Laser Spot Treatment
Laser treatment has become a prevalent an anti-aging solution over the last decade. It's a cosmetic procedure that has reached a much larger and more diverse range of consumers than the initial upscale market it catered to exclusively. Rapid developments in technology and technique have created a slew of options designed to treat a wide variety of skin conditions and skin types. Accessibility has also increased, with centers for cosmetic enhancement plentiful outside of the metropolitan areas. These new center are increasingly attracting male customers as well as women. Laser treatment patients seek rejuvenated, younger looking skin, which is achieved by evening the skin's color and texture. Patients often require spot treatment to correct skin irregularities that interrupt consistency in the look and feel of the skin. Does this Spark an idea?
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Treatable Skin Conditions
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Most undesirable skin spots are areas of discoloration caused by sun damage. Hyperpigmentation occurs when an overabundance of melanin in the skin cells forms spots that are darker than the natural skin pigmentation. Sun spots, age spots, and liver spots are the most common forms of hyperpigmentation treated by laser procedures. The quantity, hue and shape of these spots depends on age, skin type (fair skin that is prone to sunburns provides an easy breeding ground for sun spots), and historical UV ray exposure. Other unwanted skin spots treatable with laser surgery are lentigines, also flat brown spots of sun damage and keratoses, slightly raised dark spots on the back and hands. Melasma is caused by pregnancy, and also causes flat, dark spots on the skin. Broken capillaries and unwanted moles and freckles can also be corrected with laser treatment.
Functions
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Laser treatment for unwanted skin spots has two basic functions. The first is to get rid of the "bad" cells that are causing the distinct discoloration on the skin. The second is to prevent future discoloration in the treated area. More even-toned, smoother and overall youthful-looking skin is always the ultimate patient goal of laser treatment, regardless of the condition being treated.
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How It Works
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Most treatment types are non-ablative, meaning that there is no incision necessary. While various types of lasers exist, the fundamental ways that laser treatment works to correct skin irregularities are the same. An energy-filled, high-intensity beam channels through the top layers of the target area to dissolve and destroy the undesirable skin cells underneath. Both the top layer of the skin, as well as the healthier surrounding skin tissue, is left unaffected. New cell growth is stimulated, and the "new" healthy cells replace the old cells of the treated area, revealing smoother, more even-toned skin. The patient experiences little to no pain and no downtime.
Types
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Cosmetic laser treatment has experienced many new developments since the early 2000s. Advancements in technology and technique have created various types of laser treatment designed to offer specific benefits to a wide variety of skin conditions. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment is widely used for photorejuvenation and laser resurfacing treatments. IPL is versatile in its application and can treat patients with mild to more-than-moderate skin conditions. IPL is one of the safest forms of treatment with the fewest side effects and is not as abrasive or intense as ProFractional, or especially CO2 laser treatment. These treatments are designed to address deeper skin conditions, are more costly and have greater risks of scarring. Plasma treatment is also effective, but is best for patients with multiple skin conditions, since this treatment works to correct "all-over" in one session. Pulsed Dye laser technology is a highly effective choice for spot treatment, since it boasts impressively high precision and adjustable intensity. Costs of all types of treatment vary from $300 to $1,500 per session.
Effectiveness
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Laser treatment can undoubtedly work to remove unwanted spots of skin irregularity, but the time and energy it entails depends on the skin condition, desired results and the type of treatment used. On average, it should take no more than one to three sessions to achieve the desired results (sessions ranging from 20 minutes to an hour). Results are near-permanent to permanent.
Warning
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After laser surgery, the treated skin is substantially more sensitive to UV ray exposure. To protect the skin and prevent sun damage, it becomes even more crucial that the patient apply a high-strength sunscreen, since those "new" cells are far more vulnerable to the sun.
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References
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- Photo Credit "IPL Photorejuvenation" by Bio.Skinergy (flickr.com/creativecommons)
