Laser Treatments
Laser Hair Removal
If you’re not happy with shaving, tweezing, or waxing to remove unwanted hair, laser hair removal may be an option worth considering.
Laser hair removal is one of the most commonly done cosmetic procedures in the U.S. It beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles. The pigment in the follicles absorbs the light. That destroys the hair.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from the face, leg, chin, back, arm, underarm, bikini line, and other areas.
Benefits of laser hair removal include:
Precision. Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.
Speed. Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. The laser can treat an area approximately the size of a quarter every second. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.
Predictability. Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.
Wrinkle & Fine Line Removal
Laser resurfacing is a treatment to reduce facial wrinkles and skin irregularities, such as blemishes or acne scars.
The technique directs short, concentrated pulsating beams of light at irregular skin, precisely removing skin layer by layer. This popular procedure is also called lasabrasion, laser peel, or laser vaporization.
Who Is a Good Candidate For Laser Resurfacing?
If you have fine lines or wrinkles around your eyes or mouth or on your forehead, shallow scars from acne, or non-responsive skin after a facelift, then you may be a good candidate for laser skin resurfacing.
If you have active acne or if you have very dark skin, you may not be a candidate. This technique is also not recommended for stretch marks. You should discuss whether laser resurfacing is right for you by consulting with the doctor before having the procedure done.
Scar, Acne & Blemish Removal
Laser treatment for acne scars aims to minimize the appearance of scars from old acne outbreaks. Ninety-five percent of people who have acne have some residual scarring.
Laser treatment for acne scars focuses light on the top layers of your skin to break up scar tissue. At the same time, the treatment encourages new, healthy skin cells to grow and replace the scar tissue.
While this treatment doesn’t completely remove acne scars, it can reduce their appearance and also minimize pain caused by them.
If you have active acne, a darker skin tone, or very wrinkled skin, you might not be a good candidate for this treatment. Only a dermatologist can tell you if laser treatment for acne scars is a good course of action for you.
Procedure
Some common kinds of lasers used for acne scarring are erbium YAG lasers, carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, and pulsed-dye lasers. Each of these devices works in a specific way to target the type of scarring that you have.
Ablative laser resurfacing
Ablative resurfacing uses an erbium YAG or carbon dioxide CO2 laser. This kind of laser treatment aims to remove the entire top layer of your skin in the area where you have scarring. It can take 3 to 10 days before the redness from ablative lasers begins to subside.
Non-ablative laser resurfacing
This type of laser treatment for acne scars uses infrared lasers. The heat from these types of lasers is meant to stimulate collagen production and encourage new cell growth to replace damaged, scarred tissue.
Fractionated laser treatment
Fractional lasers (Fraxel) aim to stimulate the tissue underneath your scar to remove cells that are darkly pigmented underneath the top layer of skin. Boxcar and icepick scars sometimes respond well to this kind of laser.
Facial Rejuvenation (Laser Genesis)
Laser genesis is a non-invasive and comfortable procedure that uses a laser to gently heat the skin. It can help smooth the skin and reduce the look of fine lines, dark spots, and wrinkles. Typically, its primary use is to fade scarring, redness, and broken blood vessels, and improve the look of rosacea.
Laser genesis works for people of all ages and skin tone who want to reduce the appearance of fine lines or redness. Pregnant women should not get any laser treatments.
What is the procedure for laser genesis?
Laser genesis is a quick procedure that’s typically done in under 30 minutes. It’s done by a highly trained aesthetician or a cosmetic dermatologist in an office.
The laser itself looks like a small wand that’s hooked up to a larger machine. You will wear goggles, and in some cases, your hair will be covered. The procedure itself is completely painless. You will feel light heat on the face, and some people say it’s pleasant, almost like the sun on the face. You can drive yourself home.
Age Spot Removal
Laser surgery for age spots is done by using a laser beam that generates energy to the surface of the skin. As the energy is absorbed by the red blood cells and pigment of the skin, it creates heat at the site of the age spots, causing total destruction of their composition. This is what is effectively known as laser surgery treatment for the removal of age spots. However, as with any laser surgery, there are invariable pros and cons that should be considered before electing to have such a procedure performed.
Pro: Treatment and Recovery Time
One of the great benefits of laser treatment is that full removal of age spots can usually be done with no more than two 20-minute laser treatment sessions, which prohibits the patient from having to return several times to accomplish total age spot removal.
Most patients report pain from laser surgery to be minimal, but everyone does have a different level of pain tolerance, so pain is more individual than procedure-related. The sensation reported by patients is more like a minor sting than an actual painful sensation. Depending upon the reaction of the skin to the laser, there may be some swelling at the site, but this usually only lasts for about two hours; although, it can last for up to two days.
Spider & Varicose Vein Removal
Laser vein removal is a technologically advanced procedure designed to diminish both spider and varicose veins using a highly concentrated beam of light energy. Laser spider vein removal and laser varicose vein removal are popular because they are minimally invasive, virtually pain-free, and require no general anesthesia.
Laser Vein Removal Candidates
Appropriate candidates for laser vein removal are those individuals who have spider veins and varicose veins and the desire to change their appearance. The ideal candidates are non-smoking individuals who are physically healthy and psychologically stable. Since in laser vein removal lasers directly contact the skin, those with a tendency to form keloid scars are not ideal candidates. Skin tone can also be affected by laser vein removal treatment, so it is best to talk to your doctor about the type of laser appropriate for you. For more severe varicose veins, vein removal surgery may be necessary.
