LASER TREATMENTS FOR HAIR, ACNE AND BLOOD VESSELS
At cosmetic MD, we use the current generation of Fotona lasers, one of the most powerful and sophisticated laser systems in the world, for our laser treatments.
At cosmetic MD, we use the current generation of Fotona lasers, one of the most powerful and sophisticated laser systems in the world, for our laser treatments.
LASER HAIR REMOVAL
How does Laser Hair Removal work?
The laser targets the pigment, melanin, which is found in your hair shaft and follicle. Laser energy is absorbed by the melanin which then travels down to the follicle dispersing its thermal energy. This introduces rapid heating in the hair follicle which, in most cases, permanently damages the follicle. The hair shaft falls out over the next few days. In addition, bulk heating of the skin tissue by the deeply penetrating Nd-YAG wavelength damages follicle cells which have higher metabolic rates than the surrounding skin.
Your hair follicles are all in different stages of their growth cycle at any particular time. When they are in the actively growing phase, anagen, they have a hair shaft and are metabolically active. This is the target part of the growth cycle for laser hair reduction. In the dormant phase, telogen, the follicle has no hair shaft, and is essentially invisible to laser light as there is no pigment and very low metabolic rates.
New hair growth after a laser hair reduction treatment involves dormant follicles coming into a new anagen phase and does not represent failure of the initial treatments.
There is little or no melanin in white, blonde or grey hair and so laser hair reduction is much less effective for these colours.
How does Laser Hair Removal work?
The laser targets the pigment, melanin, which is found in your hair shaft and follicle. Laser energy is absorbed by the melanin which then travels down to the follicle dispersing its thermal energy. This introduces rapid heating in the hair follicle which, in most cases, permanently damages the follicle. The hair shaft falls out over the next few days. In addition, bulk heating of the skin tissue by the deeply penetrating Nd-YAG wavelength damages follicle cells which have higher metabolic rates than the surrounding skin.
Your hair follicles are all in different stages of their growth cycle at any particular time. When they are in the actively growing phase, anagen, they have a hair shaft and are metabolically active. This is the target part of the growth cycle for laser hair reduction. In the dormant phase, telogen, the follicle has no hair shaft, and is essentially invisible to laser light as there is no pigment and very low metabolic rates.
New hair growth after a laser hair reduction treatment involves dormant follicles coming into a new anagen phase and does not represent failure of the initial treatments.
There is little or no melanin in white, blonde or grey hair and so laser hair reduction is much less effective for these colours.
For the more technically minded, please visit our Laser Technical Page for a more detailed explanation of how lasers work in cosmetic medicine.
Am I Suitable For Treatment?
Clients who have a lighter skin with darker hair will see the best results due to the difference in melanin content between the skin and the hair.
Certain medications can cause photosensitivity reactions (that is, reactions of the skin to light exposure). Our laser technicians will perform a patch test and check any medication you may be taking during your consultation to ascertain if there would be any chance of an adverse reaction to the laser.
It is also important to avoid tanning prior to a laser hair reduction treatment.
Why Choose Laser treatments over IPL?
Although Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments can be effective (especially for patients with dark hair and light skin combinations), laser technology is generally more effective and the safest way for permanent hair reduction.
Unlike lasers which delivers a concentrated, collimated beam of a single wavelength, IPL light energy consists of a broad range of wavelengths that can be reflected or dispersed by different pigment targets in the skin. Less energy is delivered to the target compared with a laser. Generally, you will require more repeat treatments with IPL than with laser.
What can I expect after the treatment?
There is no real downtime with this treatment, most people return directly to work or normal activity following treatment. It can take up to 2 weeks to see the full effect, but some patients start to notice improvements after a few days.
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To find out more about these procedures, go to our Contact page to send cosmetic MD an email or call us to organise a consultation.
For post-treatment instructions, please visit the Post-Treatment Instructions page.
The following photos are courtesy of Fotona’s international consultant laser specialists.
LASER ACNE TREATMENT
What is acne?
Acne is one of the most common of all skin problems, characterised by pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. In severe cases, deeper infected lesions can be seen. Severe acne can cause permanent scarring of the skin. The disfigurement can cause significant social problems.
Acne is an inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous glands in the skin. It affects mostly the face, upper chest, back and shoulders. Although acne occurs mostly in the teen years, adults can get acne too sometimes causing significant emotional stress. In addition, it can sometimes be disfiguring and leave scarring, which can affect the patient’s confidence and self esteem. Treating acne is important.
Age, hormones, medications, cosmetics, the environment and stress all have an impact on the sebaceous glands.
How do you treat acne?
In mild to moderate acne, topical treatment is usually effective. Topical skin creams can be used to control or dry the sebaceous glands and treat the bacterial infection. A series of Hydrafacial MD skin treatments, light chemical peels or course of cosmetic MD skin care can be useful in addressing mild acne.
Moderate to severe acne usually requires oral treatments. These include oral antibiotics, hormones and in some cases, stronger drugs able to be prescribed only by dermatologists.
Recently, lasers been increasingly used to control infection, reduce inflammation, and improve acne scarring by gently heating the sebaceous gland, reducing oil production, and contributing to the overall long-term remission of the disease.
Since the skin is affected by the environment, diet, and lifestyle choices, it is important to ensure that attention is paid to proper diet, and good skin care using non-comedogenic products.
During your consultation, we will work with you to determine the right course of action that’s best for you.
How does laser work for acne?
Fotona’s Nd:YAG laser is perfectly suited for the prevention and early reduction of acne inflammation. Laser light reduces the inflammation and infection in the skin causing the acne. The laser treatment helps to reduce the severity of current and future breakouts. Some patients can see significant reduction of active acne lesions with a single treatment but many may require additional sessions. Any skin type or colour may be safely and effectively treated.
What is acne?
Acne is one of the most common of all skin problems, characterised by pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. In severe cases, deeper infected lesions can be seen. Severe acne can cause permanent scarring of the skin. The disfigurement can cause significant social problems.
Acne is an inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous glands in the skin. It affects mostly the face, upper chest, back and shoulders. Although acne occurs mostly in the teen years, adults can get acne too sometimes causing significant emotional stress. In addition, it can sometimes be disfiguring and leave scarring, which can affect the patient’s confidence and self esteem. Treating acne is important.
Age, hormones, medications, cosmetics, the environment and stress all have an impact on the sebaceous glands.
How do you treat acne?
In mild to moderate acne, topical treatment is usually effective. Topical skin creams can be used to control or dry the sebaceous glands and treat the bacterial infection. A series of Hydrafacial MD skin treatments, light chemical peels or course of cosmetic MD skin care can be useful in addressing mild acne.
Moderate to severe acne usually requires oral treatments. These include oral antibiotics, hormones and in some cases, stronger drugs able to be prescribed only by dermatologists.
Recently, lasers been increasingly used to control infection, reduce inflammation, and improve acne scarring by gently heating the sebaceous gland, reducing oil production, and contributing to the overall long-term remission of the disease.
Since the skin is affected by the environment, diet, and lifestyle choices, it is important to ensure that attention is paid to proper diet, and good skin care using non-comedogenic products.
During your consultation, we will work with you to determine the right course of action that’s best for you.
How does laser work for acne?
Fotona’s Nd:YAG laser is perfectly suited for the prevention and early reduction of acne inflammation. Laser light reduces the inflammation and infection in the skin causing the acne. The laser treatment helps to reduce the severity of current and future breakouts. Some patients can see significant reduction of active acne lesions with a single treatment but many may require additional sessions. Any skin type or colour may be safely and effectively treated.
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To find out more about these procedures, go to our Contact page to send cosmetic MD an email or call us to organise a consultation.
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The following photos are courtesy of Fotona’s international consultant physicians.
LASER VASCULAR TREATMENT
How does laser treat blood vessels?
Similar to the mechanism of laser hair reduction, the pigment in blood is the target of our laser. The laser light passes through the upper layers of skin until it reaches the target. Without damaging the surrounding skin, the laser’s intense light is absorbed by the targeted blood cells in the blood vessel. The light energy is then converted to heat which rapidly breaks down the blood cells and creates a clot within the blood vessel. This starts the process of eliminating the vein. The treated vessel will gradually fade or get smaller. In many cases, smaller vessels are eliminated in 1 to 2 treatments. Medium or larger vessels may take additional treatments.
What areas can be treated?
Laser treatment can be utilised for small facial areas, the entire face or anywhere on the surface of the body with small vessels. Individual vessels can be targeted or a full face treatment can be performed.
Many people suffer from larger “broken capillaries” on their nose and cheeks and will have medium and smaller vessels on other facial areas. A full-face treatment will improve the overall facial appearance by creating a more uniform skin colour.
What happens in a laser vessel treatment?
Treatments on the face, chest, neck, hands, legs, and abdomen are all done safely and quickly with laser.
A full-face treatment typically takes around 20 to 40 minutes. Smaller areas, such as the nose, can be treated in 15 minutes.
In some cases a topical anaesthetic cream is first applied to numb the treatment area. For a short period of time following treatment, a cold compress may be applied to soothe the possible appearance of slight swelling or redness of the skin.
How many treatments are required?
During your consultation, your skin’s condition will be evaluated and a customised treatment program will be discussed. In some cases, only 1 or 2 treatments may be necessary to yield the desired result. However, in some cases, 3 to 5 or more treatments may be required to achieve the expected results.
The number of treatment sessions will depend on the type of veins to be treated, the location of the veins and their size and colour. In many cases, it is recommended that treatments applied to the face be repeated at 3 to 4 week intervals. The time intervals of your treatments will be determined during the consultation, where many of these issues and concerns may be addressed.
Are there any side effects?
Side effects are uncommon. Immediately following treatment, the skin may appear a little swollen, flushed, brown-pigmented spots may appear darker, and capillaries may be more visible. Note that the treated vessels may disappear initially or become darker first and then resolve.
The following photographs show the resolution of a cherry angioma with our Fotona laser.
How does laser treat blood vessels?
Similar to the mechanism of laser hair reduction, the pigment in blood is the target of our laser. The laser light passes through the upper layers of skin until it reaches the target. Without damaging the surrounding skin, the laser’s intense light is absorbed by the targeted blood cells in the blood vessel. The light energy is then converted to heat which rapidly breaks down the blood cells and creates a clot within the blood vessel. This starts the process of eliminating the vein. The treated vessel will gradually fade or get smaller. In many cases, smaller vessels are eliminated in 1 to 2 treatments. Medium or larger vessels may take additional treatments.
What areas can be treated?
Laser treatment can be utilised for small facial areas, the entire face or anywhere on the surface of the body with small vessels. Individual vessels can be targeted or a full face treatment can be performed.
Many people suffer from larger “broken capillaries” on their nose and cheeks and will have medium and smaller vessels on other facial areas. A full-face treatment will improve the overall facial appearance by creating a more uniform skin colour.
What happens in a laser vessel treatment?
Treatments on the face, chest, neck, hands, legs, and abdomen are all done safely and quickly with laser.
A full-face treatment typically takes around 20 to 40 minutes. Smaller areas, such as the nose, can be treated in 15 minutes.
In some cases a topical anaesthetic cream is first applied to numb the treatment area. For a short period of time following treatment, a cold compress may be applied to soothe the possible appearance of slight swelling or redness of the skin.
How many treatments are required?
During your consultation, your skin’s condition will be evaluated and a customised treatment program will be discussed. In some cases, only 1 or 2 treatments may be necessary to yield the desired result. However, in some cases, 3 to 5 or more treatments may be required to achieve the expected results.
The number of treatment sessions will depend on the type of veins to be treated, the location of the veins and their size and colour. In many cases, it is recommended that treatments applied to the face be repeated at 3 to 4 week intervals. The time intervals of your treatments will be determined during the consultation, where many of these issues and concerns may be addressed.
Are there any side effects?
Side effects are uncommon. Immediately following treatment, the skin may appear a little swollen, flushed, brown-pigmented spots may appear darker, and capillaries may be more visible. Note that the treated vessels may disappear initially or become darker first and then resolve.
The following photographs show the resolution of a cherry angioma with our Fotona laser.
To find out more about these procedures, go to our Contact page to send cosmetic MD an email or call us to organise a consultation.
FACIAL VASCULAR TREATMENT WITH A FOTONA LASER
ACNE TREATMENT (courtesy Fotona, Laser and Health Academy, Ljubljana)