How Laser Treatments Work
What can be treated with aesthetic lasers?
Lasers can be used to treat unwanted hair, pigment, broken blood vessels, leg veins and tattoos. The skin can also be revitalized with lasers and the appearance improved by reducing fine lines and wrinkles, minimizing surgical and acne scars, and reducing the appearance of stretch marks.
Many of these skin conditions can also be treated with IPL (intense pulsed light).
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How can lasers be used for skin revitalization?
Lasers can renew the skin by enhancing collagen and elastin production resulting in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles providing a smooth and youthful looking appearance. Lasers can also lighten pigmentation caused by sun damage on the face, neck, hands, arms and legs. For many people, these brown spots are one of the first signs of aging.
What is IPL?
Unlike lasers that generally work with a single wavelength of light, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) uses many wavelengths of specifically filtered light. Both lasers and IPL devices are designed to treat specific unwanted targets in the skin like pigment from sun damage, broken blood vessels or hair.
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What are the benefits of IPL?
IPL can provide laser-like results on a variety of unwanted conditions. Treatment sessions are fast and easy, and no downtime is required for recovery. Depending on the level of treatment, you can have an IPL or laser treatment session on your lunch break and return immediately to work or your daily activities.
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What is fractional laser treatment?
Fractional lasers apply light energy in tiny micro-beams to create micro-columns of treatment on the skin, which can be controlled with the size, energy, depth and space between each micro-column. By treating only a portion of the skin, healing and recovery is faster with fewer risks.
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What is the difference between a non-ablative and an ablative laser?
Unlike ablative lasers, which remove the top layer of skin and part of the sub-layer, non-ablative lasers keep the outer layer of skin in place, for even faster healing and recovery.
Some physicians even use a combination of ablative and non-ablative fractional lasers to take advantage of the best of both technologies. This approach can provide dramatic yet natural looking results by improving fine lines and wrinkles and treating unwanted pigmentation with as little as 3 days of recovery.
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What is Fitzpatrick Skin Typing?
The Fitzpatrick Skin Typing is a visual examination and interview by your provider that is used to assess the melanin content of your skin. This information helps to determine the most effective treatment strategy using laser and IPL devices for treating a variety of skin conditions.
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What is a melanin reader and how can it improve my treatment outcomes?
The Skintel® Melanin Reader™ in ICON laser provides an additional element of treatment confidence by determining the average melanin density of skin, in a quantitative manner, prior to laser or IPL based aesthetic treatments – such as hair removal or skin revitalization. Understanding how much melanin is in the skin helps the aesthetic professional better choose the treatment settings on the laser or IPL device for enhanced treatment outcomes, while minimizing the risk of over treatment.