Lasers are becomingincreasingly more popular in reversing the signs of aging. Lasers are able toaccomplish today what only plastic surgery could repair before. The best resultsare obtained when one uses a Skin care regiment incombination with laser therapy. Lasers come in two flavors: ablative and non-ablative. Non-ablative laser leave the outermost layer intact and work onthe principle of selective photothemolysis. This means they are able to target abnormal pigment in the skin. 90% of premature aging is due to sun exposureand lack of adequate protection in terms of sun screen and protective clothing. Abnormal pigments primarily include sun spots and increased redness from blood vessels. Sun spots typically appear as brown pigments in the screen and are a result of overproduct of melanin. Vessels typically appear as redness in the skin. The laser selectively destroys these pigments to restore an even skintone. There is typically very little down time associated with these procedures and may include minimal redness to the skin like a mild sunburn.
Ablative lasers produce more damage to the skin and the real benefit is in the healing process. New laser employ fractional ablation which means only a percentage of the face istreated. It creates small zones of ablation and heating leaving the surrounding skin intact. While they tend to result in more redness and sometimes evenpinpoint bleeding, the down time is vastly improved through faster healing from the act surrounding skin. Ablative lasers are more useful for treating textural changes in the skin such as pores, wrinkle, and skin laxity.
CO2laser have been the gold standard for skin resurfacing. First generation lasers ablated the entire face. The results were impressive however down time typically ranged from weeks to months. In addition, risks for adverse outcome such as hypopigmentation,hyperpigmentation, as well as scarring were significantly higher than newer fractional resurfacing. The newer generation of lasers only ablate a portion of the face reducing adverse events while preserving efficacy. However CO2 lasers produce a tremendous amount of thermal damage as well as ablation leading tonecrosis and greater healing times.
Erbium lasers are another class of lasers used for ablation. Water absorption is much greater in an Erbium laser than the CO2 laser. Because water is the primary target, any structure containing water will be affected. Erbium lasers cause primarily ablatiion with very little coagulation. Therefore after a treatment,the face is covered is pinpoint bleeding due to lack of coagulative effects.
Newer fractional lasers employ a wavelength with properties in between Erbium and CO2 lasers with a more balanced blend of ablation and coagulation. Therefore theycombine the best aspects of the CO2 and erbium laser while reducing the limitations of both.
The utilization of lasers has greatly advance the field of cosmetic surgery and will delay the need for plastic surgery. This translates into less cost, less recovery time, and better results in the long run.
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