NightLase for snoring in Puebla

What is NightLase?

NightLase is a non-invasive protocol that uses the Fotona laser to reduce snoring. Instead of cutting or removing tissue, it applies controlled heat to the mucosa of the soft palate and the surrounding structures so that, over time, this tissue tightens slightly and vibrates less as you breathe during sleep.

Snoring happens when air passes through a partially narrowed airway and makes the soft tissues of the throat vibrate — mainly the soft palate and the uvula. NightLase works on that area with an Er:YAG laser in a gentle, non-ablative mode: rather than damaging the surface, it heats it just enough to stimulate collagen and produce a subtle firming effect. As the laxity of those tissues decreases, snoring intensity falls for many patients.

It must be said plainly from the start: NightLase targets simple snoring, not obstructive sleep apnoea. Snoring can be a symptom of apnoea, a medical disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops at night. Where that is suspected, the first step is not a laser but a sleep study. NightLase does not replace that diagnosis, nor CPAP treatment when it is indicated.

It is also a temporary result. The effect builds over several weeks and tends to fade with time, so it is usually framed as a course of sessions with later maintenance, not as a single, definitive treatment.

Techniques Dr. Arístides Arellano uses

The approach is conservative and starts by ruling out what the laser cannot solve:

• A prior clinical assessment to separate simple snoring from suspected sleep apnoea, and to refer to a sleep study when there are warning signs.
• Fotona Er:YAG laser in a non-ablative mode: controlled heat over the soft-palate mucosa, with no cutting, no tissue removal and no bleeding.
• A session-based protocol — usually three — spaced some weeks apart, so the collagen responds gradually.
• Treatment with no anaesthesia and no downtime: it is carried out in the office and the patient walks out the same day.
• A maintenance plan, because the effect is temporary and fades over the months.

How is it done?

A NightLase session is done in the office, lasts 15 to 30 minutes and generally needs no anaesthesia. The patient stays seated or reclined while the Fotona laser is applied inside the mouth, aimed at the soft palate and the tissues around it.

The usual sensation is warmth inside the mouth and throat, tolerable and without sharp pain. The laser makes several gentle passes over the mucosa; there are no incisions, no stitches and no open wound at the end.

The treatment is planned as a series: most commonly three sessions spread over a few weeks. It does not aim for an immediate change but for a gradual tissue response. That is why any effect on snoring is usually noticed as the sessions progress and in the weeks that follow, not the same night.

Because there is no downtime, most people return to their routine the same day. A mild, passing sense of dryness or throat-clearing may remain for a few hours. Honesty matters here: if, alongside snoring, there is marked daytime sleepiness, breathing pauses witnessed by a partner, or waking with a choking sensation, those symptoms must be studied before any laser is considered.

Every medical treatment —topicals, peels and energy-based devices included— carries risk and requires a prior assessment. In darker skin (Fitzpatrick IV–VI, the most common phototypes in Mexico) a poorly indicated procedure can darken the patch instead of lightening it. Results may vary according to each patient, their phototype and their individual triggers.

Who is a good candidate?

NightLase is meant for snoring that bothers you, not to replace the medical treatment of apnoea. In general terms:

• People with simple or primary snoring that disturbs their rest or their partner’s.
• Those who prefer a non-surgical option with no device to wear at night.
• Patients without sleep apnoea, or with mild apnoea already assessed by a sleep physician.
• It is not adequate as a sole treatment for anyone with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnoea: in those cases the standard remains a sleep study and, often, CPAP.
• It is not indicated without prior assessment in pregnancy, or when there are active lesions or infections in the mouth or throat.
• Warning signs — significant daytime sleepiness, witnessed breathing pauses, waking with a choking feeling — require a sleep study before any laser is considered.

Recommended post-treatment care

NightLase leaves no wound and no downtime: most people resume their routine the same day. Staying well hydrated, avoiding very hot or irritating foods for the first few hours, and completing every session in the plan all help the effect consolidate. For general aftercare following an office-based procedure, See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.

Before and after

Most patients want to see before-and-after photographs before deciding. Out of respect for each person’s privacy, Dr. Arístides Arellano shows real cases —always with documented consent— during your in-person consultation, where you can review results from patients with a starting point similar to yours. Results may vary from patient to patient.

Approximate price

A session starts at $8,000 MXN and the course of 5 sessions at $24,000 MXN, approximate figures depending on the area treated and how many sessions your response calls for. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano.

About Dr. Arístides Arellano

Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.

Related patient guide

Before choosing any medical or aesthetic treatment, it helps to know how to assess who performs it. Read the guide on how to choose your plastic surgeon in Puebla, and if snoring comes with sleepiness or breathing pauses, raise those symptoms when you book your assessment.

Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.

Recovery · step by step

• AssessmentSimple snoring is separated from suspected apnoea; with warning signs, the sleep is studied first.
• Day of the sessionA 15–30 min treatment with no anaesthesia. A warm sensation in the mouth. Normal life the same day.
• First 24 hoursPossible mild, passing dryness or throat-clearing. Hydration and avoiding hot or irritating foods.
• Between sessionsUsually three sessions are completed, spaced some weeks apart.
• Following weeksThe tightening effect builds gradually as the collagen responds.
• MaintenanceThe result is temporary; maintenance sessions are usually needed to keep it.

Frequently asked questions

Every figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.

Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.