Laser & Light, Atlanta
Laser Skin Treatment in Atlanta
Four devices, one honest conversation about which one you actually need.
CONSULTATION
Required for first-time patients
TREATMENT LENGTH
30 to 60 minutes
DOWNTIME
None to 2 weeks, by device
OFFERED AT
Buckhead, Westside
DEVICES
Moxi, BBL, Halo, CO2
SKIN TONES
Moxi safe for all types and tones
The Approach
Every laser on this page does the same thing. What separates them is how much skin they take off to do it.
That is the whole category, in one sentence, and almost no one explains it that way. All of these devices work by injuring your skin in a controlled way and letting your body repair itself, which produces new collagen and clears out damaged pigment. The difference between a treatment with three days of downtime and one with two weeks is not a difference in philosophy. It is a difference in how much of the top layer of your skin the device removes.
Which is why the first question is not which laser is best. There is no best. The first question is how much correction you need, and how much downtime you can actually afford, and those two things pull in opposite directions.
Candidacy
Are You a Candidate for Laser Treatment?
Most people are a candidate for something on this menu. The real question is which thing, and occasionally the answer is nothing here.
Come in and ask. We will tell you honestly what is safe for your skin, and when the answer is a gentler device than the one you came in asking about.
Laser treatment is likely right if:
- Your concerns are surface concerns: sun damage, pigmentation, texture, tone, pores, fine lines, redness, or scarring
- You are realistic about downtime, and you have looked at the table above and picked a row you can actually live with
- You are willing to protect the result afterward, which means daily SPF and no sun for two weeks. This is not optional aftercare, it is the difference between a good outcome and hyperpigmentation
- You understand that some devices require a series rather than a single session
- You can book it at a time when staying out of the sun is realistic, which usually means not the two weeks before a beach trip or a wedding
- You can tell us what your skin has already been through, including recent isotretinoin, a history of cold sores, and any tanning or self-tanner in the last few weeks
Scope
What Lasers Treat
They treat
Sun damage, freckles, age spots, and pigmentation. Redness, rosacea, and visible vessels, which is BBL territory. Uneven tone, dullness, rough texture, and enlarged pores. Fine lines and, with the ablative devices, deeper wrinkles. Acne scarring, surgical scars, and burn scars. And skin laxity, modestly, as new collagen forms and the skin tightens. Areas we treat: face, neck, chest, and the backs of the hands. Sun damage does not stop at the jawline. The neck and chest are the two areas patients most often skip and most often regret skipping.
They do not treat
Sagging tissue, jowls, and a lost jawline, which are structural and surgical. Volume loss, which needs filler or fat grafting. Deep static folds, which light cannot fill. A laser improves the quality of your skin. It does not change the architecture underneath it, and no number of sessions will.
The Distinction
Ablative or Non-Ablative: The Only Distinction That Matters
Every laser on our menu falls into one of two camps, and once you understand which is which, the rest of the page organizes itself. Non-ablative lasers pass through the surface of your skin without removing it. They deliver heat into the deeper layers, trigger a repair response, and leave the top layer intact. Your skin gets better from underneath. Downtime is measured in days. Moxi is our non-ablative laser.
Ablative lasers remove the top layer of skin. They vaporize it. The result is more dramatic, because you are healing new skin rather than improving the skin you have, and the trade is real downtime and real aftercare. CO2 is our fully ablative laser.
Halo sits in between deliberately, running both an ablative and a non-ablative wavelength in one pass, which is why it delivers more correction than Moxi and asks for less downtime than CO2. BBL is not a laser at all, and lumping it in with the others is a mistake people make constantly. It is broadband light, and it targets color rather than texture.
Choosing
Non-Ablative or Ablative: Which Do You Need?
Moxi
Non-ablative
- Non-ablative fractional laser. The gentlest option.
- Early aging, dullness, uneven tone and texture, prejuvenation, maintenance. Safe on all skin tones.
- 1 to 3 days of downtime.
- Typically a series of 3.
CO2
Fully ablative
- Fully ablative laser. The most aggressive option we own.
- Deep wrinkles, significant scarring, surgical and burn scars, dramatic resurfacing.
- 1 to 2 weeks of downtime.
- Often a single treatment.
Those two are the poles, and Halo and BBL sit between them. If your problem is color, meaning redness or brown spots, start with BBL. If it is texture and early aging and you cannot disappear for a week, start with Moxi. If you want more correction than Moxi will give you, Halo. If it is deep wrinkles or significant scarring and you are prepared for real recovery, CO2. And if it is both color and texture, Moxi and BBL are frequently performed in the same visit, and together they cover ground neither covers alone. That is the most common combination we run.
Longevity
How Long Do Results Last?
Months to years, depending on the device, and on you. A single BBL or Moxi session gives you a real result that fades as your skin keeps aging and keeps meeting the sun. A CO2 treatment resets things far more substantially and lasts far longer. In every case, what determines how long you hold your result is sun protection, skincare, and whether you maintain. Daily SPF 30 or higher is not a suggestion. It is how you protect what you paid for, and skipping it is the most common way patients undo an excellent outcome in a single summer.
Recovery
What Recovery Actually Looks Like
Downtime is the main thing separating these four devices, so here is the honest version, device by device.
Moxi
Days 1 to 2: flushing, like a sunburn, and skin that turns dry and rough. Days 3 to 7: bronzing and fine flaking. Do not pick at it. Makeup and social plans by day 2 or 3.
BBL
Days 1 to 2: mild redness and warmth, and brown spots darken before they lift. Days 3 to 7: darkened spots flake away. Back to normal essentially immediately.
Halo
Days 1 to 2: redness and swelling, more intense than Moxi. Days 3 to 7: peeling and sandpaper texture. Back to normal in 3 to 5 days.
CO2
Days 1 to 2: significant redness, swelling, and oozing, with real aftercare. Days 3 to 7: peeling and crusting, and diligent moisturizing required. Back to normal in 1 to 2 weeks, with redness lingering longer.
Picking at it is the fastest way to turn a good result into a pigmentation problem.
Your Experience
Your Personalized Surgery Experience
Consultation
Required for first-time laser patients, and not a formality. We assess your skin type, your tone, your concerns, and your tolerance for downtime, and we recommend the device that fits. Sometimes that is a gentler one than you expected. Sometimes it is a more aggressive one, because the gentle one would waste your money.
Treatment
Thirty to sixty minutes with a licensed laser provider. Settings are adjusted to your skin rather than run at a default.
Recovery
You are given a protocol specific to your device, and the aftercare matters as much as the treatment. SPF is not negotiable.
Results
Initial changes appear within 2 to 10 days depending on the device. Collagen continues building for weeks, so the result keeps improving after you think it has finished.
The Practice
Why Patients Choose Artisan
We own all four devices
Which means we have no incentive to sell you the wrong one. A practice with a single laser will always recommend that laser. We can tell you honestly that BBL is the answer to your redness, or that Moxi will not get you where you want to go and Halo will.
Atlanta’s all-female aesthetic team
Founded in 2000, with more than twenty years of combined experience across surgical and nonsurgical treatment.
A 360-degree approach
Lasers are one tool. If your concern is structural, we will tell you, and we have surgeons in the same practice who can address it. Very few med spas can say that honestly.
Aftercare that comes with the treatment
You leave with a protocol written for your specific device, not a generic handout, along with a provider who will tell you plainly what protects the result and what puts it at risk. The work does not end when the laser does, and neither does our part in it.
FAQ
Laser Treatment FAQs
Which laser should I get?
It depends on what you are treating and how much downtime you can afford. If your concern is color, redness or brown spots, start with BBL. If it is texture and early aging with minimal downtime, Moxi. If you want more correction, Halo. For deep wrinkles or significant scarring, CO2. A consultation settles it in about fifteen minutes.
What does ablative mean?
It means the laser removes the top layer of skin. Ablative lasers, like CO2, vaporize the epidermis, which produces dramatic results and requires real recovery. Non-ablative lasers, like Moxi, pass through the surface without removing it. That single distinction explains every downtime difference on this menu.
Is BBL a laser?
No, and this trips people up constantly. BBL is broadband light. It targets color, meaning redness, rosacea, and brown spots. The lasers target texture and tone. They do different jobs, which is why they are so often combined.
Are lasers safe for darker skin tones?
Moxi is considered safe across all skin types and tones, and is a legitimate option for patients who were historically excluded from laser resurfacing. Ablative resurfacing carries real pigmentation risk in deeper skin and requires conservative settings and an experienced provider. Ask us directly, and be wary of anyone who does not raise the subject themselves.
How much does laser treatment cost?
It varies widely by device, area, and whether you need a single session or a series. A BBL session and a full-face CO2 resurfacing are not comparable investments. We quote personalized pricing at consultation, and financing is available.
Can I combine treatments?
Frequently. Moxi and BBL in the same visit is the most common pairing we run, because one treats texture and the other treats color. Together they cover ground neither covers alone.
How many sessions will I need?
Moxi is typically a series of three. CO2 is often a single treatment. That difference changes both your total cost and your total downtime, and it is worth factoring in before you choose.
Will my skin peel?
With most of these devices, yes, and it is the treatment working rather than a complication. Do not pick at it. Let it shed on its own and moisturize. Picking is the fastest way to turn a good result into a pigmentation problem.
Can a laser fix sagging skin?
No. A laser improves the quality of your skin. It does not change the structure underneath it. Sagging, jowls, and a lost jawline are surgical problems, and we will tell you that rather than sell you sessions that were never going to work.
How long do results last?
Months to years, depending on the device and on your sun protection. Daily SPF 30 or higher is how you protect what you paid for. Skipping it is the most common way patients undo an excellent result.
Do I need a consultation first?
Yes, for first-time laser patients. Your skin type, tone, history, and goals determine which device is appropriate and at what settings. That is not something to guess at.
What if I have had laser treatment before?
Tell us, and tell us which device and when. Prior treatment affects both settings and expectations.
The right laser is the one that matches your concern and your calendar. Not the one with the best marketing.
Come in and we will tell you which of the four you actually need, including when the answer is the cheapest one on the menu, or none of them.
Book a Consultation Plan My Treatment Buckhead (770) 637-2919