During the past decade, the field of dermatology has seen enormous growth in the field of energy technologies that can make your skin look younger and healthier. There are so many acronyms and “brand names” in the field that patients can often be overwhelmed with information. We thought it would be useful to provide readers with a general background on the latest dermatology technology.
IPL or Photofacial
Intense Pulsed Light (or IPL) is also known as a “photofacial” -- and these treatments use a broad spectrum of light, as opposed to a single wavelength of light emitted by a laser. IPL treatments require very little downtime and don’t penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin. This form of energy is used to treat brown spots, uneven skin tone, age spots and enlarged blood vessels. These types of treatments can take anywhere from 3-5 treatments to get the full effect.
Fractional Laser Resurfacing
Lasers use a single wavelength of light and have had many applications in medicine for years. The older, heavy-duty CO2 lasers actually removed the entire surface of the skin, which then allowed new skin to grow back and eventually gave an excellent result. But patients never liked the raw red face that would sometimes last for weeks after the procedure. The latest advance in laser technology is Fractional Resurfacing -- where a laser light is broken up into separate “microbeams” that treat only a portion of the skin’s surface. Since only a limited portion is treated at a time, patients have dramatically reduced downtime, and can return to their work and families in a day or two. The end result is an improvement in the appearance of age spots, wrinkles, and fine lines, and gives more youthful appearance. It may take several treatments to achieve the desired result and typically causes more redness and downtime than an IPL, but can have more dramatic results.
Infrared Light
Infrared light is invisible and can penetrate deeply into the skin. Using light energy to stimulate new collagen growth deep beneath your skin's surface, this treatment heats the skin to create collagen contraction, and stimulates long-term collagen rebuilding. The infrared light can help tighten the skin so that gravity changes are softened, fine wrinkles are less obvious and pores are shrunken. It is often used to treat sagging neck and jawlines. Infrared treatments do rely on collagen production and contraction, so the results often depend on the individual response of the patient’s body.
Radiofrequency
Radiofrequency uses electromagnetic waves that penetrate into the skin, and can cause collagen contraction and stimulate production of new collagen in a similar fashion as infrared light. Radiofrequency can be combined with infrared light and mechanical vaccum in newer devices such as Velashape which is a new treatment in body contouring that can result in cellulite reduction and smoother, tighter skin.
So, the next time you see a laser device advertised in a magazine or paper, you will better understand how the technology is affecting you and your skin.
Posts
