Laser Light Rejuvenation Treatment

Woman during a laser light treatment
 
Q: What is laser light rejuvenation? Can it make me look younger?
 
A: Laser light rejuvenation is a treatment using a specially designed medical laser to soften and/or remove cells in the skin. This has the effect of diminishing the signs of aging (such as wrinkles and skin discolorations) and treating various forms of skin damage as well as removing some scar tissue (such as those from acne scarring).
 
The term “laser” stands for ‘Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation’. They work by producing intense beams of bright light that are focused in one direction. Most medical lasers used for skin rejuvenation are administered using hand-held devices which emit pulses of light as opposed to continuous beams. These tools allow the dermatologist to control the depth and area of the skin being affected, enabling him to treat deeper problems as well as delicate areas of the face such as those tissues around the eyes.
 
The laser rejuvenation treatments use one of two types of laser: ablative and non-ablative. Ablative lasers work by destroying the upper layers of cells of the skin and stimulating the production of collagen in the lower layers of dermal cells. This results in plumper, more-youthful skin surfacing as the skin heals.
 
Non-ablative lasers are more popular because they often require little to no healing time. The non-ablative layer works by bypassing the surface skin layers and treating the layers underneath. One popular non-ablative laser type uses infra-red light which penetrates into the skin and stimulates collagen production and causes contraction and tightening of the skin.
 
Because they are less intense, they require less healing time, but also require multiple sessions and it can take several weeks after the final session before optimal results are seen.
 
These are a few of the conditions that can be treated by laser rejuvenation and some of the general benefits to be derived from the treatments:
 
Conditions Treatable:
 
• Improve fine lines and wrinkles of the face, especially on the upper lip, cheeks, and forehead
 
• Smooth and tighten eyelid skin
 
• Improve crow’s feet around the eyes
 
• Soften pucker marks and frown lines
 
• Remove brown spots and splotchy skin color
 
• Improve and flatten scars
 
• Repair smoker’s lines
 
General Benefits:
 
• Improved treatment results
 
• Relatively bloodless surgery
 
• Precisely controlled surgery
 
• An additional or alternative to other skin rejuvenating procedures
 
• Safe, reliable, and effective out-patient, same-day surgery
 
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Photo: Evgeniy Kalinovskiy/Shutterstock
 
See also:
 
Skin care
 
Signs and causes of aging skin