With advancements of modern medical techniques, laser skin surfacing has emerged as one of the powerful ways of reducing wrinkles, acne scars, age spots, blemishes, tightening of skin tone as well as for balancing skin tone. Though lasers can give a wide variety of desired outcomes, it can be truly difficult to choose the right kind of Laser Wrinkle Reduction method for your requirements.
There are so many devices and methods used for treating varied skin conditions. Being well-informed about all the options available is important to make the right choice. Read on to know the things you ought to know about laser skin resurfacing before you make up your mind for the treatment.
General Considerations for laser skin resurfacing treatment
Treatment may or may not hurt
Usually, patients undergoing laser skin treatment experience and describe a sensation like a rubber band snapping against the skin. Laser resurfacing generally depends upon the area and the depth of the treatment alongside the ability of an individual to feel pain.
In deeper laser treatment involving ablation, the therapist uses an intravenous anesthetic injection or local anesthetic administration to prevent painful sensation. Erbium YAG and CO2 are among the ablative laser treatments.
In non-ablative treatments of laser wrinkle reduction Santa Monica, the laser beam passes through the skin without removing skin layers. Such treatment does not require any pain and does not require an anesthetic. Just a topical application of numbing cream may be sufficient. Nd: YAG, pulsed dye, and Alexandrite lasers are the non –ablative lasers.
Dark skin worries
It is a common misconception that laser wrinkle treatment is unsafe to perform in people who have a darker skin tone as laser resurfacing treatments are only meant for lighter skin types. Certain laser frequencies indeed pose the risk of cellular damage and skin discoloration for people having darker skin but there are various other safe and effective laser resurfacing methods for dark skin types. These include Erbium skin resurfacing in certain cases of Asian or Hispanic skin toned people.
However, people having dark brown or black skin can consider radiofrequency and micro-needling options.
It is best to consult a plastic surgeon for finding out the safe and most effective laser wrinkle reduction method in Santa Monica for your skin type. You need to find a reliable and skilled professional having an exclusive experience and training in rendering laser skin resurfacing treatments to patients with dark skin types.
Choose the right season for the treatment
You would be amused to know that autumn is considered a laser season. This is because laser-treated skin is sensitive to sun exposure for at least a year. Various cosmetic surgeons, therefore, recommend undergoing laser treatments in winter or fall seasons. The shorter days would mean you would be spending greater part of the day indoors.
One of the considerations here, irrespective of the time of the year when you get the laser treatment is wearing the threshold amount of sun protection in the form of SPF. Make sure you go for SPF 30 or a higher strength sunscreen and apply it once daily or more as the need may be. SPF and sun protection also protects aging and skin cancer.
Choosing a good surgeon matters
A well trained and knowledgeable professional can dramatically increase your chances of getting an improved skin appearance. Keep in mind that lasers can be dangerous if treatments are administered by a poorly trained and naive professional. In the end, the outcomes of laser skin resurfacing treatment would be determined by the proficiency of the service provider.
Make sure that you choose a cosmetic surgeon that is certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.
Conditions affecting skin reaction to laser treatment
It is imperative to be upfront about your medical history and skin conditions or any supplements you are using. People who are prone to blistering may get breakouts due to laser treatment.
Medications like isotretinoin can cause reduced healing for scarring. Apart from this, medications like aspirin may lead to excessive bleeding due to spot procedure bleeding.
Chronic conditions like diabetes may also compromise safety as well as the outcomes of laser skin resurfacing. Your doctor would advise you to quit smoking at a fortnight before you intend to get the laser wrinkle reduction Santa Monica for avoiding healing complications. With these precautions, you can get optimal results for your desired treatment.
Various laser options for different skin types and or different issues
There are many reasons for treating patient with varied skin concerns. Read on further to know some of them.
- CO2 lasers: These are generally used ablative lasers for treating scars, wrinkles, warts, and deep skin flaws.
- Fractional lasers: These are lasers breaking up the laser energy into a thousand tiny beams for treating a small part of the skin reducing the downtime.
- Erbium lasers: These can be used both as ablation as well as non-ablation lasers.
- Pulse dye lasers: These are non-ablative lasers for countering hyperpigmentation, rosacea and broken capillaries.
- Intense pulsed light: Technically, these are not lasers but perform the same function as lasers for skin resurfacing.
It is advisable to consult a specialist for finding out the most suitable laser wrinkle reduction Santa Monica for yourself.