For the consumer and professional alike, today’s aesthetic laser systems can be confusing. There are many options and many different manufactures. These laser systems have evolved over the last 15 years when I was first involved with the initial research with Coherent Laser, the first laser company to bring laser skin resurfacing to market. At that time the only option was deep laser resurfacing to treat aging changes in the skin. This worked well but resulted in significant downtime and prolonged healing.
Today, technology has advanced to a level that was only dreamed of 15 years ago. We have many different options available and can treat a variety of different problems. The full spectrum of treatments allows everything from no downtime treatments for brown aging spots and redness and flushing, to minimal downtime treatments for aging skin. Deeper lines and more severe aging requires deep resurfacing.
Our Sciton BBL system is a no downtime light treatment that reduces or removes the brown spots that occur with sun damage and aging skin. This also treats the redness that develops in sun damaged skin that is caused by dilated blood vessels. The BBL system is also an excellent treatment option for Rosacea, a skin condition that results in severe redness and flushing of the skin.
Another option is the Profractional laser treatment. This is a minimally invasive treatment that results in increased collagen and rejuvenation of skin aging. After a treatment, the skin appears more healthy and vital with reduced pore size and tightening. This is an excellent treatment for moderate aging as there is minimal downtime of 3 to 4 days with no need for makeup after 4 days. For severe deep lines and severe sun damage, deeper laser resurfacing continues to be the best treatment choice.
I use the Sciton Erbium Laser as it is very effective and has the least amount of downtime. Typically, I use this treatment for the deep lines and textural changes that occur with aging around the mouth or to tighten and remove the wrinkles that develop in the lower eyelid area.
The results are fantastic and patients are very happy but is does require an initial 7 day healing phase. The redness associated with the post treatment often takes 4 to 8 weeks to resolve but can be covered with makeup. To summarize, we have many treatment options available today. During a consultation, I want to find out a patient’s specific treatment goals and from there I can tailor the exact treatment that will achieve the desired result with the least downtime.
