5 Types of Laser Treatment
April 15, 2018
Lasers can help you get rid of pretty much any skin concern, from acne scars and unwanted hairs to wrinkles.
Laser treatments have been around since the 60s and have been getting better and better. Different types of lasers are used to treat different conditions, including:
- Unwanted hair
- Acne scars
- Aging skin problems, such as age spots, fine lines and wrinkles on the face
- Birthmarks
- Spider veins
- Droopy, dry, sagging eyelid skin and dark circles
- Improve crow’s feet around the eyes
- Pucker marks and frown lines
- Brown spots and uneven skin color
- Scars
- Uneven skin tone and texture
- Skin tightening
Here are 5 types of laser treatment you should know about:
1. Carbon Dioxide Laser (Co2):
First introduced in the 1960s, this type of laser treatment is still being used for skin rejuvenation. It has largely been replaced with fractional mode lasers, which have fewer side effects and heal faster. It is used to treat conditions like acne scars, deep set wrinkles, birthmarks, and skin tags. It is not apt for darker skin tones.
2. Erbium Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet (Er:YAG):
This type of laser is used to cure pigmentation problems, sun damage, moles and wrinkles on the face, hands, neck or chest with minimal burning of surrounding tissues. With lesser side effects, it heals faster than CO2 Laser treatment.
3. Pulsed Dye Laser:
This treatment is great for treating spider veins, rosacea, and broken capillaries. It treats the skin by targeting the blood vessels directly to shrink them, making the skin less red. While not painful, it does feel like a rubber band snap, and can be used anywhere on the face and body. It needs around 3 to 5 sessions of treatment but results are permanent. The time taken for healing is just a couple of hours, during which the pinkness and the redness subsides.
4. Nd: Yag Laser:
Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet is a crystal that is used as a laser medium for solid-state lasers. These emit a wavelength of high energy light, which when focused on a certain skin condition, creates heat and destroys the diseased cells. This treatment is helpful with skin pigmentation, spider veins, and hair removal.
5. Alexandrite Laser:
If you have sun damage of birth marks, this treatment could be for you. This laser emits wavelength of high energy light that is converted to heat energy in order to damage a specific target area. This laser uses the process of photothermolysis, which means using light (photo) to heat (thermo) a selected area for destruction (lysis). Alexandrite lasers cause very precise tissue destruction of the lesion and leave tissue in the surrounding area undamaged.
To truly understand which laser treatment is right for you, it is important to schedule an appointment with your cosmetic dermatologist.
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