New Advancements in Laser Treatment Technology
I, Matt Davies Stockton, understand why laser treatment procedures can seem intimidating to many people. We are all familiar with laser technology since it is used in barcode readers, optical storage, fiber optics, and more. However, most people still associate advanced laser technology with military and scientific operations. Still, you would be relieved to know that the advancements in laser technology have made it much safer to use for cosmetic treatments of many different types of skin conditions and more.
Now, let’s look at how the new advancements in laser treatment techniques are used for cosmetic procedures:
1. Skin tightening — Ablative lasers such as CO2 lasers vaporize the top layers of the damaged skin and create controlled skin injury. This increases the production of collagen and results in superior skin tightening compared to other forms of the laser.
Alternatively, non laser, light-based treatments such as Thermage radiofrequency-based systems and Titan infrared devices have been proven to yield results as well.
2. Fine lines and wrinkles — Generally, a combination of skin-tightening and skin-resurfacing procedures are used for treating fine lines. The procedure can involve the use of both Erbium lasers and CO2 lasers.
However, only CO2 lasers can be used for more aggressive treatments such as the removal of skin tags and warts. It can also be used for cutting the skin using laser-assisted surgery.
Light-based treatments such as intense pulsed light therapy (IPL), light-emitting diode (LED) photo facials, and pulsed dye lasers have also shown success.
3. Vascular lesions — Vascular lesions include certain birthmarks such as port-wine stains, spider nevi, broken blood vessels on the face, hemangiomas, unsightly spider veins on the legs, and more.
Generally, intense pulsed light therapy is used to treat such skin irregularities since it is minimally invasive. Other treatment options include diode lasers, Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) lasers, and pulsed dye.
4. Pigmented lesions — Pigmented lesions include melasma, sunspots, age spots, and other forms of hyperpigmentation. The most common treatment option for such skin irregularities is a pulsed dye laser.
Other treatment options include fractional CO2 lasers, Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) lasers, and intense pulsed light therapy.
5. Acne and acne scars — Generally, CO2 laser is considered the gold standard treatment option for treating deeper acne scars. For treating superficial acne scars, specific non-ablative lasers have shown great success. Other treatment options include fractional laser and erbium:YAG. For treating active acne, LED technology has been proven to be considered effective.
6. Unwanted hair — When using laser technology to treat unwanted hair, it is important to consider the pigment present in the skin and the type of hair to be treated. This is because the success of the treatment is dependent on these factors.
Typically, intense pulsed light therapy has proven effective for lighter-skinned people. For darker-skinned individuals, diode lasers and the Nd:YAG are the best choices.
I, Matt Davies Stockton, suggest you thoroughly understand how to prepare for a cosmetic laser procedure and also prepare yourself for possible complications before proceeding. For instance, it can result in hyperpigmentation, milia, scarring, swelling, and more. It is best to follow the skin aftercare guidelines recommended by your doctor to heal your skin properly after the laser treatment and reduce the risk of complications.