Cosmetic Lasers: Which Treatment is Right For You?

Plastic and cosmetic surgery rates have been declining since the mid-2000’s. Why? Minimally invasive alternatives have improved dramatically. Nowadays, cosmetic laser treatments effectively and safely treat many cosmetic concerns and medical conditions.

Cosmetic laser treatments have myriad benefits including increased collagen and elastin production; fullness and tightened skin; and, wrinkle and spot elimination. Lasers are effective procedures for cosmetic concerns like anti-aging and rejuvenations, skin tightening and resurfacing, body contouring and smoothing, and the removal of unwanted tattoos, hair, sun damage, and pigmentation. They also effectively treat skin conditions like acne, rosacea, melanoma, and precancerous actinic keratoses.

Despite advancements, no one procedure treats all aspects of our skin. To help you understand which treatment is best for your concerns, Dr. Keel outlines the lasers — and their respective benefits and ideal uses — offered by Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Laser Center of San Diego.

Deep FX/Active FX | Deep FX and Active FX are the most powerful of CO2 lasers, more effective than any other fractional cosmetic laser. Comparatively priced, they are the gold standard of CO2 laser skin tightening and resurfacing. Highly effective in scar removal, Deep FX targets the skin at deeper layers correcting imperfections and tissue from the base. Active FX stimulates collagen production and tightens skin through natural firming and plumping — effectively eliminating mild to severe wrinkles. Dr. Keel customizes depth penetration and energy release to correct each patient’s unique concerns. A custom combination of ActiveFX and DeepFX, known as TotalFX, can yield dramatic results in textural improvement, fullness, scarring, and pigmentation. Benefits include:

• Stimulates collagen production.
• Reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
• Subtly softens deeper wrinkles.
• Most effective acne scarring treatment and corrector available.
• Highly effective in reducing deep scars, burns and pigmentation abnormalities.
• Results can last for years with proper care.
• Immediate results that continue building over six months.
• Minimal surface damage.
• DeepFX delivers immediate skin tightening.
• Smooths and evens skin tone and texture.
• Fractional technology allows for faster healing, decreased side-effects and limited downtime.

VBeam Laser | VBeam is the latest technology designed to treat spider veins and redness from rosacea. Its pulsed dye beam treats dilated blood vessels, returning your skin to normal pigmentation. Normally, patients require multiple initial treatments with one to two maintenance treatments per year.

IPL Treatment | Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) use wavelengths of light to provide effective cosmetic treatment of redness-inducing skin conditions (including rosacea and melasma), sun damage,  and age spots. Benefits include:

• Rejuvenates skin.
• Improves overall skin tone.
• Creates a youthful appearance.
• Eliminates facial redness.
• Quick treatments (approximately 30 minutes).

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) | PDT is a state-of-the-art technology that improves skin damage or discoloration from rosacea, acne scarring, sun damage, or general aging. With the use of a photosensitizing agent and a laser, PDT destroys damaged skin cells and reveals the healthier skin underneath. PDT has replaced liquid nitrogen as the standard of care for skin damage and precancerous actinic keratoses. Benefits include:

• Improves sun-damaged skin, fine lines and blotchy pigmentation.
• Facilitates smoother skin texture.
• Improves overall appearance, tone and color.
• Decreases pore size and oil production.
• Ability to treat an entire area of skin damage.
• Decreases lightening or darkening effect on sun spots.  
• Minimally invasive process with quicker recovery and milder side effects than liquid nitrogen treatments.  
• Great for lighter skinned, fair patients.  

QS Alex Laser | A Q-Switched Alexandrite (QS Alex) Laser is highly effective in removing unwanted age spots, birthmarks or tattoos from the body. The treatment causes precise tissue destruction in a targeted pigmented or tattooed area of nearly any size. One tremendous benefit of this option is that in breaking the pigmentation, surrounding tissue is not damaged and your body begins naturally removing the pigment. Your tattoo, or unwanted pigmentation, continues fading over the course of several treatments until vanishing completely.