Freckles are harmless dark spots that appear on the surface of the skin due to sun exposure. Among the many treatment options, the laser treatments are the most effective and have longer lasting effects.
However, prior to getting the freckles removed, you need to get these checked by a dermatologist, to make sure they are freckles not other manifestations of skin cancer or skin diseases. There are multiple laser skin resurfacing treatments available, and these will remove the melanin pigment that causes freckles.
In this procedure, laser is used for burning the blood vessels underneath the freckles to remove them or lighten their appearance significantly. Laser therapy does not lead to any serious side effects, but can cause temporary redness, swelling and bruising after the procedure.
Fraxel is an excellent laser that helps patients with freckles, sun damage, wrinkles and mild to moderate skin damage. These techniques employ laser beams and non ablative co2 fractional laser to resurface the skin and reduce the appearance of freckles. The treatment will target small areas of the skin at a time. Collagen production will also be activated, so not only will the freckles be removed, but the skin will also get a fresher and younger appearance.
Fractional co2 laser resurfacing is similar to Fraxel and will eliminate freckles and other scars or age spots, but will also reduce wrinkles.
intense pulsed light (IPL) will project brief light pulses into the surface and deeper skin levels, improving the look of the skin and also removing freckles. The treatment administers heat, which will activate the collagen production and reduce wrinkling.
Ablative lasers remove the superficial layers of skin, so the freckles will also be removed. There are 2 types of ablative lasers: CO2 Lasers and erbium laser resurfacing. However, the ablative lasers are aggressive and the recovery time can be over 1 month, so these methods are rarely chosen for freckles.
Laser treatment can remove your freckles permanently. So if you have tried many different methods before and your freckles are stubborn and keep coming back, laser freckle removal may be just right for you.
Showing posts with label Laser Skin Resurfacing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laser Skin Resurfacing. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
The Pros and Cons of Laser Skin Resurfacing
The pros and cons of laser resurfacing for acne scarring can often depend upon the user of the technology as well as the individual patient.
laser skin resurfacing are great for cosmetic and medical reasons. If you are interested in improving your wrinkles, pigmentation problems (like sun spots, etc), the size of your pores, your skin texture, etc laser resurfacing can be a great option. It can make a huge difference in your appearance for the better.
laser skin tightening can also improve your skin by reducing the number of cells that are bad as well. So from a medical standpoint, it can be beneficial in reducing your chances of acquiring skin cancer. This is done when you remove your more superficial layers of skin through resurfacing and receive more refreshened cells from deeper within your hair follicles when these cells "resurface" the skin that has been removed. These newer cells typically have much less DNA damage and hence less bad mutations that lead to cancer and this has been proven in scientific studies.
Laser resurfacing is the best way to improve extensive acne scarring. The new fractional laser resurfacing technology enables us to address skin textural irregularity effectively and safely. The procedure is easily tolerated with just a topical anesthetic gel, and recovery takes less than a week in most cases.
Laser resurfacing has effectively replaced the old method of dermabrasion, as the laser procedure involves no bleeding and is extremely precise. However, for very deep ice-pick scars, sometimes it is advisable to excise the individual scar(s) directly, so that the area can heal more smoothly. Laser can then be done on the more superficial scar that results from the excision.
Another con is that the laser skin rejuvenation procedure will cost you some money, and you will need a few days to recover. It needs a longer period of healing, typically two weeks and it requires wound care by the patient which can sometimes be painful during the healing process.
Risks include not getting the improvement you wanted, injury to your eyes or teeth, changes in the color of your skin, and infection. Also, in darker skinned individuals it can result in loss of pigmentation and a line of demarkation at or near the jaw line especially in females; this is less likely to occur in males. Finally, it is not for African or Indian Americans due to the darker skin type and risk of skin lightening.
laser skin resurfacing are great for cosmetic and medical reasons. If you are interested in improving your wrinkles, pigmentation problems (like sun spots, etc), the size of your pores, your skin texture, etc laser resurfacing can be a great option. It can make a huge difference in your appearance for the better.
laser skin tightening can also improve your skin by reducing the number of cells that are bad as well. So from a medical standpoint, it can be beneficial in reducing your chances of acquiring skin cancer. This is done when you remove your more superficial layers of skin through resurfacing and receive more refreshened cells from deeper within your hair follicles when these cells "resurface" the skin that has been removed. These newer cells typically have much less DNA damage and hence less bad mutations that lead to cancer and this has been proven in scientific studies.
Laser resurfacing is the best way to improve extensive acne scarring. The new fractional laser resurfacing technology enables us to address skin textural irregularity effectively and safely. The procedure is easily tolerated with just a topical anesthetic gel, and recovery takes less than a week in most cases.
Laser resurfacing has effectively replaced the old method of dermabrasion, as the laser procedure involves no bleeding and is extremely precise. However, for very deep ice-pick scars, sometimes it is advisable to excise the individual scar(s) directly, so that the area can heal more smoothly. Laser can then be done on the more superficial scar that results from the excision.
Another con is that the laser skin rejuvenation procedure will cost you some money, and you will need a few days to recover. It needs a longer period of healing, typically two weeks and it requires wound care by the patient which can sometimes be painful during the healing process.
Risks include not getting the improvement you wanted, injury to your eyes or teeth, changes in the color of your skin, and infection. Also, in darker skinned individuals it can result in loss of pigmentation and a line of demarkation at or near the jaw line especially in females; this is less likely to occur in males. Finally, it is not for African or Indian Americans due to the darker skin type and risk of skin lightening.
Monday, February 17, 2014
What's the Best Laser for Skin Resurfacing?
The new fractional lasers are becoming very popular and rightfully so. These methods (Erbium based or CO2 based) offer much quicker healing time and recovery period but with serial treatments are required.
The gold standard laser for skin resurfacing used to be the c02 laser. But because of its aggressiveness, long healing period, and eventual hypo-pigmentation, it is not very mainstream any more. Erbium resurfacing is more gentler and with repeated treatments, you can achieve similar results. At the same time, the old and time tested chemical peels are excellent less expensive way to re-surface your skin. Whatever method you choose, the doctor must know the different types of skins to avoid unnecessary complications.
Ablative co2 laser skin resurfacing came first, gave great results, but fell somewhat out of favor as hyperalimentation occurred a year or so after treatment. Wrinkles, spots, and sun damage still gone, but line of demarcation where treatment stopped, and lighter skin color where treatment was done.
Ablative erbium laser resurfacing came next, but treated much more superficial layers, so skin healed faster, with less redness, but with less dramatic changes. If the doctor promoted this as "better than CO2" and charged as much, patients were unhappy, but not because the laser had a "problem" other than milder results. Bad doctor "marketing!"
By the time that third-generation combination CO2/erbium-YAG lasers came along about ten years ago, the herd of dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other laser doctors had moved on to the "non-ablative" lasers or therapies such as Thermage, N-lite, Cool-touch, Smoothbeam, Fotofacial, and many others. These all "worked" to varying degrees, but usually with very minimal results. Prices dropped, and so did most of the hype, and "the herd" of doctors that need the "latest and the greatest" moved on to fractional laser resurfacing.
Fractional lasers started with Erbium wavelengths, and treated the skin in tiny polka-dots. Bridges of intact skin were left untreated, which is said to promote faster healing and less down-time (partially true). Actually, less skin treated = less result, which required multiple treatments, which = more procedures, more healing and MORE cumulative downtime. Oh, and the total cost adds up to a tidy sum usually! The results are real, but with superficial layer and polka-dot treatment came mild results. More, give us more!
The next fractional lasers returned to CO2 wavelengths, which penetrate deeper, and still treated skin in tiny polka-dots. Fortunately, unless the energy was turned up too much, or the polka-dot density too tight, hyperalimentation changes were limited, and the results were indeed better. Still only in the fraction of the skin treated, still requiring more than one treatment for results that could approach that of well-performed third-generation combination CO2/Erbium-YAG ablative laser rejuvenation, and still adding up to a tidy sum for only "fractional" results.
The best one is the one that suits your particular needs and your budget. Consult with a physician who has multiple lasers at his disposal. This is very important because if he only has one laser, he will obviously be very biased towards that particular laser he owns! In order to find the best laser treatment for you, look for a plastic surgeon with significant experience in aesthetic lasers treatments, aesthetic plastic surgery and non-surgical aesthetic enhancement treatments.
The gold standard laser for skin resurfacing used to be the c02 laser. But because of its aggressiveness, long healing period, and eventual hypo-pigmentation, it is not very mainstream any more. Erbium resurfacing is more gentler and with repeated treatments, you can achieve similar results. At the same time, the old and time tested chemical peels are excellent less expensive way to re-surface your skin. Whatever method you choose, the doctor must know the different types of skins to avoid unnecessary complications.
Ablative co2 laser skin resurfacing came first, gave great results, but fell somewhat out of favor as hyperalimentation occurred a year or so after treatment. Wrinkles, spots, and sun damage still gone, but line of demarcation where treatment stopped, and lighter skin color where treatment was done.
Ablative erbium laser resurfacing came next, but treated much more superficial layers, so skin healed faster, with less redness, but with less dramatic changes. If the doctor promoted this as "better than CO2" and charged as much, patients were unhappy, but not because the laser had a "problem" other than milder results. Bad doctor "marketing!"
By the time that third-generation combination CO2/erbium-YAG lasers came along about ten years ago, the herd of dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other laser doctors had moved on to the "non-ablative" lasers or therapies such as Thermage, N-lite, Cool-touch, Smoothbeam, Fotofacial, and many others. These all "worked" to varying degrees, but usually with very minimal results. Prices dropped, and so did most of the hype, and "the herd" of doctors that need the "latest and the greatest" moved on to fractional laser resurfacing.
Fractional lasers started with Erbium wavelengths, and treated the skin in tiny polka-dots. Bridges of intact skin were left untreated, which is said to promote faster healing and less down-time (partially true). Actually, less skin treated = less result, which required multiple treatments, which = more procedures, more healing and MORE cumulative downtime. Oh, and the total cost adds up to a tidy sum usually! The results are real, but with superficial layer and polka-dot treatment came mild results. More, give us more!
The next fractional lasers returned to CO2 wavelengths, which penetrate deeper, and still treated skin in tiny polka-dots. Fortunately, unless the energy was turned up too much, or the polka-dot density too tight, hyperalimentation changes were limited, and the results were indeed better. Still only in the fraction of the skin treated, still requiring more than one treatment for results that could approach that of well-performed third-generation combination CO2/Erbium-YAG ablative laser rejuvenation, and still adding up to a tidy sum for only "fractional" results.
The best one is the one that suits your particular needs and your budget. Consult with a physician who has multiple lasers at his disposal. This is very important because if he only has one laser, he will obviously be very biased towards that particular laser he owns! In order to find the best laser treatment for you, look for a plastic surgeon with significant experience in aesthetic lasers treatments, aesthetic plastic surgery and non-surgical aesthetic enhancement treatments.
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