LASER TREATMENTS

Laser Treatment

Laser surgery is a procedure that uses a laser (in contrast to using a scalpel) to breach tissue. Types of surgical lasers include carbon dioxide, argon, Nd: YAG laser and Potassium titanyl phosphate from among others.

A range of lasers such as Erbium, Dye, Q switch lasers and CO2 are used to treat various skin conditions including scars, vascular and pigmented lesions and for photo-rejuvenation. The laser surgery often bypasses the skin surface. The principle of laser surgery is based on SPTL (selective photothermolysis). The laser beam penetrates the skin until it encounters chromophore which absorbs the laser beam. After absorption of the laser beam, heat is generated to induce coagulation, necrosis of the targeted tissue, this result in removal of unwanted tissue by laser surgery.

Lasers are used for a variety of aesthetic indications such as:

1. Laser skin resurfacing
2. Laser hair removal over face
3. Laser face rejuvenation
4. Laser skin treatment
5. Laser skin tightening
6. Laser for acne scars and other scars
7. Lasers for body hair removal treatment
8. Laser resurfacing is a technique in which covalent bonds of a material are dissolved by a laser, using CO2 lasers. Laser skin resurfacing removes skin layer by layer with precision. The new skin cells that form during healing give the skin a tighter, younger-looking surface. The procedure can be done alone or with other cosmetic surgeries on the face.
9. Cosmetic laser skin resurfacing is a method for diminishing the appearance of imperfections on the skin’s surface. During the laser skin resurfacing procedure a laser is used to dissolve the molecular bonds of the damaged skin cells layer by layer until a smoother, more uniform skin appearance is achieved.
10. Laser skin resurfacing is an effective procedure for patients with lines, wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, or superficial facial scars such as acne scarring that does not respond to gentler treatments. The ideal candidate for laser skin resurfacing has elastic, non-oily skin that is not prone to scarring after minor injury.
11. Treatments are safe, effective and convenient. Also, the cost of cosmetic laser skin resurfacing is minimal compared to many other treatment options.

TYPES OF LASERS

CO2 Lasers

The CO2 laser is the highest intensity laser treatment currently available. After being treated with the CO2 laser, the surface of the skin appears tighter and smoother because the laser uses heat to restrict the collagen bands found in the lower dermis. The CO2 laser can eliminate or diminish the appearance of most wrinkles, scars, warts and birthmarks.

Erbium Lasers

Erbium lasers are able to remove thinner layers of skin than the more powerful but less precise CO2 laser.

The Fraxel® laser skin resurfacing treatment is distinct from other laser rejuvenation treatments that use either the erbium or the CO2 laser. Since the Fraxel® laser procedure is non-invasive, there are very few post-treatment side effects.

Undergoing a laser skin resurfacing procedure can greatly benefit the youthfulness and beauty of your skin. It is particularly important that you use a ‘broad-spectrum’ sunscreen, which screens ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A rays, to protect your skin during that time. Lasers are also used for laser-assisted Lipectomy.

Laser hair removal is the process of hair removal by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. Hair removal lasers have been in use since 1997 and have been approved for ‘permanent hair reduction’ in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[7][8]

Under the FDA’s definition, ‘permanent’ hair reduction is the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing after a treatment regime. Indeed, many patients experience complete re-growth of hair on their treated areas in the years following their last treatment.

This means that although laser treatments with these devices will permanently reduce the total number of body hairs, they will not result in a permanent removal of all hair.

Hair grows in several phases (anagen, telogen, catagen) and a laser can only affect the currently active growing hair follicles (early anagen). Hence, several sessions are needed to damage the hair in all phases of growth and force it to revert back to a vellus non-colored small hair.

Some side effects may occur after laser hair removal treatments, including itching, pink skin, redness and swelling around the treatment area or swelling of the follicles (follicular edema). These side effects rarely last more than two or three days. The two most common serious side effects are acne and skin discoloration. Some level of pain should also be expected during treatments, but adequate care is taken to alleviate it by application of creams and ice.