majority of treatments however are based on the stimulation of collagen production and require 3-4 sessions 1 month apart to achieve optimal results. We are stimulating your natural collagen production, so maintenance from time to time is highly encouraged for longer-lasting results.