Cosmetic Laser Surgery

The term “laser” stands for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”, in simple words, a laser is a concentrated light beam and can be very powerful. What makes it unique, and very useful, is that the light produced is composed of one single colour at a specific wavelength, unlike a light bulb or flashlight in which the light is made up of a rainbow of colours. Another key difference between lasers and other sources of light is that light from ordinary sources like light bulbs spreads out in all directions, while the light from a laser is very focused and travels in an extremely narrow beam with a high power per unit area. These characteristics give lasers the opportunity to be used in many fields, from cutting and welding metals to laser surgery and skin treatments.

Types of Laser Cosmetic Uses

Acne and Acne Scars:-

For deeper acne scars, the CO2 laser remains the gold standard, although more recent developments such as the erbium YAG, fractional laser and certain nonablative lasers have shown considerable success with superficial acne scarring. For the treatment of active acne, LED technology has proven to be quite effective.

Tattoos:-

The CO2 laser and Nd YAG remain popular for tattoo removal, although some success can also be had with the use of INTENCE PULSED LIGHT.

Hair Removal:-

The success and safety of laser hair removal is highly dependent on the pigment present in both the skin and the hair of the patient being treated. For darker-skinned patients, the Nd:YAG and diode lasers are often the lasers of choice, and for lighter-skinned patients, INTENCE PULSED LIGHT has proved effective.

Vascular Lesions:-

Vascular lesions include broken blood vessels on the face, unsightly spider veins on the legs, spider nevi, hemangiomas, and certain birthmarks such as port wine stains. For these types of skin irregularities, INTENCE PULSED LIGHT is a common choice, as it is minimally invasive. Also popular for treating these lesions are the pulsed dye, Nd:YAG and diode lasers.

Fine Lines and Wrinkles:-

For treating lines and wrinkles, a combination of skin resurfacing and skin-tightening procedures can be used or both can be accomplished with a more aggressive ablative laser, such as a CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser or Erbium YAG. The CO2 laser is also commonly used for the removal of warts and skin tags and for cutting skin in laser-assisted surgery. Pulsed dye lasers have also shown some success, along with less aggressive nonlaser, light-based treatments, such as INTENCE PULSED LIGHT and LED photofacials. (See other light-based cosmetic applications below.)

Skin Tightening:-

Most cosmetic laser procedures provide at least some level of superficial tightening because they produce a controlled injury of the skin, which encourages increased collagen production. For more significant tightening results, however, CO2 lasers are the laser of choice. In addition, there has been much success using nonlaser, light-based treatments, such as Titan infrared devices and Thermage radio-frequency based systems.

Pigmented Lesions:-

The most commonly used lasers for the treatment of pigmented lesions, such as sun spots, age spots, melasma and other forms of hyperpigmentation are the pulsed dye, Nd:YAG, and fractional (Fraxel) lasers, along with nonlaser, light-based treatments, such as INTENCE PULSED LIGHT.

Precancerous Lesions:-

Almost all surgeons agree that cancerous lesions should be removed via scalpel (with a knife during surgery) to ensure clear borders and complete removal. In addition to making sure a skin cancer has "clear margins," this assures that there is a sample for a pathologist to look at to determine exactly what the lesion was. By removing precancerous growths, such as actinic keratoses, before they have a chance to become malignant (squamous cell skin cancers), though, lasers are now routinely being used as a preventative measure. Ablative lasers, such as the CO2 and erbium:YAG, are generally chosen to remove these lesions.

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