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Laser therapy is one of the most exciting treatments for removing unwanted skin pigments such as age spots, redness, rosacea, freckles and tattoos and now, lasers have been found to be effective in minimizing wrinkles and fine lines.
While men may account for as many as 20% of all skin rejuvenation patients, women aged 35 to 60 are the largest patient base. Facial areas are the most commonly treated. However, treatment of the hands, chest, or forearm is not unusual.
Lasers work by emitting a specialized light that passes through the skin and is preferentially absorbed by its target, which can be an unwanted hair, birthmark, tattoo, or the hemoglobin (the red portion of blood) in the unwanted vessels. Patented technology protects the sensitive surface layers of the skin, allowing the laser light to penetrate to a deeper level and stimulate new collagen growth.
Lasers stimulate the production of collagen. As research into aging has progressed, collagen -- or lack of it -- appears to be closely linked to sagging, sallow skin, wrinkles, and other signs of aging. While different therapies attempt to replenish collagen by different means, laser devices operate on the principle that heating the blood vessels will result in the skin producing more of the body's own collagen.
What conditions respond best to office laser therapies?
Laser therapy is the latest advance for the treatment of aging and sun-damaged skin. The procedure is specifically designed to improve the look of superficial and moderately deep lines and wrinkles on the face. In addition to successfully treating wrinkles, patients have noticed an overall improvement in their skin tone, including a reduction of pore size, improvement in textural smoothness and a reduction in facial redness. Their overall appearance is healthy and vibrant.
Rosy cheeks are fine but who wants a rosy nose? Irritation of these blood vessels is usually genetic, but it can also be associated with sun damage, aging, and consumption of alcohol or spicy foods. Laser therapy is a proven treatment for treating dilated vessels.
Today's new light and laser technology delivers precise dosages of energy to each vein, with a minimal risk to the skin. During these treatments, light energy is delivered through a special hand piece to the targeted vein. The energy is then absorbed by the blood vessels. The heat/energy absorption causes obliteration of the blood vessel. The vessel is then slowly absorbed by the body.
Scars (keloids) - especially fresh pink ones - can respond to laser. After several treatments, the redness should improve with some flattening of the scar tissue.
Liver, sun, or age spots, cafe au lait birthmarks, freckles, and certain moles all have an abundance of dark pigment. Laser treatment of dark spots is easy and healing is quick without blistering or bruising. Bleaching creams, alpha-hydroxy acid and sunscreens may help prevent new spots from appearing.
Laser therapies do not always produce immediate results. Sometimes they do, but often
results appear gradually as collagen production increases over weeks or months following treatment. Many times, improvement continues six-to-twelve months after the final treatment. This is attributed to the skin's cellular machinery being "turned on" through the stimulation of laser treatments, and continuing to run for a period of time without additional stimulation.
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