The Aerolase Era is an innovative 2940 nm Er:YAG laser, designed specifically for skin rejuvenation and resurfacing. With just a single session, it can correct various skin imperfections, revealing more youthful-looking skin.
Unlike fractional or long-pulsed lasers, the Era Elite's gentle 300-Microsecond pulse duration ensures a clean ablation without causing collateral damage to the dermis, providing a safe and virtually pain-free experience for your patients.
The absorption of the Er:YAG 2940nm laser energy by water in the skin efficiently vaporizes the skin to stimulate the re-epithelialization of new skin to replace it. The Aerolase Era is FDA-cleared for removing or diminishing wrinkles, acne scars, uneven tone and texture, scars, and various pigmented and cutaneous lesions.
Key Features
- 300-MicrosecondTechnology: Allows for controlled skin ablation with minimal thermal damage to surrounding tissues.
- Safefor All Skin Types: It is particularly beneficial for skin of color, as it reduces the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and other thermal damage-related side effects.
Downtime
Downtime varies depending on the depth of ablation used during treatment. Individuals seeking deep wrinkle elimination and sun damage reduction may require a more ablative treatment, which results in longer downtime.
Applications
The Aerolase Era offers a premium solution for eliminating visible signs of aging on the face, neck, chest, and hands.
Common Treatments Include:
- Wrinkles
- Age spots
- Sun damage
- Brown spots or patches
- Enlarged pores
- Uneven skin tone and
- texture
- Scars
- Acne scars
- Skin tags and lesions
Treating Skin of Color
The Aerolase Era utilizes 300-microsecond precise pulse technology for controlled skin ablation with minimal thermal damage to surrounding tissues. This precision is especially advantageous for skin of color, reducing the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and other thermal damage-related side effects.
The Era also offers adjustable settings, including energy and pulse duration. These allow practitioners to tailor treatments to the specific needs and responses of darker skin tones, enhancing safety and effectiveness.
Aerolase Era Treatment Options
The Aerolase Era offers a premium solution for eliminating visible signs of aging on the face, neck, chest, and hands.
Common Treatments Include:
- Wrinkles
- Age spots
- Sun damage
- Brown spots or patches
- Enlarged pores
- Uneven skin tone and texture
- Scars
- Acne scars
- Skin tags and lesions
Aerolase Era for Superficial Ablation
For those seeking treatments with little to no downtime, the Aerolase® Era for Superficial Ablation treatment is the perfect solution. It refreshes the superficial layer of the skin, providing a smooth, glowing appearance. This treatment is ideal for reducing pore size and improving complexion. Multiple sessions are often recommended for optimal results.
Key Benefits:
- Superficialpeel refreshes and smooths
- Greatfor large pores and uneven skin texture.
Aerolase Era for Medium Depth Ablation
The Aerolase® Era for Medium Depth Ablation treatment is excellent for eliminating sun damage, reducing brown spots or patches, and erasing fine lines. This treatment gently vaporizes the skin's outermost layer to reveal the youthful glow beneath. It is optimal for those with more advanced signs of aging who are willing to accommodate a little downtime.
Key Benefits:
- Mid-epidermal ablation reveals a youthful glow.
- Perfect for minimal to moderate sun damage and fine lines.
Aerolase Era for Deep Depth Ablation
For individuals with progressive signs of aging who don't mind a little downtime, the Aerolase® Era for Deep Depth Ablation is an excellent choice. This treatment uses a deep-penetrating laser to completely renew the skin's epidermal tissue, resulting in dramatic improvements in deep wrinkles, extensive sun damage, brown spots, and acne scars.
Key Benefits:
- Gentle resurfacing to completely renew the skin's epidermis for dramatic results.
- Ideal for deeper lines, skin growths, and acne scars.
Scars & Cutaneous Lesions
Scar tissue, cutaneous lesions, and benign growths can be effectively treated with the Aerolase Era. This treatment gently removes the scar or lesion while preserving the surrounding skin. The affected area is ablated by removing a layer with each pulse until the lesion is completely gone, typically within one to two sessions, resulting in a uniform skin tone and texture. Thanks to the Era's unique capability to treat patients with only a beam of laser light touching the skin, all body areas can be treated comfortably.
FAQs
Contraindications
Patients who should avoid treatment include:
- Those with sunburn or irritated skin in the treatment areas
- Those with unidentified skin conditions in the treatment areas
- Individuals who have healed poorly from other laser treatments
- Patients prone to skin discoloration
- Patients taking photosensitizing medication, like Accutane, which should be discontinued 6 months before treatment
- Patients using topical Retin-A should wait 2 weeks before treatment
- Patients with autoimmune diseases
- Avoid applying laser energy to raised lesions, except for purely red ones like angiomas; other lesions should be evaluated by a dermatologist
Patients with sunburn should wait until the burn heals. Laser treatment can trigger Herpes Simplex Labialis (fever blisters), especially on the upper lip, so patients prone to fever blisters may start antiviral medication before treatment.
Setting Expectations
The best candidates for skin rejuvenation are those with skin types 1-111 showing early to advanced signs of aging, such as fine lines, minor wrinkles, deep wrinkles, and sun damage.
While other patients may also benefit, this group generally sees the best results. It's important to discuss desired outcomes and expected downtime with your practitioner. More aggressive treatments will result in longer recovery periods but greater results. Although laser procedures improve skin texture and appearance, the natural aging process continues, so ongoing skincare and follow-up treatments may be needed every 6-18 months.
What is the Difference Between Superficial Ablation, Medium Depth Ablation, and Deep Depth Ablation?
The main differences between these treatments lie in the aging concerns they target and the depth of ablation needed to achieve the desired outcome.
- Aerolase Era for Superficial Ablation: This treatment ranges from a sublative to a micro peel, targeting the most superficial skin layers. Subablative treatment gives a healthy glow immediately post-treatment with no downtime, suitable for skin types 1-V. The micro peel resurfaces slightly deeper, with minimal redness and downtime (typically 1-2 days). It is ideal for enlarged pores and uneven skin tone and texture.
- Aerolase Erafor Medium Depth Ablation: A slightly more aggressive treatment that gently vaporizes moderate sun damage and fine lines. A topical anesthetic is recommended before treatment, and downtime typically ranges from 2-4 days.
- Aerolase Era for Deep Depth Ablation: This procedure targets more pronounced aging signs, such as deep wrinkles and extensive sun damage. Despite being the most aggressive treatment, it's gentler than other ablative methods due to the 300-microsecond pulse duration and controlled ablation depth, providing profound rejuvenation in one session compared to 4-8 fractional treatments. Downtime occurs only once, not after each procedure. Redness may last up to 3 weeks, depending on treatment depth and individual healing processes, but normal activities can continue with caution against prolonged sun exposure.
How Many Treatment Sessions Are Required?
Typically, only one treatment session is necessary for any ablative treatment. However, to address the normal aging process, follow-up sessions may be needed every 6 to 18 months. More aggressive treatments generally allow longer intervals before subsequent treatments.
Do I Need Anesthesia or a Numbing Agent?
This depends on the specific treatment. Subablative or micro peel treatments may not require anesthesia, but this should be agreed upon by both patient and practitioner. Topical anesthetics are recommended for sun damage and deeper wrinkles. For deep wrinkles and extensive sun damage, local injections or a nerve block are recommended.
Is it Painful?
No, there is only a mild, very tolerable sensation of heat. This is a key breakthrough of Aerolase technology! The Aerolase Era sets a new standard for gentle treatment and comfort. Once the anesthetic wears off, some swelling and discomfort may occur, depending on treatment aggressiveness, but this is normal. Any discomfort should subside within a few hours to 48 hours post-treatment, and an NSAID may be used for relief.
Is it Permanent, or Will My Signs of Aging Return?
While your skin will have a more youthful tone, texture, and appearance, it will continue to age, so maintenance treatments may be needed. To reduce aging signs, it's important to wear sunscreen to slow the development of wrinkles and sun damage.
What are the Risks Associated with Skin Resurfacing?
Each patient may respond differently, but several factors should be considered before undergoing skin resurfacing:
- Prolonged Redness: Redness is a natural response to heat and is expected. The duration depends on treatment aggressiveness.
- Hypopigmentation: Some skin types may lose natural pigment. This affects the skin's natural color, not darkened age spots or sun damage, and is more common in darker skin tones. Patients and practitioners should agree on appropriate procedures and associated risks.
- Scarring: Proper post-treatment care is crucial for ablative procedures. The treated area should be consistently moisturized to minimize adverse effects. While scarring is more common with aggressive procedures, it is rare with proper care.
- Infection: Infections are rare with laser resurfacing. The most common type is viral herpes, which can be activated due to dermal stress. Therefore, patients should receive viral prophylaxis medication.
- Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH): PIH occurs when dermal melanocytes rapidly produce melanin in response to inflammation, more commonly in darker skin types. It's typically temporary and fades over time, but topical medication can expedite recovery.
Can it be Used on Dark Skin?
Treatments with the Era are designed to be less invasive, promoting quicker healing and reducing the time during which the skin is vulnerable to pigmentation changes. To determine the best treatment regimen, you should thoroughly discuss desired results, treatment options, and risks with your practitioner.
What Happens After Treatment, and When Can I Expect to See Improvement?
Improvements may be seen immediately to a few weeks after treatment. Individual results vary, as responses depend on personal immune systems and collagen restorative responses. Depending on procedure aggressiveness and healing processes, full recovery may take 1-28 days, but final results should be assessed 6 months after aggressive treatments as collagen production and remodeling take about 6 months to complete.
Will My Lesion or Scar Tissue Be Permanently Removed, or Can it Recur?
Lesions or scar tissue are likely to be permanently reduced or removed. However, due to natural aging and other factors, new lesions may form, necessitating maintenance. Some individuals have a higher risk of hypertrophic scars, possibly requiring multiple treatments to achieve desired results. These factors should be considered when deciding whether to undergo any procedure.
