Meet Miria

A new skin-resurfacing tool, just in time for laser season

Hello, hello!

First things first: Whenever the lovely and talented Dr. Elizabeth Chance shares my work on her Instagram, I always get a quick burst of savvy female followers. If you came to me by way of the good doctor, welcome! I hope you like it here.

Can you believe it’s November? You know what that means: laser season! Wait, did your brain go elsewhere? Perhaps to a certain (all-consuming) political happening? Of course: Happy Election Day Eve! Get out and vote if you haven’t already. Now, back to laser physics, which is far less cryptic than, say, the Electoral College.

Because of my melasma, I’ve had little personal experience with lasers in recent years, save for a round of Clear + Brilliant, which I approached with fingers crossed but ultimately regretted. I’m not blaming the device; my skin just abhors heat.

But enough about me. Most of the beauty world is crazy for lasers and understandably so. For those who can tolerate them, they frequently yield enviable results—smoother skin, fewer (or fainter) spots, an unstoppable glow, and the intangible-yet-coveted collagen boost. Some technologies improve not only the skin’s appearance but also its health by vaporizing precancerous growths (known as actinic keratoses) before they can bloom into full-fledged squamous cell carcinomas.

I’m referring primarily to non-ablative fractional devices, which tackle sun damage and age-related skin issues. Unlike ablative lasers, such as the CO2, which remove the skin’s outermost layers and demand at least a couple of weeks of downtime, non-ablative lasers spare the skin’s surface, allowing for a quicker, less gory recovery. Fraxel is the Kleenex of the category, but the genre also includes the Moxi, the LaseMD, and a newcomer named Miria.

I first learned about the Miria from Robert Anolik, MD, a dermatologist in New York City. He mentioned that the laser is gaining popularity among Gen Xers, who spent the summers of their youth competitive tanning (accurate) and are now paying the price: brown spots, wrinkles, dullness, and four-figure derm fees.