As more and more celebrities swear by injectables like Botox and fillers, many are turning to intensive laser treatments to keep their skin looking young and glowing.
Despite the brutal recovery process, stars walk away from extreme facial lasers with brighter, clearer and much younger looking skin.
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 herself the laser treatment and a eyebrow lift as a gift for her 57th birthday.
Explaining the procedure to DailyMail.com, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Sykes in Beverly Hills said: “It’s a treatment that basically removes layers of skin to make the skin smoother.”
She continued, “It creates a little bit of tightening, but more so it just rejuvenates the whole texture of the skin. It is very good in combination with surgery. For people who have sagging, you lift them and then improve 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 looking skin
Actress Ellen Barkin (left) and singer Jhene Aiko (right) are also fans of laser treatments
The 70-year-old actress has credited annual laser treatments for her “poreless” face
Dr. Sykes said it’s generally safe to get plastic surgery and laser treatment in one session — like the RHOC star Judge did — but stressed it should be done by an “experienced person.”
Regarding the different treatments, Dr. Sykes explained that patients can choose the full CO2 resurfacing laser or the less intense fractional laser.
Recovery time for fractional lasers can be as little as a few days, while a full CO2 laser treatment can take about two weeks and can be incredibly painful for the first few days.
Dr. Sykes also recommends Erbium laser resurfacing, which is more focused than other lasers and comes with less risk of scarring.
In recent years, celebrities have started to move away from fillers and Botox to achieve a more natural look.
Last year, Blac Chyna ditched her cheek, jawline and lip fillers, saying “enough is enough.”
Yolanda Hadid, Molly-Mae Hague, Megan McKenna, and Courtney Cox also ditched the injectables.
UK Love Island star Alexandra Cane underwent CO2 laser resurfacing in 2019
The reality star is pictured shortly after the procedure (left) and then days later as her fresh new skin began to glow (right)
Certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Sykes (pictured) said lasers are a good option for skin rejuvenation
Barkin also gave up Botox after she felt it hindered her ability to be expressive as an actress.
“I don’t like the way [Botox] it makes people look. Too many people cross the line, and for an actress, that’s deadly. It stops you from having expressions,” he previously said Oprah.com.
Dive deeper into her love of lasers with Violet Greytelling the site, “I wasn’t under the knife. I laser. And I’ve tried every type of laser out there.’
He continued, “Now I’m on the Ulthera Laser. I do it once a year. It is extremely painful. You don’t have any downtime at all. And I am religious about my Fraxels. It gets rid of 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 to stop stabbing after a “barbaric” brow lift, CO2 laser facial and chemical peel left her in excruciating pain.
The reality star, who broke out in the surgical makeover as a 57th birthday present to herself, has spent days recovering in bed from the operations.
“Pain comes in different ways,” she told DailyMail.com.
“At first it was my forehead that hurt so bad for three days. I couldn’t even hear people talking. I couldn’t have the TV on. All I could do was lay in one spot,” he continued.
“Well, after a few days of that, then my teeth were throbbing, and then my sinuses were throbbing, and now my face is crusty. So every day is something new.’
Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra has vowed to stop stabbing herself after a “barbaric” brow lift, CO2 facial laser and chemical peel left her in excruciating pain.
Before and after: The 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 to focus on recovery.
When asked why she went under the knife again, Judge admitted she was trying to balance out a lower facelift she had in 2017.
“I had a lower facelift, so it was like my brows started to get heavy but my lower face stayed the same,” she explained.
“So I felt like, you know what, I’m going to go ahead and raise some eyebrows!”
When he went to consult Newport Beach surgeon Dr. Donald Mowlds, suggested she also have a CO2 laser treatment and blue chemical peel to help with 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 take 10 years off your skin,” she explained.
‘So I said, “Sure, let’s do it” – not knowing the CO2 laser would be so brutal!’ the reality star admitted.
The judge said she decided to complete it after her 57th birthday, pointing out that sixty is just around the corner.
“So I might as well do it now because there has to be an age where I stop caring,” he quipped.
On Sunday, she shared an update on day three of recovery, with her face looking much more swollen and her skin peeling as she told her followers she felt like her skin was “going to burst”.
“I don’t know how it can get worse. You can see it’s starting to smell. I can barely open my eyes,” he said
Unlike some of her fellow Real Housewives stars, Judge said it was important for her to be “open and transparent” about the work she had done.
“I don’t want people to think I’m doing nothing and that’s what I look like. And if I can help someone else say, “You know what? I want to do that too. I want to feel better about myself.” Why not;’
As for the future, the star says she’s back to focusing on a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise and has no plans to do another job.
Judge is documenting her excruciating recovery process on social media.
On Sunday, she shared an update on day three of her recovery, with her face looking much more swollen and her skin peeling as she told her followers she felt like her skin was “going to burst”.
“I don’t know how it can get worse. You can see it’s starting to smell. I can barely open my eyes,” he shared.
“Day three and the swelling is making a statement. Progress is not always pretty, but it happens.’
