Laser Skin Resurfacing
In the last half of this century, men and women have had more leisure time to spend outdoors than in previous generations. Many hours spent on outside recreations and the prevalence of both summer and winter vacations, have all taken their toll on people’s skin. Premature wrinkling is more common now than ever before. Both men and women seek facial plastic surgery to reverse the effects of sun damaged skin. Surgery may also improve the pitted look of acne scars and remove pre-cancerous skin growths called keratoses.
If you’ve ever wished that you could “renew” your complexion to make it smoother and more even-toned, laser resurfacing may be a good option for you. Cosmetic laser resurfacing, also called “laser peel”, is a procedure that smoothes the facial skin by using a laser to refinish damaged areas and shrink fine wrinkles. The result is a fresher, smoother complexion
Laser resurfacing is a relatively new treatment for reducing facial wrinkles and skin irregularities, such as blemishes or acne scars.
The technique directs short, concentrated pulsating beams of light at irregular skin. Laser skin resurfacing removes skin very precisely, layer by layer, resulting in fewer problems with hypopigmentation (lightening of skin). This popular procedure is known by several other names, including lasabrasion, laser peel or laser vaporization.
The laser procedure
A laser can treat large areas of the body in a short amount of time, which totally beats out the tedious and sometimes painful process of electrolysis. It is an outpatient procedure with no downtime. However, several treatments are needed because hair grows in three distinct cycles.
• First, the active or growth cycle (anagen); next
• The dormant cycle (catagen) and, finally,
• The fall-out or shedding cycle (telogen).
Laser hair removal is most effective during the anagen or growth cycle. Your hair is at different stages all the time, so the procedure must be repeated to “capture” hair when it is in the growth phase.
The pigment in the hair follicle absorbs the laser light and converts the light to heat. The heat, in turn, damages the follicle and destroys its ability to re-grow. With more advanced lasers, your skin is compressed and cooled. So you can see that in the right hands and with the right tools, the procedure can be very effective.
It’s important to remember that not all lasers and not all practitioners are the same. If you routinely need to remove hair the “old fashion method” it is time to investigate laser hair removal. This may be the answer you have looking for. This technique is good for underarms, face, legs, back and most other skin surfaces.
Laser Skin Resurfacing - Aftercare
After the procedure, any treated areas are dressed for healing. Surgeons are divided on whether the wound should remain open or closed (covered) during the healing process. For example, surgeons that adopt a closed procedure can use a dressing that is primarily hydrogel held on a mesh support to cover the wound. This kind of dressing is changed daily while the epithelium (outer layer) is restored. Open wound care involves frequent soaks in salt water or dilute acetic acid, followed by application of ointment. Whatever wound treatment is used, it is important to keep the healing skin hydrated.
Full restoration of the epithelial layer occurs in seven to 10 days after treatment with a carbon dioxide laser and three to five days after treatment with a Er:YAG laser, although redness can persist for many weeks afterward.