Laser Skin Revitalization & Rejuvenation
What Causes the Skin to Age?
We are always searching for the “Fountain of Youth”, and the answer to what causes the skin to age.
There are 2 major reasons for the skin to age – Intrinsic and Extrinsic. Intrinsic refers to the internal, less controllable factors – our genetic programming and predisposition.
Extrinsic are the external controllable factors such as sun exposure, smoking, sleep patterns, exercise habits, diet, stress, lifestyle factors and the choices we make.
Since our skin is the largest and most visible living organ in the body, it responds to both internal and external factors. Everything we do or put in to our bodies along with the environment have an impact on our skin.
Although cells do have the ability to repair themselves, as we age the skin slows down its renewal process. It reduces its production of elastin and collagen, the main structural proteins in the dermis. With less support, the skin can sag due to gravity. Common area for this to occur are the face, neck, jowls, upper arms and abdomen. Photoaged skin becomes lined and wrinkled, thicker, leathery, pigmented, and sometimes blemished.
What can we do to turn back the clock on skin laxity and photoaged skin? What can we do to cause textural changes and softening of the skin? What can we do to breathe life back into the skin? Although every individual is a product of their heredity and some types of facial aging are inevitable, a great majority are preventable, avoidable and correctable.
The best approach to treating these problems is to stimulate the collagen and elastin in the dermis. Stimulating new elastin and collagen growth will plump up the surface of the skin, fill out fine lines and wrinkles and greatly improve the appearance of aging skin.
When aging is not an option–the answer is…
The Cynosure PicoSure Laser– Fractional lasers specifically target a structure or tissue with laser energy to damage the target while allowing the surrounding area to remain unharmed. The fractional lasers use wavelengths to ablate or coagulate the tissue in columns deep within the dermis. This damages only certain fibroblasts and allows the unharmed ones to heal the injured skin and produce elastin, collagen and new cells. The untreated area is necessary for the healing process.
The Cynosure PicoSure Laser is an unparalleled innovation in laser technology. There is no other laser like it. And we have it!
In the past lasers have relied on intense heat energy. The PicoSure delivers ultra short bursts of energy (Pressure Waves) to the skin in trillionths of a second. The power of its FOCUS LENS ARRAY is unprecedented. The Focus Lens Array is comprised of hundreds of micro lenses per square centimeter which redistribute the PicoSure pulse into highly concentrated beams of energy that were never before possible. The laser light delivers passes using a feathering-painting technique in a multidirectional pattern. This results in gentler yet greater disruption of the target for better results with fewer treatments, less fluence, and without injury to the surrounding skin. In addition, there is little discomfort and no down time. Patients appreciate the fast treatments, allowing them to return quickly to regular activities.
The PicoSure leading edge technologies reach deeply into the skin’s sub-layers (epidermal pigment, mid dermal wrinkles, and deep dermal laxity) treating the support structures. Then the body’s natural healing process sweeps away the older damaged tissue and rebuilds it with fresh new elastin and collagen. These are the crucial building blocks of youthful looking skin. This results in an increased density of new collagen and thickness of new elastin fibers which result in fuller, plumper skin. This, in turn, produces a reduction or elimination of fine to moderate lines and wrinkles and decreased pore size. The skin will show improvement in texture and tone, have a healthier appearance, as well as a more youthful, smoother look. Faces are tighter and more refined. Age spots are eradicated within 3 visits. Using the PicoSure Laser is a fast and effective way to easily treat uneven skin color. The results are consistent. The revitalization on aging hands is amazing. Hands plump up and age spots are gone.
Non ablative fractional lasers have no need for post-operative wound care. Patients have the opportunity to return to work and achieve great results without downtime and risks. The only difference between ablative and non-ablative treatments is that non ablative requires multiple treatments to reach the desired endpoint.
A series of 4-6 treatments is recommended for optimal results at 2-4 week intervals. Side effects are few – temporary redness and swelling that typically resolves in less than an hour. In some cases, the redness may last for 24 hours. Treated skin is sensitive to sunlight exposure. Patients should use sunscreen daily before and after treatment to achieve the best possible outcome.
PicoSure has multiple treatment applications:
- Dramatic Skin Rejuvenation/Revitalization on the Face, Neck, Hands, Arms, Chest
- Reduction or Elimination of Fine to Moderate Lines and Wrinkles
- Shrinkage and reduction of Pore Size
- Elimination of Pigmented Lesions – Brown Spots, Sun Spots. Age Spots – Melasma
- Smooth and Improve Acne Scars
- Promotes deep tissue tightening
- Improves skin texture and tone
