Doctors today have access to a much broader range of skin treatment options than they did 10 or even 5 years ago, and new technologies in laser therapy have dramatically improved our ability to enhance the texture, health, and vibrancy of a patient's skin. Unfortunately, many people just aren't aware of their options and continue for years with "bad" skin, not knowing that there are plenty of treatments that can repair and restore their complexion.
The good news is that advanced technologies today can make skin rejuvenation a fast and relatively simple process, but because every person's skin type and quality are so different, not just "any" treatment is right for every person. Even the people who come to my office for San Diego skin care treatments often do not have a clear idea of just how advanced the technology is and all the factors that go into deciding the right treatment for their needs.
High-Tech vs. "Higher" Tech: What Sets Today's Treatments Apart
People tend to think of laser skin rejuvenation as one type of treatment, but in reality many variations are available. For instance, there are fractional skin rejuvenation systems like Fraxel®, skin tightening with Thermage®, and laser resurfacing from companies such as Lumenis® and Sciton. Today's laser rejuvenation systems offer a number of subtle advantages including the use of computer software to guide the laser more precisely, but the biggest benefits lie in the fact that some of the most effective laser treatments today operate in a whole new way compared to traditional laser technologies.
In nearly every San Diego laser facial rejuvenation procedure I perform, the main goal is to destroy unhealthy, dying, or poorly pigmented skin cells, allowing the body to replace them naturally with skin that is younger and healthier looking. Whether a person is most concerned with correcting sun damage, wrinkles, "liver" or "age" spots, scarring, or pigmentation problems, the principle is the same. However, with older treatments the approach generally involved applying laser heat to all the tissues in the treatment area equally, affecting the entire surface. The body would replace the destroyed cells with a full layer of new, fresh tissue, and at the same time stimulate the natural production of tissue-firming proteins that make the skin look young.
As you might guess, this broad approach to treatment dramatically increased post-procedural discomfort and the risks for swelling, scarring, and other problems that could compromise results.
The revolution that changed all of this happened when researchers realized it was not necessary to apply the laser energy to the entire surface of the treatment area. The designers of technologies like San Diego Fraxel and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments found that destroying damaged skin cells in tiny, isolated points or limiting the exposure of the treatment area to match the patient's cosmetic needs more precisely would drastically limit cellular damage, while still stimulating the skin to renew itself according to the same principles that made the traditional approach effective.
Advanced Tools to Promote Skin Health
Sun damage is the main cause of most "old" or "unhealthy" looking skin, and today's laser treatments have been developed to be effective for a wide range of my San Diego laser facial rejuvenation patients. However, a person still needs to understand the reasons their skin looks damaged before they choose a treatment to match. The laser treatments I have found to be most effective for a variety of problems are:
Fraxel Laser Treatment: San Diego Fraxel treatments are highly effective for most facial lines, wrinkles, fine scars, acne scars, and age spots. This revolutionary treatment creates a microthermal treatment zone or "grid" where only isolated pixels of skin are treated. Adjacent healthy tissue is unharmed, so this treatment offers dramatically lower healing time compared to CO2 ablative lasers.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Treatment: This gentler light-based therapy treats many complexion and pigmentation problems as well as spider veins and fine wrinkles. As a minimally-invasive skin and facial rejuvenation treatment, IPL uses light energy to heat tissues below the epidermis, stimulating the production of new collagen in targeted areas such as the face, neck, chest, arms and hands.
In some cases, these laser treatments will yield much better results in combination with another noninvasive treatment. While supplemental treatments may not utilize laser technology, they can enhance the positive effects of laser rejuvenation to help maximize tissue renewal, collagen production, or both.
Microdermabrasion: Like traditional laser treatments, microdermabrasion ablates the top layers of skin to polish away blemishes, fine wrinkles, enlarged pores, age spots, and acne. However, microdermabrasion is much gentler than older treatments, using finely crystallized aluminum oxide applied in a pressurized spray to help promote healthier skin quickly.
Injectables and Fillers: Products like BOTOX® Cosmetic, Restylane®, and Sculptra® are designed to smooth out wrinkles, laugh lines, and other signs of facial aging. While BOTOX does not directly influence skin health, hyaluronic-acid based fillers may help simulate collagen in the deeper levels of tissues, complementing the effects of laser treatments in the short term.
Choosing Your Best Treatment
As I tell my patients, understanding your options is extremely important when determining whether San Diego Fraxel or another facial rejuvenation treatment is most suited to your needs. Each treatment produces different results for different patients, so it's highly important to ask the right questions and choose the procedure that will produce the best results.
First of all, it is essential to choose a skin care specialist who has the training to evaluate different needs accurately. Choosing a board-certified dermatologist will guarantee your doctor has received special training in skin treatments, and today many dermatologists have advanced skills in laser treatments specifically.
Second, it is important to select a practice with multiple treatment options and up-to-date technologies. Clearly not all laser treatments are the same, and laser centers with older or poorly maintained equipment are bound to offer lower-quality results. The training of the laser practitioners often provides good clues as to the center's level of commitment to quality.
Finally, it's important for patients to prepare themselves before their procedure by developing questions to ask the professional who is guiding them through the process of selecting a laser skin care treatment. Think about:
Which area of skin you want to treat (the skin on the back or chest, for example, may require a different approach than facial rejuvenation)
Whether your skin complexion influences the effectiveness of the procedure
Which skin concerns take a higher priority (IPL is more effective than Fraxel for certain types of discoloration, for example)
Whether time constraints or the number of treatment sessions limit your treatment options
I tell my skin care patients in San Diego that the results of each procedure can vary somewhat according to the treatment type and the natural quality of their individual tissues. If you prepare yourself and place a higher value on the quality of the treatment professional rather than on cost or other concerns, you are far more likely to be able to achieve better results from a laser procedure.
About the Author: Dr. Susan M. Stuart is a board-certified dermatologist and founder and medical director of La Jolla Dermatology. Dr. Stuart received her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and gained experience with skin care through residencies and fellowships including a pediatric dermatology fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. Considered one of San Diego's leading experts in dermatology and lasers, Dr. Stuart offers some of today's latest laser and facial rejuvenation procedures, and serves in numerous leadership roles in dermatology and laser skin therapy in the San Diego area. She is affiliated with Dr. Richard Chaffoo, a triple board certified plastic surgeon who offers a full range of procedures for the face, breasts and body.
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