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June 2006 – Laser Treatments
Laser Energy Treats Many Skin ProblemsIn recent years, lasers, high-energy light source, have played an increasing role in medical and cosmetic treatments. For skin problems, lasers can be used to remove age spots, wrinkles, unwanted hair, spider veins and many other skin disorders.
The effectiveness of cosmetic laser procedures depends on choosing the right wavelength of laser energy for the targeted tissue. The beam of light, with a specified wavelength, is targeted at the type of body tissue being treated.
For example:
- For hair removal, the laser targets the melanin (dark pigment) in the hair follicle.
- For wrinkle reduction and treatment of acne scars, the laser targets and damages cells near the skin surface.
- To treat vascular lesions, including spider veins, the laser is directed at the blood vessels.
When the beam of energy reaches its target, it is absorbed and converted into heat. The heat inactivates or destroys cells in the target area without affecting other cells around it.
“A laser treats skin at a deeper level than other types of skin treatments and can have the same effect in one procedure as many procedures of other treatments,” said Kimberly Spitz, RN, BSN, certified plastic surgical nurse specialist and manager of Cascadia MediSpa, a service of Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Plastic Surgery Center. “Today, lasers can be used to treat more types of skin problems than ever before, with no to minimal recovery time.”
According to Spitz, laser treatment for the skin can:
- Stimulate the growth of collagen to address wrinkles
- Cauterize blood vessels to reduce their appearance
- Diminish sun spots
Two types of lasers are used for cosmetic skin treatment:
- An ablative laser can remove aged, damaged skin while tightening and refreshing healthy skin. Medical College of Wisconsin plastic surgeons John Hijjawi, MD; Robert Whitfield, MD; William Dzwierzynski, MD; Hani Matloub, MD; and David Larson, MD, are trained in using this type of laser.
- Non-ablative lasers are used to heat a certain color area of the skin, and can be used by anyone (physicians, nurses, aestheticians) who is certified to use this type of laser.
Lasers can correct a wide range of skin conditions including:
- Wrinkles and sun-damaged skin
- Age spots
- Moles
- Café-au-lait maculae (benign, congenital, pigmented skin lesions)
- Brown spots, freckles and birth marks
- Acne scars and other types of scars
- Keratoses (excessive growth of the top layer of skin cells)
- Enlarged pores
- Poikiloderma (extra pigmentation of the skin)
- Burn erythema (redness resulting from inflammation such as sunburn)
- Unwanted hair
- Epidermal nevi (lesions)
Lasers are also effective in treating vascular problems such as flushing/redness, spider veins, red spots (hemangiomas), unsightly broken or dilated blood vessels, rosacea, port wine stains, and telangiectasia (facial veins).
During treatment, people often describe the laser energy on their skin as feeling like a rubber band snap or a warm sensation as the light is absorbed by the targeted areas. For most procedures, an average of three treatments is done, with three weeks between treatments. This is often followed by maintenance treatments once or twice a year.
“Down time varies after treatment; depending on the treatment, some people can go back to work or home right away.” Spitz said. “Afterwards, there may be moderate to heavy redness, which will fade.”
Cascadia MediSpa offers true health care for the skin. In addition to offering treatments typically found at resort health spas (rejuvenation and resurfacing of the skin, body wraps, cosmetic therapies, facials and specialty makeup), Cascadia MediSpa provides a comprehensive medical approach to skin care. Staff members include a clinical nurse specialist, licensed clinical aestheticians and plastic surgeons
Author: Marla Fraunfelder Date: June 1, 2006 Online Editor(s): Christopher Sadler
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