FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - A laser procedure that was available only in exclusive resorts is now being offered in Fayetteville, promising to provide younger looking facial skin with just one treatment. 

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The procedure, called Bridge Therapy, offers the speedy results that busy people want with less recovery time, says Dr. Robert Clinton, of Coressence Laser and Skin Center.

 

“People want results and they want little downtime,” said Clinton. “I tried some things that were non-ablative, non-invasive, and it was kind of like spitting in the ocean. You add a little volume, but nobody can tell.”

 

Clinton found out about a new kind of laser procedure using carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers. CO2 lasers have been used in dermatological procedures since the 1960s, but were largely abandoned in the past decade in favor of less invasive, non-surgical treatments. He says the new FX procedure uses a combination of lasers to permeate the skin at different levels. The “bridging” technique refers to gaps of healthy tissue between treated areas.

 

“It’s only a fraction of skin that’s being treated, so while it might look like everything’s being treated, it’s not,” Clinton said. “There are bridges of untouched skin that are healthy that will allow you to heal much faster.” 

 

For Rhonda Hilliker, the procedure offered the one-time fix she wanted.

 

“I was looking at other things, but this, to me was more permanent,” said Hilliker. “It lasts longer than Restylane or Botox. Chemical peels are repetitive, so you have to keep coming back and getting them, where if you just do this, it can be a one-time treatment and there’s your ten years, right on off your face.”

 

The promise of ten years off her face was enough for Rhonda’s mom to come from Virginia for a treatment. 

 

“I expected it to hurt a lot, but it wasn’t that bad,” said Linda Adams, of Lynchburg. 

 

The treatment lasts less than 45 minutes, but full recovery can take four to five days. Still reddened from the procedure, Linda was already happy with the result. 

 

“I love it,” she said. “It’s the best gift.”

 

The procedure is not covered by insurance and it isn’t inexpensive. A full FX procedure on the face and neck will run about $3,500.