LASER SKIN TREATMENTS - THE VARIOUS TYPES

Laser skin treatment (also known as laser skin resurfacing) is a new technique to treat skin conditions. It involves a surgeon using a carbon dioxide laser to remove the top layer of skin, allowing the new and fresh skin underneath to develop. It is mostly used to treat fine lines, wrinkles, scars, tattoo removal, wine stains, spider veins and discoloration of the skin.

Before laser skin treatment became available, a similar effect could only be achieved through dermabrasion and chemical peels. In contrast to these techniques, laser skin treatments have a short recovery time and will not lead to bleeding, bruising or other discomfort.

There are generally two types of lasers. Ablative laser burn the skin off, while non-ablative laser stimulate collagen growth underneath the top layer of skin. Non-ablative lasers require less recovery time than ablative but require more treatments to achieve the desired results. Which laser your cosmetic surgeon uses will depend on the type of treatment require and your personal circumstances.

Laser skin treatment is performed under sedation. The exact strength of the anesthesia will depend on how extensive and deep the treatment will be. The treatment time can last from ten minutes to and hour and a half. You may require more than one session, depending on the condition you are being treated for.

Side effects include swelling and discomfort. Your skin may look bright pink for a few weeks after the treatment. You may also develop red crusts on your skin that will fall off by themselves after about ten days.

Laser skin treatment isn't cheap. A treatment can cost anywhere from $1500 to $2500.

Acne Laser Skin Treatment

Lasers have been used for years to successfully treat acne scare. Recently however, they have also started to be used to treat the acne itself. The laser can do this in a number of ways including burning away the hair follicle sac or sebaceous gland, or killing bacteria by stimulating the formation of oxygen.

With blue light therapy, the skin is exposed to low-intensity blue light over a number of sessions. The idea behind this treatment is to kill the bacterium that causes acne. It is painless but you will need ongoing treatments to keep your results. Side effects include redness and skin dryness.

Pulsed light and heat energy can be combined to both eliminate the acne bacteria and the sebaceous glands which produces oil. Side effects include redness on the skin.

Diode laser therapy destroys the sebaceous glands in the middle skin layer but leaves the outer layer intact. Swelling and redness can be side effects.