Laser Services - Laser Skin Resurfacing

Tampa, St Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida

If you are looking for nonsurgical procedures that can reverse the visible signs of aging and address many common cosmetic complaints, you may be able to profit from one of our laser services. The most commonly-requested laser procedure is laser skin resurfacing, a skin rejuvenation procedure that can dramatically reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles and restore a youthful glow to your complexion. We also offer many other laser and light services including laser hair removal, the removal of spider veins and vascular lesions (such as port wine stains), and the reduction of sun spots.

This page gives a general breakdown on the services we offer, but the best way to learn whether we can improve any of your cosmetic complaints is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Antonio Gayoso or our aesthetician, Gina Gathings-Giancola, a certified laser technician.

Laser Skin Resurfacing

Laser skin resurfacing is a rejuvenation procedure that can reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles and improve your skin’s youthful tone, luster, and even complexion. Laser skin resurfacing, like many skin care procedures, works by removing old, damaged layers of skin and stimulating your skin to rebuild itself. When we are young, our skin sheds fairly quickly, so that we are constantly showing a fresh layer of skin that looks young and is healthy. As we age, this process slows down, so that the skin on the surface is older, duller, and often more damaged by sun and other environmental conditions.

Laser skin resurfacing can also stimulate your skin to fill in and even out surface irregularities such as depressed scars (including acne scars) and enlarged pores.

Laser skin resurfacing can be done as an entire surface procedure, which creates dramatic results but is also accompanied by significant discomfort and requires care during the recovery period. However, we can also perform fractional resurfacing, which creates micro-wells that tap into the healing potential of the deeper layers of the skin without removing the entire surface. Fractional laser skin resurfacing can also give dramatic results, but it may more than one treatment to accomplish.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is an effective way to temporarily eliminate and permanently reduce the hair of any treated area. In laser hair removal, a laser shines on a small area for a short period of time. The active hair follicles in the area have a higher amount of pigment than the surrounding tissue and they absorb laser energy that destroys them. This only affects the active follicles, so the treatment must be repeated three to six times to ensure that all hair follicles are affected. Each treatment session varies from about five minutes for an upper lip treatment to an hour and a half for the back or legs.

After many months, hair will grow back, but it is generally thinner and paler. Often, patients see a permanent 80% reduction of hair in the treated area.

Most patients report that laser hair removal is less painful than other hair removal treatments such as waxing or electrolysis.

Laser Spider Vein Removal

Similar to the way lasers can target hair follicles, they can also be used to target spider veins and vascular lesions (such as hemangiomas or port wine stains). A specific laser color is used that is absorbed by the spider veins or lesions, but not by the surrounding tissue. This allows the spider veins and vascular lesions to be destroyed without harming your skin or other tissues. It may take a few treatments to fully remove spider veins or vascular lesions.

Sun Spots, Freckles, and Age Spots

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a light treatment that is able to treat many types of hyperpigmentation (darkened skin). IPL is a lower-impact alternative so skin resurfacing that uses not a focused laser but a wide spectrum pulse of light to stimulate a response in your skin. You may see some results after your first treatment, but it typically requires 3-5 treatments to get optimal results.

Tattoo Removal

Many people regret the permanency of the tattoo and wish to have it removed.  The effectiveness and number of treatments for laser tattoo removal is dependent upon the age, location, depth, and type of tattoo.  At Gayoso Plastic Surgery, we using anesthetic (topical and injections) to numb the treated area to ensure your comfort during the treatment. 

Why Gayoso Plastic Surgery for Your Laser Treatment

Gayoso Plastic Surgery combines the expertise of St Petersburg plastic surgeon Dr. Antonio J. Gayoso with that of the “good skin fairy,” master aesthetician Gina Gathings-Giancola, a certified laser technician, which means you can get both experts’ opinions to determine whether you will benefit more from surgical or nonsurgical treatments. Because we offer a full range of services, you will never be offered a procedure that is either more than you need or will not get you the results you desire.

To learn more about our laser services or other skin care procedures, please contact Gayoso Plastic Surgery today.  We happily welcome patients from Clearwater, Tampa, and St Petersburg, Florida.