DOT Therapy

If you’ve spent years in the sun, especially without adequate protection, you’ve seen what the outdoors can do to your skin –more wrinkles, skin discoloration, and sunspots.

If you’re vigilant about your sun protection, there could still be plenty of reasons to be unhappy with your skin, including scars from acne and injuries and the loosening and thinning that happens as we age. The gold standard for fine lines and wrinkles, DOT Therapy with the SmartXide laser is an extremely effective laser treatment for improving the appearance of skin on common areas like your face, neck, chest, and hands.

What is Dot Therapy?

Using carbon dioxide (CO₂) for intense rejuvenation, DOT Therapy delivers rapid healing and incredible results with only a few days of downtime.  Almost immediately, patients see a decrease in the size of their pores, and a glowing, brighter, more youthful complexion. What sets DOT Therapy apart from traditional resurfacing is its unique ability to treat a target area and to tighten skin. (The skin tightening is often seen during the procedure.)

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Your Annapolis DOT Therapy Appointment

From the moment you step into one of our treatment rooms at our main office or one of our one satellite offices in Easton or Prince Frederick, you know you’ll be well taken care of. Our highly trained, skilled, caring staff studies your skin closely, using their deep knowledge of skin and the conditions that keep it from looking its best, and talks to you to develop a plan for your specific needs.

At the beginning of the appointment you’ll discuss things like:

• Your goals: What bothers you about your skin and what you hope to get from the treatment.
• Your medical history and your lifestyle, such as:
  • Whether you’re taking any prescription or nonprescription drugs and/or herbal supplements, or medications that make you sensitive to the sun, such as Accutane and Doxycycline.
  • If you smoke.
  • Your level of sun exposure.
• The procedure. Ask what you need to be comfortable with your decision, so come prepared with questions.

If you’re ready to move forward, we’ll schedule your treatment and review how you’ll prepare your skin for the procedure and how you’ll care after it after.

Understanding the Dot Therapy Procedure

DOT creates microscopic perforations in the skin while leaving the area around each “dot” intact, which allows the skin to heal quickly. The qualified, experienced practitioner performing the treatment has more control with the DOT laser than with other laser treatments, which allows the treatment to be customized to your needs and adjusted during the procedure to address any additional issues they find.

To begin, a numbing cream will be applied to your skin; some patients choose to take a valium just prior to the procedure. After the procedure, you will see some redness and a bit of swelling, which will last for about two to three days.

Before DOT, many patients endured long, often painful laser resurfacing procedures with significant downtime, discomfort and prolonged redness. Plus, old CO2 lasers could not easily treat non-facial areas like the neck and décolletage.

After your Dot Therapy:  Recovery and Results

You’ll begin to see improvements in the color, texture, and quality of your skin within a week or two. Improvements should continue to be seen for six months following the final session. Some with more serious skin issues may require a series of treatments spaced about one month apart.

While you can’t stop the aging process, DOT Therapy and proper skin care can help you maintain your skin’s rejuvenated appearance and stimulate the collagen in that area for many years.

Contact us to schedule a consultation, to get the information you need to decide if DOT Therapy will give you the results you’re looking for.