Plastic surgeon weighs in on extreme laser treatments as celebrities seek age-defying alternatives to Botox and fillers
As more celebrities forgo injections like Botox and fillers, many are opting for intensive laser treatments to keep their skin young and radiant.
Despite the grueling recovery process, celebrities have more radiant, clearer, and much more youthful skin after extreme laser treatments.
Fans of CO2 laser resurfacing include actress Ellen Barkin, singer Jhene Aiko, Love Island’s Alexandra Cane and Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge, who bought the laser treatment and a brow lift as a 57th birthday present.
Beverly Hills board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Sykes explained the procedure to DailyMail.com, saying: ‘It’s a treatment where basically different layers of skin are removed to make the skin smoother.’
He continued, “It does a little bit of firming, but it mainly rejuvenates the whole texture of the skin. It’s really good in conjunction with surgery. For people who have sagging, you’re lifting them up and then improving the quality of their skin.”
Celebrities like Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge (pictured) are turning to extreme laser treatments to achieve more youthful skin
Actress Ellen Barkin (left) and singer Jhene Aiko (right) are also fans of laser treatments
The 70-year-old actress owes her ‘poreless’ face to annual laser treatments
According to Dr. Sykes, it is generally safe to have plastic surgery and laser treatment in one session, as RHOC star Judge did. However, he stressed that it should be done by an “experienced person.”
When it comes to the different treatments, Dr. Sykes explained that patients can opt for a full CO2 laser resurfacing or a less intensive fractional laser treatment.
Recovery time for fractional lasers is usually only a few days, while a full CO2 laser treatment can take about two weeks and can be extremely painful for the first few days.
Dr. Sykes also recommends Erbium laser resurfacing because it is more targeted than other lasers and has less risk of scarring.
In recent years, celebrities have increasingly moved away from fillers and Botox in order to achieve a more natural look.
Last year, Blac Chyna had fillers put in her cheeks, jawline and lips. She said, “Enough is enough.”
Yolanda Hadid, Molly-Mae Hague, Megan McKenna and Courtney Cox have all also cut back on injecting.
Love Island UK star Alexandra Cane underwent CO2 laser resurfacing in 2019
The reality star is pictured shortly after the treatment (left) and a few days later as her fresh, new skin began to glow (right)
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Sykes (pictured) said lasers are a good option for skin rejuvenation
Barkin also stopped using Botox, because she felt it hindered her expression as an actress.
I don’t like the way [Botox] makes people watch. Too many people go overboard, and for an actress that’s deadly. It stops you from having expressions,” she previously said Oprah.com.
She delved deeper into her love for lasers with Violet grayand told the website, “I haven’t been under the knife. I laser. And I’ve tried every type of laser there is.”
She continued, “Now I’m doing the Ulthera Laser. I do it once a year. It’s extremely painful. There’s no downtime at all. And I’m very religious about my Fraxels. It removes discoloration and smooths the surface of your skin. I still have almost no pores on my face.”
Meanwhile, Real Housewives of Orange County’s Tamra Judge recently vowed not to go under the knife again after a “major” brow lift, CO2 laser treatment and chemical peel left her in excruciating pain.
The reality star, who gave herself the surgical makeover as a 57th birthday present, spent days in bed recovering from the procedures.
“The pain manifests itself in different ways,” she told DailyMail.com.
“At first it was my forehead that hurt so much for three days. I couldn’t even listen to people talking. I couldn’t turn on the TV. All I could do was lie in one place,” she continued.
“So after a few days of that, it became my teeth throbbing, and then my sinuses throbbing, and now my face is crusty. So every day it’s something new.”
Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra vowed not to go under the knife again after a ‘brutal’ brow lift, CO2 laser treatment and chemical peel left her in excruciating pain
Before and after: Judge is pictured at an event in 2022 (left) and this week after her procedures (right)
Judge said she has cleared her entire schedule for the next two weeks so she can focus on her recovery.
When asked why she went under the knife again, Judge admitted she was trying to compensate for a 2017 lower body facelift.
“I had a lower facelift, which made it look like my eyebrows were heavier, while the lower part of my face remained the same,” she explains.
“So I thought, you know what, I’m just going to get a brow lift!”
When she had a consultation with Newport Beach surgeon, Dr. Donald Mowlds, he suggested she also have CO2 laser treatment and a blue chemical peel to improve the texture and appearance of her skin.
“I have a lot of brown spots and fine lines and things like that, so it’s supposed to make your skin look 10 years younger,” she explained.
“So I said, ‘Sure, let’s do it,’ not knowing how brutal the CO2 laser would be!” the reality star admitted.
Judge said she decided to do it after her 57th birthday because she’s “turning 60 right now.”
“Then I better do it now, because there comes an age when I don’t care anymore,” she joked.
On Sunday, she shared an update on the third day of her recovery, with her face looking much more swollen and her skin starting to peel. She told her followers that it felt like her skin was “going to crack.”
“I don’t know how it can get worse. You can see it getting slimy. I can barely open my eyes,” she said.
Unlike some other Real Housewives stars, Judge said it was important to her to be “open and transparent” about the work she’s done.
“I don’t want people to think that I’m not doing anything and that’s what I look like. And if I can help someone else, then it’s like, ‘You know what? I want to do that. I want to feel better about myself.’ Why not?”
As for the future, the star says she’s refocusing on a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise and has no plans to work on her career any further.
Judge documents her grueling recovery process on social media.
On Sunday, she shared an update on the third day of her recovery. Her face looked much more swollen and her skin had started to peel. She told her followers that it felt like her skin was “going to crack.”
“I don’t know how it can get worse. You can see it getting slimy. I can barely open my eyes,” she shared.
“Day three and the swelling is making a statement. Progress isn’t always pretty, but it happens.”