Laser Resurfacing
The Erbium laser on our Secret DUO by Cutera, working on the dermis at a controlled depth while the surface stays intact. For scars, pigmentation, dark spots, sun damage, and skin that has started to loosen, with little to no downtime.
- Before
- 15 minutes of numbing
- During the session
- About 30 minutes
- After
- Little to no downtime
Curious about
laser resurfacing?
Book a free consultationRebuild from below.
Leave the surface alone.
Scars, sun damage, dark spots, and fine lines are repaired from underneath. The 1540 nm laser on the Secret DUO delivers heat into the dermis at a depth your provider sets, and the skin answers the way it answers any controlled injury: by making new collagen and elastin where the energy went.
The difference from older resurfacing lasers is what it does not touch. The surface is left intact, so there is no peeling, no open skin, and no week indoors. Redness that fades by the next day is the usual extent of it.
The result arrives over weeks, as the new collagen settles in: smoother texture, softer scars, more even tone, and skin that holds its shape better.
The laser is one half of the Secret DUO, and RF microneedling is the other, and they are often combined in one plan. Your provider will tell you at the consultation which your skin needs, or whether it needs both.
The laser reaches the dermis at a depth chosen for the concern: shallower for pigmentation and texture, deeper for scarring and laxity. The surface above it stays intact.
No broken skin means no peeling. Redness and warmth for the rest of the day, perhaps mild swelling the next morning, then back to your routine with sunscreen on.
The wavelength is absorbed by water rather than pigment, which is what lets it treat deeper skin tones safely. Depth and energy are still set for your skin at the consultation.
RF microneedling works the deeper layers through fine needles; the laser works the dermis without them. Together on the same device they cover texture, tone, scarring, and laxity in one visit.
When the concern sits under the skin, not on it, this is the treatment that reaches it.
Whether the laser, RF microneedling, or both is right for you is decided together at the consultation. Your provider looks at your skin and what you want to change, then tells you plainly.
Acne and other scars
Heat in the dermis breaks up scar tissue and builds new collagen in its place. Scars soften over a series; deeper ones are usually paired with RF microneedling.
Pigmentation and dark spots
Uneven tone, post-acne marks, and sun spots even out as the skin renews from below, without disturbing the surface that darker skin needs left alone.
Sun damage and fine lines
Years of sun show as texture and fine lines. New collagen and elastin smooth both, and the improvement builds for months after the last session.
Skin that has started to loosen
Along the jaw, under the chin, and around the eyes. The heat tightens existing collagen and stimulates more, so the skin holds its shape better.
The whole face,or one area.
The laser can cover the full face in one session or be kept to the area with the most to gain, and it treats the body too. Your provider sets the depth for each area rather than treating everything the same.
Select any marker for what to expect there.
Whatto expect.
Priced by the area and by how many sessions you book, so you get one clear number at the consultation, before anything is scheduled. Payment plans through Cherry are available.
Your skin is cleansed and a numbing cream goes on. It sits for about 15 minutes while your provider goes over the plan for each area.
Once numb, the handpiece moves across each area in passes. Most people feel warmth and a brief prickling. Your provider explains each pass as they go, and adjusts the depth by area.
Redness and warmth for the rest of the day, perhaps mild swelling the next morning. No peeling, since the surface was never broken. Sunscreen every day from here on.
Tone and texture start to improve within a few weeks, and the collagen keeps building for about three months after each session, which is when the result is best judged. A short series adds to it.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Erbium laser actually do?
It delivers heat into the dermis, the layer under the surface where collagen and elastin are made, at a depth your provider controls. The surface of the skin is left intact. The heat triggers the skin’s own repair: new collagen and elastin, which over the following weeks smooths texture, softens fine lines and scars, and evens pigmentation and dark spots.
Is it the same as RF microneedling?
It is the other half of the same device. The Secret DUO by Cutera pairs RF microneedling, which delivers radiofrequency energy through fine needles, with a 1540 nm laser that works on the dermis without needles. They can be used on their own or in the same session, and your provider will say which your skin needs. Scarring and laxity often get both; pigmentation, sun damage, and texture often get the laser alone.
Is there downtime?
Little to none. Because the surface is not broken, there is no peeling or open skin. Expect redness and some warmth for the rest of the day, sometimes a little swelling the next morning, and then back to normal. Sunscreen every day afterward is the one rule.
How many sessions will I need?
Usually a short series, spaced a few weeks apart, because collagen builds over time and each session adds to the last. Pigmentation and sun damage tend to respond in fewer sessions than deeper scarring. Your provider gives you a number at the consultation after looking at your skin, not a standard package.
Is it safe for darker skin?
The 1540 nm wavelength is absorbed by water in the skin rather than by pigment, and it leaves the surface intact, which is why it is used on deeper skin tones where more aggressive lasers are not. Your provider still assesses your skin and sets the depth and energy for it at the consultation, and tells you plainly if another treatment would serve you better.
Does it hurt?
A numbing cream goes on first and sits for about 15 minutes. During the treatment most people feel warmth and a prickling sensation that passes as the handpiece moves on. The skin feels warm afterward, like mild sun, for the rest of the day.
Where to next?
Related treatment
RF Microneedling
Microneedling with radiofrequency energy, so your skin rebuilds its own collagen for laxity, scars, and sun damage.
Explore RF MicroneedlingThe concern it treats
Dark Spots & Uneven Tone
Fade sun damage and hyperpigmentation
Start from the concernFrom the blog
Hollywood Facial in NJ: Red Carpet Glow Without the Downtime
Comprehensive guide to Rewind Bar's Hollywood Facial in New Jersey using Secret Duo Erbium non-ablative fractional laser technology to achieve glass skin. Covers science, indications, ideal candidates, treatment timeline, pre and post care, and FAQs.
Read the postReady when you are.
Smoother, more even,
from underneath.
A free 45-minute consultation is the first step. Your provider looks at your skin, tells you whether the laser, RF microneedling, or both is the answer, and can treat you the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 908-427-4675