Lasers to the Rescue to Combat Wrinkles, Age Spots and Fine Lines

The competitive job market has caused an up swing in the use of lasers to improve physical appearance. In the past, the lasers that had been used to minimize wrinkles often had a prolonged recovery period. Redness of the skin often lasted for months.

Fractional laser treatments require less care after treatment and can give a drastic improvement in one's appearance. Lasers for skin resurfacing can be characterized as ablative or nonablative. Nonablative lasers, laser deep into the skin. Moisturizers are needed after treatment because the skin feels dry. The dryness is the lasered tissue coming to the surface. Only a fraction of the skin is lasered at a time. Multiple treatments are needed but there is minimal swelling and redness may last for one to two days. Typically, five treatments are needed spaced two to four weeks between each treatment.  Fractional nonablative lasers can be used on all skin types.  Ablative lasers remove the top layer of the skin. Fractional ablative lasers are removing a fraction of the skin; therefore, there is quicker healing than the older CO2 lasers. Typically in seven to ten days the skin has healed and the redness has almost completely disappeared. Ointment is used after the treatment while the skin is healing.

There are also less aggressive lasers that will decrease fine lines, remove age spots and skin discolorations. Multiple treatments are needed but very little if any care is required after each treatment. Laser treatments are often combined with other laser like modalities to increase collagen production in the skin and to maximize skin tightening.

Other popular options are combining laser treatments with injections or fillers. Fillers are substances that are injected under the deeper wrinkles to fill them out. The most popular ones are made from natural substances, so skin tests for allergic reactions are not needed. Combination therapy with lasers and fillers can give a drastic improvement by decreasing wrinkles and pore size. Age spots, skin discoloration and acne scarring is also improved.

In summary, lasers alone or in combination with fillers can improve one's appearance which can be helpful in today's competitive job market. These procedures are more cost effective than surgery and can perhaps delay a more aggressive surgical procedure for many years.

Michelle Hardway M.D., is a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Wayne State University. She has been involved in the training of plastic surgery residents for over 18 years. She is on staff at many of the surrounding hospitals and also has a in office surgical suite accredited by the AAAASF. Many non surgical procedures are also performed in her office, THe Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Laser Center. She can be reached at 248 8556030. Visit her web site for a detailed list of procedures, michellehardawaymd.com michellehardawaymd.com.