Minimally Invasive (15)
The Profractional Laser Treatment produces thousands of tiny but deep columns of treatment in your skin. This treatment eliminates old epidermal pigmented cells. It also penetrates deeply into the deeper skin (dermis). Just as important, though, are the areas of skin the Profractional laser leaves untouched. For every zone the laser targets and treats intensively, it leaves the surrounding tissue unaffected and intact. This type of treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, using the bodies natural healing process to create new, healthy tissue to replace skin imperfections.
This laser is used to treat wrinkling (rhytides) around the mouth, eyes, and other places on the face. It has also been used to improve acne scars, as well as remove age and liver spots, freckles, keratoses and other growths and conditions.
Treatments only take a few minutes and are performed in the doctor’s office with just a topical anesthetic. Treatment plans depend on the extent of the wrinkles, scarring, and/or age spots, however, on average 3 to 4 treatments are needed spaced approximately 2- 3 weeks apart. After the treatment, the area is pink similar to a mild sunburn. Make-up can be applied and the pinkness typically resolves in 2-3 days.
After treatment with the Profractional laser, your skin will become smoother, softer, and fresher with an overall more youthful appearance. Your skin will continue to improve for several months even after your treatments are completed.
We all can look in the mirror and find something wrong with our skin, a wrinkle or spider vein here, sun damage, rosacea or acne scars there. But most of us don’t know that there are painless, quick procedures available that reverse and repair all of these problems.
A revolutionary procedure can solve multiple problems without having to endure pain, give up a lot of your time or face a long and painful recovery. Photorejuvenation is a new, laser-like procedure that uses pulses of light to treat sun damage, wrinkles, rosacea, spider veins, reduce pore size, treat acne scarring and restore the skin’s youthful elasticity.
Mark Nestor, M.D., Ph.D., with the Center for Cosmetic Enhancement® in Aventura says this procedure does just what its name says, it rejuvenates the skin. “We can dramatically improve the signs of aging, sun damage and rosacea in the time it takes for you to eat lunch,” Dr. Nestor says. “What’s even more impressive is that there is virtually no pain associated with the procedure, and no recovery time needed. You can return to work immediately.” For the busy lifestyle that most of us lead today, this is very important.
The light pulses penetrate the skin, working deep within the collagen underneath. The pulses work over a period of time to restore the natural elasticity of your skin and to improve its pigment, pores and overall appearance. Patients will need approximately 5 treatments in order to experience the best results. This process eliminates the need for recovery, and allows the patient to continue with their day-to-day activities without pain, discomfort or adverse visible changes.
PhotoDynamic Therapy (PDT) is a safe, effective, non-surgical procedure used to treat a variety of skin conditions including acne, rosacea, sun-damage, scars, wrinkles, large pores, and actinic keratosis (Aks), an early potential sign of skin cancer.
How Does PDT Work?
A clear, painless solution of a photosensitizing agent called ALA or Levulan is applied to the skin. Approximately 30 to 60 minutes later the solution is activated by specific wavelengths of intense light. This effect activates the porphyrins in the bacteria resulting in a photodynamic effect killing bacteria as well as abnormal cells, while leaving healthy skin unharmed.
What Is The Treatment Like And How Many Are Needed?
Treatment is performed at your doctor’s office and takes about one hour. A topical anesthesia is applied for patients with sensitive skin prior to the procedure. Treatments are typically spaced in two to three week intervals, although the actual number of treatments, treatment time, and treatment intervals will vary depending on your condition.
What Is Recovery Like?
After treatment, your pain level should be minimal to nonexistent and you may resume your normal activities immediately. The skin may appear flushed, brown spots may appear darker and tiny veins may be more visible. This will decrease over the next several hours.
What Are The Results And Benefits I Can Expect?
After each treatment, you will experience improvement in skin tone and texture. You will notice a decrease in the overall redness and flushing. Sunspots will fade and pore sizes will shrink. Fine lines and wrinkles will gradually decrease in size as new collagen forms beneath the skin. These improvements will continue to increase after each treatment ultimately providing you with smoother, healthier, younger-looking skin.
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New Laser Technology
Today, several new laser techniques are available to treat a wide variety of scars and stretch marks. The laser's energy stimulates the skin under the scar and causes the fibroblasts in the skin to divide again. It also stimulates the production of collagen. This thickens the skin under the scar until it closely resembles the surrounding normal skin.
Do laser scar and stretch mark treatments hurt?
Most patients do not require anesthetic. Some patients have indicated that they feel a slight tingling when the laser pulses, or that the laser pulse feels like the snap of a rubber band against the skin.
What should you expect after treatment?
Results vary from patient to patient and may not be immediate. Results from laser scar and stretch mark treatment are generally progressive and may require multiple treatments. If you respond to the first treatment, your second treatment will usually be as good as the first, and the third will be almost as good. About 70% of patients receiving laser treatments for their stretch marks notice a marked improvement. Newer and shallower stretch marks and scars respond better than older and deeper scars and stretch marks. To enhance the results of your laser treatments your surgeon may recommend the use of tretinoin cream or a glycolic acid cream prior to and after your laser treatments.
Do laser treatments work?
Our current laser technology has been shown to improve or eliminate red or raised scars. Recent studies have demonstrated that laser treatments stimulate the production of collagen and improve or eliminate the appearance of stretch marks.
Additional studies show that the appearance of stretch marks continues to improve over a period of time ranging from 3 to 6 months after the laser treatment was given. Even these treatments that showed little if any initial improvement showed as much as a 50% improvement at their 6 month checkup.
Does the treatment cause discoloration?
The skin in the immediate treatment area may red for up to two weeks, but it does not usually cause any discoloration or other markings on the skin. The low power setting of the laser only stimulates the skin and does not harm any healthy tissue.
Who are the best candidates for laser scar and stretch mark removal?
The patients that respond the best to laser treatments for scars and stretch marks are those with:
- Fair complexion and light pigmentation
- Shallow scars or stretch marks
What else can lasers treat?
Lasers are used to treat a variety of skin conditions including:
- Aging Skin
- Sun-Damaged Skin
- Birthmarks
- Port Wine Stains
- Spider Veins
- Hair Removal
- Tattoo Removal
- Wart Removal
With time facial skin begins to show signs of wear and tear. Lines and creases appear while skin begins to loosen and sag. Age spots may also appear. The effects of sun, smoking, stress, poor nutrition, pollution and alcohol all accelerate the aging process.
Laser Resurfacing is one way to erase the ravages of time on delicate skin. Lasers are particularly effective to remove fine lines, treat scars and reverse the effects of sun damage.
How Does Laser Resurfacing Work?
LASER stands for Light Amplified by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Medical lasers use an intense beam of light to gently remove the outer layers of skin that have been damaged by sun, wind, pollutants and time. This beam of light is so concentrated and precise that it does not affect the tissue surrounding the targeted area. With lasers, physicians can achieve dramatic results by uncovering new, undamaged skin.
There are several types of lasers used to resurface the skin. Two types of lasers are currently in use for Laser Resurfacing: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Erbium. Indications and results are similar for both types. With the Erbium laser, recovery time is much shorter than the CO2. Your physician will discuss the benefits of each with you to determine the best laser treatment for your skin.
Local anesthesia is usually sufficient. For more extensive treatments, IV sedation may be used to prevent discomfort.
Am I a Good Candidate for Laser Resurfacing?
Lasers are commonly used to successfully treat age spots, freckles, moles, keloids, tattoos, certain types of skin cancers and other skin growths. There is some risk of pigmentation disturbance with darker skin tones.
Various factors contribute to whether or not you are a good candidate for Laser Resurfacing. Your physician will consider all medical history, age, skin type, skin pigmentation and desired results before recommending Laser Resurfacing.
What Can I Expect After Laser Resurfacing?
Recovery after Laser Resurfacing typically takes one to three weeks. The skin must be kept moist for seven to ten days with ointments and/or bandages. After the first week, the remaining redness can be covered with cosmetics until it fades. After a few weeks, the skin will fade to a normal tone and will have a softer, fresher look.
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Spider Veins or telangiectasias are facial veins caused by a dilation of capillary vessels or arterioles. They may be visible through the skin or result in a red, blue or purple appearance of the skin.
Laser light has been used to treat vascular lesions like spider veins for several years. The laser eliminates unattractive spider veins with the gentle action of a light beam. This beam of light delivers heat to the spider veins causing destruction of the blood vessel. The mild and precise treatment characteristics of the laser provide consistent results. In most cases, treatments are performed without the need for anesthesia.
The laser treatments are very safe and have been used for millions of treatments worldwide. Some bruising or redness may occur following a treatment. The risk of scarring is minimal. The laser may be used in combination with Injection Sclerotherapy.
Typically, multiple treatments are necessary to achieve optimal results. Smaller vessels usually require two to three treatments. Veins, which are more difficult to remove, require more treatments. The treatments are spaced at four to six week intervals.
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Intense laser light has been used to treat vascular lesions for many years. A vascular lesion is an abnormal collection of small blood vessels at the surface of the skin, causing a visible spot or patch. The Cynosure Pulse Dye Laser can be used on port wine stains, red marks, hemangiomas, rosacea, spider veins and other vascular lesions of the skin.
The pulse dye laser functions by targeting the problem blood vessels while leaving the surrounding skin unaffected. This laser uses energy that travels through the skin resulting in its absorption by the blood within the vessel. The resultant heat causes coagulation of the vessel thereby destroying its function. Over time, the body absorbs the vessel which then disappears.
On average, patients require two treatments spaced four weeks apart. However, patients with port wine stains or larger hemangiomas may require multiple treatments. There is some minor discomfort associated with the procedure, however, an air-cooling device is used to minimize this.
A Non-Surgical Solution For Younger, Smoother Looking Skin
Effects of Heredity and Time
We were all born with smooth baby soft skin. As we go through life our skin becomes a road map showing the effects of where we been and what we have done. Even if we have taken care of our skin, many of us are affected by childhood and adolescent diseases while heredity and gravity always take their toll.
Exposure to the sun, use of alcohol, smoking, and nutrition all accelerate the signs of aging. Moles, warts keratoses, scars from disease or facial trauma may further affect our skin and may even affect the way we perceive ourselves.
Chemical peels and dermabrasion have been the primary means of reducing these undesirable effects. However, because they are limited in safety and control, there is a significant risk of scarring and the cosmetic results are frequently unpredictable.
Derma Peel
Derma Peel is a revolutionary new skin restoration process, commonly referred to as "the lunch time peel" because the procedure takes only minutes to perform and most people can return to work immediately. Used at exclusive European spas, this unique skin rejuvenation technique has recently received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.
The Derma Peel procedure uses highly controlled vacuum and pressure to move microscopically abrasive crystals over the surface of the skin. This action causes little or no discomfort while it gently removes the outer layer of skin. By repeating this process several times over the course of several weeks or months, the younger softer skin moves to the surface, revealing significant textural and color changes.
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Matrix RF Fractional Skin Resurfacing is a safe and effective procedure to refresh and revitalize your skin by diminishing the appearance of fine lines and/or acne scars on the face. Through a series of 3-4 treatments, radiofrequency energy is directed to tiny matrix spots in the deep skin. This allows treatment of targeted areas while leaving surrounding tissue intact. This type of fractional treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, using the body’s natural healing process to create new, healthy tissue to improve skin imperfections. Matrix RF is effective for the reduction of mild to moderate fine lines, as well as improvement in skin irregularities such as acne scarring.
SmartLipo™ is a new laser-assisted liposuction technique that simultaneously destroys fat cells and tightens skin. FDA-approved SmartLipo offers a faster, safer and less invasive alternative to other liposuction methods, with fewer side effects and a shorter recovery time.
SmartLipo™ achieves dramatic results by delivering Nd:YAG laser energy through a small incision to localized fat deposits on the face and body. The laser not only ruptures fat cells, which then drain away harmlessly, it also coagulates tissue on contact, stimulating collagen production for tighter skin and resulting in less bleeding. Fat removal can usually be done in a single 45- to 60-minute treatment with local anesthesia.
