Laser Skin Treatment

Laser Skin Treatment for Skin Resurfacing

How to be Wrinkle Free with Laser Skin Treatment

Topical products can only do so much to improve the appearance of The skin. If you want to see more dramatic improvements, you have to look to deeper remedies, the kind of treatments performed by cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists and registered nurses. Today there is a wide choice of facial rejuvenation techniques, making it possible to tailor therapies to your exact needs. A variety of methods are used to remove the topmost layers of the skin, revealing clear, unblemished skin below. These are called skin resurfacing or a laser skin treatment.

Skin resurfacing with lasers has traditionally involved ablative procedures that necessitated long recovery procedures and left patients red-faced for weeks or months. Although these techniques work, they are riskier and messier than many of us are willing to put up with. The newer non-ablative techniques can deliver collagen remodelling that works on your wrinkles in a kinder, gentler way.

Laser Skin Treatment/Laser Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing can remove wrinkles and red veins, lighten discolourations and age spots and smooth scars, as well as stimulate fibroblasts to increase collagen production.

A laser is a high-energy beam of light that selectively directs its energy into the tissue. It works like a high-tech scalpel that allows the doctor greater control and finesse. The laser (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is a ‘light pump’. It applies the principles of radiation physics to narrowly segregate light of a selected wave-length and ‘pump’ the light radiation to high intensity. The beams are targeted to a specific spot and are varied in intensity and in the duration of emitted pulses depending on their mission. Laser skin treatments with lasers and light sources are the modern way to pulverize wrinkles and extract redness from the skin. They have virtually left many older techniques in the dust.

Resurfacing with a laser should be performed in a doctor’s surgery or clinic, either by a doctor or a trained nurse under medical supervision. It can be done under local anaesthetic with or without intravenous sedation, or a topical anaesthetic cream or spray can be used for more superficial procedures. Depending on the extent of the treatment, the work can take anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour. The laser is passed over parts of the face, neck, chest or hands, and evaporates the surface layers of the targeted areas of skin. A new layer of pink skin is revealed. Generally, the more passes with the laser and the deeper the setting, the more extensive the treatment and longer the recovery.

The newest lasers penetrate through to the layers beneath to boost collagen production, which gives the skin a plumper, tighter appearance. Laser skin treatments improve skin texture and tone by stimulating new collagen in the skin to smooth it out from underneath the surface. These treatments do not destroy outer tissue as they work their way down to stimulate collagen growth in the dermis, so they are safe to use on most skin types. Your doctor will be able to advise you. The process is gradual and the softening of wrinkles occurs over time. You will need multiple treatment sessions in order to see results and the improvement is much less dramatic. No pain, no gain. Don’t expect to be wrinkle-free at the end of one course. The advantage is zero recovery time and you won’t turn scarlet for months.

Top Tip:

Laser skin treatment should be done under supervision of a medical doctor who is properly trained in laser surgery. All lasers can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Waves of the Future for a Wrinkle Free Look

Lasers are classified into two categories; ablative, which are reserved for deeper wrinkles and creases, andnon-ablative, which improve the skin’s quality, texture and tone.

Ablative lasers

Ablative laser technology causes a burn which ‘ablates’ or removes the upper layers of skin to promote the growth of pink new skin underneath. These high-tech tools focus laser energy on damaged surface layers of skin and vaporize them, which allows a fresh layer to emerge and stimulates fibroblasts. Because of the laser beam’s precision, the doctor can make several passes over areas that require extra attention without harm to adjacent skin. The two most frequently used deeper lasers for skin resurfacing are carbon dioxide CO2 and Erbium:YAG.

Non-ablative lasers

Non-ablative laser skin treatment and light sources are proving to be a good gentle alternative for the laser phobic. The newcomers in the rapidly changing laser universe work by stimulating new collagen in the dermis, called subsurface remodelling. They essentially treat wrinkles from the inside out, rather than removing them from the outside. The laser’s heat bypasses the epidermis and encourages fibroblast production, thickening the underlying collagen structure. The process of softening wrinkles continues over time as the rejuvenated skin fibres reach the surface. Non-exfoliating rejuvenating lasers are ideal for younger women who want to prevent, postpone or maintain more invasive treatments. Laser skin treatment procedures are repeated every 4 to 6 weeks over a 6-month period to maximize new collagen formation, and are performed on an area larger than that you want to improve; for example, lower eyelids would include the upper cheeks in order to get a progressive tightening. Since non-ablative lasers have a very long wave-length, they are safe for most skin types. This technology is faster than the ablative laser, recovery is shorter, there is less risk of pigment changes and little or no discomfort. Although non-ablative lasers won’t erase wrinkles and brown spots to the same degree as their ablative cousins, they are perfect for maintenance after deeper resurfacing, or as part of a maintenance programme in combination with skin care and microdermabrasion treatments. This new laser generation is growing and we will see more variations on this technology in the near future.