From the Guidelines
Ablative lasers, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, are the most effective treatment option for loose skin on the arms, offering significant improvements in skin tightening and collagen production, as evidenced by recent studies 1.
Treatment Overview
The procedure typically involves using a fractional CO2 laser that creates thousands of microscopic treatment zones in the skin while leaving surrounding tissue intact to promote faster healing.
- Treatment usually requires 1-3 sessions spaced 4-6 weeks apart, with each session lasting 30-60 minutes depending on the treatment area size.
- Before treatment, a topical anesthetic cream (such as lidocaine 4-5%) is applied for 30-60 minutes to minimize discomfort.
- Post-treatment care includes applying healing ointments like petroleum jelly or prescribed recovery creams for 5-7 days, avoiding sun exposure for at least two weeks, and using SPF 50+ sunscreen thereafter.
Expected Outcomes and Recovery
Patients can expect 3-7 days of redness, swelling, and peeling skin during recovery.
- CO2 laser therapy works by removing the outer layers of damaged skin and heating deeper layers, which triggers the body's natural healing response and stimulates new collagen formation over the following 3-6 months.
- This treatment is most effective for mild to moderate skin laxity and may be combined with other procedures like radiofrequency treatments for enhanced results in cases of more severe skin laxity, as supported by studies on the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in combination with CO2 laser therapy 1.
Combination Therapies
Recent studies have shown that combining CO2 laser therapy with PRP injections can lead to improved outcomes, including increased patient satisfaction and reduced side effects 1.
- The use of PRP in combination with CO2 laser therapy has been shown to improve histopathological outcomes, including increased epidermal thickness and normalized orientation of dermal collagen fibers 1.
From the Research
Treatment Options for Loose Skin on Arms using Ablative Lasers
- Ablative lasers, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, can be used to treat loose skin on the arms 2.
- Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing has been shown to be effective in treating rhytides, photoaging, scars, and striae distensae 2.
- A study found that fractional CO2 laser resurfacing is more efficacious than microneedling and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in treating post-acne scarring 3.
Alternative Treatment Options
- Non-invasive radio frequency (RF) devices can be used to manage and treat skin tightening of lax skin, including sagging arms 4.
- Infrared light devices have been used to treat upper arm skin laxity, but with minimal improvement in skin laxity 5.
- Fractional micro-plasma radio-frequency treatment combined with ablative fractional CO2 laser treatment has been shown to be effective in improving hypertrophic scars 6.