Leila Haddad, NP
Lead Clinician, Nurse Practitioner
Leila runs every Skin Read: the exam, the skin typing, the sun history and the test patch. She writes the sessions-and-settings plan you take home and treats most resurfacing and IPL plans herself.
Non-ablative fractional · series of three
Texture, fine lines, enlarged pores and acne scars, treated as a series of three with a few days of pinkness rather than a fortnight of healing.
- Non-ablative: the surface stays intact, so downtime is a few days of pink and rough skin.
- A test patch at the Skin Read and the sun rules written down, because resurfaced skin must not tan.
- A series of three priced in writing: $695 a session or $1,895 for three.
- Planned for the low-sun months, with a maintenance forecast that is honest about gradual change.
Prefer to talk first? (619) 555-0147
Settings readout
What the plan says, before session one
Results vary from person to person. Nothing on this page is a guarantee of outcome, and a treatment may be declined after the test patch if it is not right for your skin.
Non-ablative fractional · series of three
Fractional resurfacing
- Device family
- Non-ablative fractional laser
- Sessions
- 3 in a series
- Interval
- 4 to 6 weeks
- Sensation
- Heat and prickling with numbing cream; a sunburn feeling for a day
- Plan price
- $1,895 for three, or $695 a session
- Maintenance
- One session a year, or a CO2 session for deeper change
Why it works
A fractional laser treats thousands of tiny columns and leaves the skin between them untouched, so the surface heals quickly while the deeper layers rebuild over weeks. The change is gradual: texture smooths and scars soften across the series and for months after. The trade is honesty about expectations. It will not do what a full CO2 treatment does, and it does not need the downtime.
Because the skin is rebuilding, sun is the enemy. Resurfacing is planned for autumn to early spring, and your plan says exactly how long to stay out of the sun before and after.
- Step 01
Read
Skin type, sun history and medications recorded by a nurse practitioner. One test patch fired.
- Step 02
Plan
A written plan: device, settings range, sessions, interval, price and a maintenance forecast.
- Step 03
Track
The same nurse every session, with photographs at sessions one, four and final.
Candour
For
- Texture, enlarged pores, fine lines and shallow acne scars.
- People who cannot take two weeks off and want a series rather than one large treatment.
- Most skin types, with settings chosen at the Skin Read and a test patch first.
Not for, or not yet
- Deep lines and scars, where we would suggest CO2 and explain the downtime.
- Active acne or an active skin infection on the area.
- Anyone who cannot avoid sun for two weeks after each session.
Results vary from person to person. Nothing on this page is a guarantee of outcome, and a treatment may be declined after the test patch if it is not right for your skin.
Who treats you
Named on every page, by design.
Dr. Helena Vasquez, MD
Medical Director
Helena is a physician with a dermatology background who founded Saltgrass in 2021. She writes every laser protocol the nurses work to, performs the CO2 resurfacing herself, and is in the building during laser hours.
Illustrative stories. Saltgrass is a fictional studio; these are written examples, not patient reviews.
Pink for two days, rough for four, and by the third session my cheeks were smoother than they had been in years.
I asked for CO2. Leila showed me the downtime and planned three fractional sessions instead. That was the right call for my job.
How much downtime does fractional resurfacing need?
Two to four days of pinkness and a rough, sandpaper feel, then a week of mild dryness. Make-up is usually fine after day three.
Does it hurt?
With numbing cream it feels like heat and prickling, and like a sunburn for the rest of the day.
How many sessions?
Three, four to six weeks apart, with change continuing for months after the last. Results vary.
What is the difference from CO2?
Non-ablative leaves the surface intact and needs days of downtime; CO2 removes the surface in columns and needs one to two weeks. CO2 does more per session and is performed by Dr. Vasquez.
Can I have it in summer?
We plan resurfacing for the low-sun months. If your life allows strict sun avoidance in summer, the Skin Read will say so; otherwise we wait.
Is it safe for darker skin?
Often yes with conservative settings and a test patch, which is how every plan starts here. The Skin Read decides.
Skin Read · 30 min · complimentary
Thirty minutes with a nurse practitioner, the test patch included, and a written plan to take home.