Have you ever rolled out of bed in the morning, looked in the mirror, and wished you could finally get rid of your acne scars or soften those pesky wrinkles?
Everyone deserves to look and feel their best. And today,advancements in laser therapy have made smoothing age lines and removing unwanted marks as easy as a quick dermatology appointment.
Lasers are highly effective in removing moles, warts, or lesions. They can also aid in reducing visible scarring, rejuvenating lax skin, and breaking up unwanted tattoos. Safe to say, if you have a skin concern, we probably have a laser treatment to help.
So let’s start by asking the obvious questions: Which laser treatment is right for you? What should you know about them before you start planning your treatment?
We sat down with The Cosmetic Experts to get a dermatologist’s inside look into laser therapy.
What Can Lasers Do for Your Skin?
When Dr says variety, he isn’t overstating. Just a few of the conditions that lasers can play a crucial role in treating include acne, acne scars, rosacea, telangiectasias, angiomas, varicose veins, fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and lax skin, unwanted tattoos, unwanted hair, unwanted lentigines (liver spots) and ephelides (freckles), and melasma.
However, Dr. Salman Khan stresses that patients should never rush into laser therapy without first sitting down for a thorough consultation with their dermatologist.
Another major consideration that dermatologists face, Dr. Salman Khan says, is figuring out which laser would most benefit the case at hand. As he puts the matter: “You would not hit a screw with a hammer or a nail with a wrench.”
Laser Selection: What’s in Your Derm’s Toolbox?
Like household tools, different lasers have different applications. According to Dr. salman, he regularly uses five different varieties in her work with patients. Let’s check them out.
Clear + Brilliant
This laser is often referred to as a “mini-fraxel.” The nickname stems from its tiny area of impact; when used, the pulsating beams of light from a Clear + Brilliant laser creates millions of microscopic treatment zones in a patient’s upper skin layers. This effectively exfoliates the skin and, over time, generates younger-looking skin in treated areas.
This effect, Dr. Salman explains, is why the Clear + Brilliant Laser has its name. “This laser can be used to help patients achieve a naturally radiant glow, an improvement in brown pigmentation, and ultra-soft skin texture. Thus, their skin looks clear and brilliant!”
Pulse Dye Laser or “V Beam”
The Pulse Dye Laser is widely considered to be the gold standard for treating visible blood vessels. When the energy produced by this laser is absorbed, it heats blood cells within a target area and causes thermal damage in the tube housing those blood cells — the blood vessel. The vessels then break down and are reabsorbed by the body.
What, then, can the Pulse Dye Laser help patients address?
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
This technology applies an intense, visible, broad-spectrum pulse of light to a targeted area of a patient’s skin. Specific UV wavelengths are selectively filtered out so that the resulting light is within a spectral range that can target certain structures and chromophores — think melanin in hair or oxyhemoglobin in blood vessels. Like the Pulse Dye Laser, an IPL then uses heat to destroy targeted blood vessels and allow for reabsorption into the body.
Dermatologists often use IPL to treat acne and rosacea, as well as remove hair or dark spots caused by sun damage.
Sandstone’s Fractional CO2 Laser
This laser is widely considered to be the gold standard for reducing lines, wrinkles, tightening collagen, and reducing pigmentation. When used, it creates heated micro-ablative columns within the deeper dermis that are surrounded by similar columns of unaffected tissue. This approach allows for a unique pattern of repair and is typically used to tighten collagen, reduce pigment, and address unwanted lines and wrinkles.
PicoSure
When it comes to speed, the PicoSure knocks most other lasers out of the park. This technology is relatively new; it uses laser pulses that are one-trillionth of a second in length. Because of this quality, Dr. salman notes, the PicoSure has become dermatologists’ go-to laser for tattoo removal.
Besides tattoo removal, the PicoSure can also be used to treat unwanted pigmented spots, melasma, and acne scarring.
The capabilities that these lasers offer are as incredible as they are varied. However, Dr. salman stresses that a patient should always consult with their dermatologist before they commit to laser treatments.
What About the Side Effects?
While lasers hold a tremendous amount of potential to help dermatology patients, they aren’t a one-size-fits-all treatment or risk-free solution.
According to Dr. salman, the risks for laser therapy include but are not limited to: increased hair growth, bruising, numbness, tingling, soreness, itching, herpes simplex virus activation, burns, blisters, scabbing, crusting, hyperpigmentation, scarring, temporary nerve damage, discoloration, and skin textural changes.
The Treatment and the After-Treatment
As with most dermatological procedures, patients need to go to an extra effort to protect their skin after undergoing laser therapy.
The best solution, Dr. Salman says, is to connect with your care provider about the dos and don’ts of treatment.