Lasers can do great things. They can remove hair and reverse the signs of aging. They can also dissolve fat as part of a liposuction procedure. But when placed in the wrong hands, they can lead to severe damage.
 
You can liken lasers to heat weapons. If too much energy is applied, bad things like skin burns and scarring can happen. If you are going in for any type of laser procedure, you definitely want to be in trained hands.  You want a physician, a licensed physician assistant, a nurse practitioner or registered nurse doing your procedure. Also, don’t have laser treatments when you are tanned because the laser light is picked up by darker skin pigmentation. Lasers are much less effective on removing unwanted hair or diminishing wrinkles on tanned skin.

During the treatment, if the laser treatment is extremely painful, tell your doctor so he can lower the settings. If after the treatment, your skin is  persistently red or there is blistering, be sure to go right back to your doctor to be treated with the proper healing and lubricating agents to minimize the chance of scarring.

You can consult the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery , the American Academy of Dermatologic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery  or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons  to find a trained physician who can give you the best results.

Dr. Neil Sadick is one of the most renowned dermatologists and researchers whose multiple discoveries have strongly influenced and transformed the future of dermatology. He is a Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College and President of the Cosmetic Surgery Foundation. Dr. Sadick is author, or co-author, of more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has contributed more than 75 chapters of medical books. Read more at www.sadickdermatology.com.

Do you avoid two-piece bathing suits and cover up entirely when you go to the beach or pool, because of aggravated red stretch marks on your abdomen?  Do you avoid certain clothing styles because you don’t want people seeing the silvery stretch marks that appear on your upper arms or décolletage? It doesn’t have to be that way anymore!

Why do I have stretch marks?

Stretch marks are the result of a loss of the body’s normal structural components, including collagen and elastin.  There are five main causes of stretch marks:  pregnancy, growth spurt during adolescence, heavy weight lifting, extreme weight gain/weight loss and medications such as steroid creams or oral steroids. Unfortunately, genetics are also responsible for determining whether you’ll develop them.
  
How can I prevent stretch marks?

Prevent stretch marks during pregnancy by keeping your skin well moisturized at all times.  If you’re genetically susceptible to stretch marks, stay away from oral steroid medications as much as possible and don’t use potent topical steroid creams for conditions like psoriasis and eczema for prolonged periods.
  
What can be done about stretch marks?

While stretch marks have been difficult to treat in the past, we are fortunate to be in an age where there are finally some great treatments available.  There is no magic wand, but now we finally have options that are effective in diminishing the appearance of unwanted stretch marks.  Only topical vitamin A derivatives like Retin-A or Tazorac have shown to be effective in improving the appearance of stretch marks.  However, we do have some new and exciting laser-based technologies, such as the new generation fractional lasers, which after one-to-three treatment sessions can markedly improve the depressed skin, whiteness and redness associated with stretch marks.

Other laser technologies, including pulsed dyed lasers and advanced light source technologies, have also proven helpful in making stretch marks much less visible – giving back the confidence needed to wear that bikini on any upcoming vacations.

Dr. Neil Sadick is one of the most renowned dermatologists and researchers whose multiple discoveries have strongly influenced and transformed the future of dermatology. He is a Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College and President of the Cosmetic Surgery Foundation. Dr. Sadick is author, or co-author, of more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has contributed more than 75 chapters of medical books. Read more at www.sadickdermatology.com.

Plasma Portrait™ is a laser technology that delivers noticeable results by reducing pigmentation, improving fine lines and wrinkles, and perfecting skin’s tone and texture. In addition to leaving skin looking younger and refreshed, Plasma Portrait can also be an effective treatment when used to correct acne scars.

This industry-leading technology is used in a similar fashion to other ablative lasers (which destroy layers of the skin) such as the CO2 and erbium lasers, and new generation fractional technologies (which provide deep heating of the skin) to correct wrinkling, pigmentation, skin smoothing and acne scarring. 

Based on a principle similar to plasma televisions in that it converts plasma into activated nitrogen which acts to gently heat the skin, Plasma Portrait technology has been used in medicine for many years. The advantage of Plasma Portrait over other laser technologies is that it allows the skin to repair itself in a shorter time frame. This leads to less side effects and shorter healing time than experienced with more invasive laser technologies.

Employed under local anesthesia, such as topical anesthetic creams, Plasma Portrait technology can also be used in various treatment modes including a single, high-energy treatment for more significant wrinkling skin pigmentation, skin surface irregularities and skin cancers. Plasma Portrait can also be used at lower settings where up to three treatment sessions can be performed. Under this modality, some patients experience almost no downtime or just a day of mild redness. The high-energy treatment, however, may have three to five days of a minimal sunburn-like reaction, as this technology leaves a layer of skin on the surface intact which acts as a natural wound dressing.

Plasma Portrait is playing a major role in the dermatologic, plastic and cosmetic surgeons’ therapeutic regimens. Associated with significant clinical efficacy and more reliability than many of the non-ablative technologies utilized in the past, Plasma Portrait has become quite popular with patients looking to reduce pigmentation, improve fine lines and wrinkles, enhance tone and texture, and correct acne scars.  With this treatment, skin looks younger and refreshed. 

Dr. Neil Sadick is one of the most renowned dermatologists and researchers whose multiple discoveries have strongly influenced and transformed the future of dermatology. He is a Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College and President of the Cosmetic Surgery Foundation. Dr. Sadick is author, or co-author, of more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has contributed more than 75 chapters of medical books. Read more at www.sadickdermatology.com.

Mesotherapy is a non-surgical treatment for the removal of fat and rejuvenation of skin. Employing multiple injections of pharmaceutical and homeopathic medications, plant extracts, vitamins, and other ingredients into the subcutaneous fat, Mesotherapy produces results.

While Mesotherapy has not yet been approved by the FDA in the United States, treatments have been performed throughout Europe and South America for over 50 years. The treatment is particularly popular in Hollywood where residents seek the best Mesotherapy specialists with proven track records; results generally take several treatments but are long-lasting and visible.

Mesotherapy: The Approaches
There are two different types of injectable approaches which can reduce localized fat deposits on the hips, abdomen and buttocks and improve areas of unsightly cellulite. The first is the utilization of a product commonly used in Europe called Lipostabil. Lipostabil is a combination of two active ingredients – sodium deoxycholate and phosphatidylcholine. The combination of these two emulsifying agents acts as a detergent to actually liquify fat cells when injected, thus improving unwanted bulges.

The second Mesotherapy approach is the injection of biologically-active substances such as aminophylline, isopreterenol, ephedrine, carnitine and herbal preparations, amongst others. These combinations also dissolve unwanted fat cells with a similar emulsifying action. There have been scientific studies published in The Journal of Dermatologic Surgery, regarding the utilization of phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate, showing their clinical effect on destroying fat cells and also in treating benign fatty tumors such as lipomas.

FDA studies are presently underway by a company called Kythera to try to standardize formulations that can be used by the aesthetic practitioner.  Mesotherapy is controversial due to the fact that there are no standard treatment formulations.  The procedure is commonly employed by physicians, such as primary care physicians, who are not traditionally treating aesthetic problems. However, when the right physician has been properly trained, results are phenomenal.  In the past, because of the lack of standardization and improper usage, infection, skin ulcerations and other complications have been reported.

Globally, pending the results of ongoing scientific studies following Mesotherapy, it is likely that this already popular modality will evolve into an effective standardized treatment for unwanted fat deposits.

It is finally possible to achieve professional-like results when using at-home skin care and hair removal products. The best results are experienced when consumers employ novel technologies similar to what dermatologists and plastic surgeons utilize in the office.

Professional quality technologies are now available for all consumers. The major areas where these are used revolve around hair removal, treatment of acne and rejuvenation of aging skin.

There are three main hair removal devices include:

• No!No! – employs a patented thermal heating element called Thermicon. This technology slows down the actively growing cells of the hair follicle
• The Silk’n™- a broad-spectrum light source similar to an IPL (intense pulsed light)
• Tria – diode laser technology

All three employ lower energies than those available in the doctor’s office. Many are FDA-approved and when used for longer periods of time (up to eight -12 weeks) have produced in clinically proven studies, up to 50-60 percent long-term hair removal. Results are almost comparable to what dermatologists are able to achieve in office settings, using higher power, more expensive technologies. The safety and efficacy of these at-home technologies has been proven in many scientific studies through published literature.

For at home acne treatment, there are the Zeno™ and ThermaClear®, which employ heat elements. Under development is the No!No! skin device, which uses a broad-spectrum light heat pulsing technology similar and comparable to what is used in the dermatologist’s office. These three at-home acne treatments help reduce acne forming bacteria, decrease inflammation on the skin and temporarily shrink sebaceous glands.

Ongoing FDA and published studies show similar efficacy with at-home acne treatments as to what can be achieved in the office setting, utilizing topical acne antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, retinoic acid derivative as well in some cases as oral antibiotics.

Anti-aging rejuvenation technologies are also in the exploration stage. Studies are on going using red light LED sources.

There are three exciting ways for consumers to safely treat themselves at home with technologies that deliver near comparable professional results for hair removal, acne treatment and photorejuvenation. The key difference is that at home technology requires longer treatment time intervals.