You’re sitting in a doctor’s office with numbing cream spread on your face like buttercream icing on a cake. You’re preparing to have a laser beam penetrate your skin at the same temperature that water boils. You’re bracing for your face to resemble tuna tartare for at least a week.
Sounds scary? For a long time, this may have been the reality for anyone seeking a laser treatment to tighten or tone skin. Today’s lasers, however, are far less harsh, reducing pain and downtime for many patients—and might be even more effective for lifting and brightening. These next-gen options are also safer across skin tones. “A lot of [older lasers] readily absorb melanin, so [people with darker complexions] can get really significant burns,” says Michelle Henry, MD, a dermatologist in New York. Now, many of the lasers she currently has in her office are safe for dark skin.
Perhaps as a result, lasers are booming: There were over 3.5 million skin resurfacing procedures in 2023, a 5 percent increase over 2022, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ annual statistics report. Here are some of the best lasers that don’t belong in a sequel to The Substance.
The Tightening Laser
According to Eunice Park, MD, a facial plastic surgeon in New York, a method called “Pico Sculpting,” which is popular in South Korea to tighten skin, is gaining ground in the U.S. Using super-short pulses of energy at different depths, the picosecond laser can target its effects: It can plunge to deep levels, like a scuba diver, to tighten without disturbing the outermost layer. It can sweep through the middle layers, like a snorkeler, to rejuvenate. And it can skim the surface, like a surfer, to smooth texture. Though skin might be slightly red or swollen for a few days, the minimal downtime unveils results starting within a week.
The Resurfacing Laser
Ablative lasers are a great tool for resurfacing, but they can also make you look sunburned for up to a month. UltraClear is the first cold fiber ablative laser that stimulates collagen without causing excessive redness. (“Cold” doesn’t refer to a temperature, but rather for the way the laser uses a unique 2,910-nanometer wavelength to treat the skin, according to Arielle Kauvar, MD, a dermatologist in New York City.) UltraClear delivers quick pulses of energy in intervals to curtail heat damage and pain. Unlike other ablative lasers, UltraClear’s 3DMiracl treatment seldom requires any numbing cream beforehand and has less downtime, though there may be a bit of redness or swelling. Patients can notice skin improvements within five days.
The All-In-One Laser
Mosaic 3D works well for hyperpigmentation, acne scarring, and wrinkles. It’s a non-ablative laser (meaning it doesn’t disturb the skin’s surface), which Henry says makes it ideal for all skin tones. But precision is what makes this laser a secret weapon: It has a cold sapphire tip for chilling the skin; an air-cooled rolling system for even coverage; and an algorithm called 3D Controlled Chaos Technology to control the space and depth of where beams enter the skin. These features allow the laser to sweep over tricky-to-reach areas, like around the eyes and mouth. Skin may be mildly red for up to 48 hours, but downtime is only two to five days.
A version of this story appears in the April 2025 issue of ELLE.
