Posts Tagged ‘Laser treatment’

How Does Laser For Acne Scars Work

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about beauty. When you start sharing the fascinating beauty facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Although acne itself doesn’t always lead to scarring, the picking, scratching and squeezing of acne can cause permanent end. The good news is that laser for acne scars is one treatment that can minimize their appearance.

The two primary categories of laser used on depressed acne are ablative ( also referred to as resurfacing ) and non – ablative.

Ablative lasers are the most traditionally used but also the most potentially harmful. These types of lasers literally destroy the outer layers of the skin. They burn away scar tissue which triggers the dermal collagen to tighten. This in genius reduces the amount of scar visibility. This treatment causes the affected area to be very red, sensitive, and problematic until the skin fully heals. And full healing can returns anywhere from several months up to a year so it is important to take care of the wounded area and take measures to deter infection. This is done with soaks, antibiotic ointment, and dressings. The skin that does grow back lacks acne scars or wrinkles. The ultrapulsed carbon dioxide laser and erbium YAG laser are most often used in laser resurfacing.

Nonablative lasers, in contrast, do no damage to the the outer layer of skin. Instead, they diminish acne scars by stimulating collegen growth. While ablative laser treatment only needs to be done one time, the nonablative laser for acne scars must be repeated. Smoothbeam is the one of the newest FDA approved laser for this treatment. This targets and heats the sebaceous gland to reduce sebum which can lead to acne formation. When the collagen is heated, the dermis tightens and scarring is less visible.

Raised acne scars ( called keloids & hypertrophic scars ) require a different sense of laser: the pulsed dye laser ( PDL ). Treatment with a PDL can help reduce the itch and pain, diminish the color, and flatten a raised scar. The PDL involves the use of a concentrated die laughing of light that targets blood vessels in the skin. The light converts to heat and destroys the blood vessel while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged. The laser is considered especially safe because it uses yellow light which results in no long – term skin damage. PDL treatments usually take only a few minutes and no anesthesia is required. Improving the appearance hypertrophic scars or keloids may take take multiple appointments. Although inadequate, the most common bite effect of this type of treatment is bruising. However, this usually clears within 3 – 10 days. Temporary pigmentary changes may also occur but they generally last only a few weeks. At least one month before getting treated with a PDL laser, you should apply Sunblock to the affected area. Tanned skin actually blocks the light of the laser and increases the chances of side effects. Scarring is extremely rare with this laser.

The above information about laser for acne scars does not substitute medical advice given by a health professional.

This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

Preparing for Spider Vein Treatment

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

People dont realize the effect of something unless they are able to experience pain eventually. This is the most usual case that people who are suffering from spider veins. Before, they use to neglect it believing that it wouldnt really affect them in the future. But feeling pain and discomfort now makes them realize that if they have paid attention to it early on, they would not have to undergo an expensive spider vein treatment.

Getting ready for the treatment

Experts say that the most common form of spider vein treatment is through “sclerotherapy.” This involves a combination of laser treatment and injections, which are done, in a series that intends to collapse the vein affected. People who are planning to undergo a spider vein treatment must be very careful before finally deciding because this will ensure the success of the procedure.

Experts say that getting ready for the spider vein treatment is the first way to really cope up with it. This is because it indicates that the person is already ready to face the problem and do something about it. If you want to be prepared before any spider vein treatment, make sure that you:

1. Have conducted research about the procedure. This is a very important thing that you should do because by doing this, you will have an idea what is the treatment options you have, alternative treatments options if you dont prefer sclerotherapy, what are the qualities of the doctor to look for to ensure that you will be safe during and after the procedure, and the possible side effects of the treatment that you have chosen.

Research can be done by surfing the Internet and looking for sites that offer information on the topic, reading materials such as magazines and books that talk about spider vein treatment and by asking a person who have through the procedure how what the treatment before you finally get into it.

2. Have checked if you or your family has a history of other diseases such as perioral herpes. This is because therapy such as prophylactic antiviral therapy is required to be administered to ensure that there will be no more complications.

3. Have prepared comfortable clothing before the treatment. Since it can be painful, patients who are planning to undergo a spider vein treatment must ensure that enough pieces of comfortable clothing is at hand so he or she can recover fast.

4. Have practiced not to eat at certain periods. Before, during, and after the spider vein treatment, eating is strictly prohibited to ensure that he or she will not vomit when the solution takes effect.

5. Have earned enough money for the spider vein treatment. Two of the most common spider vein treatment options that many physicians administer include the “sclerotherapy” and the “laser therapy”. These two uses modern processes as well as modern equipment so expect that you will be paying more than what you have expected from the normal skin procedures. To make sure that you can shoulder the expenses, it is best to prepare for at lest $10, 000 because the price of each session ranges from $200 and $400.

When it comes to laser treatment, prepare at least $15,000 because each session would cost you from $350 to 450. If your case is more severe, it is get an estimate from the physician who will administer the procedure so you can prepare for the cost of the procedure.

The Two Types of Spider Vein Treatment

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Spider veins are not nice to look at regardless of where they may be in the body. It can happen on the face but this usually appears on the legs. Fortunately, this can be remedied and people have to choose from two types of spider vein treatment.

The first is called sclerotherapy also known as spider vein injection. Here, the doctor will inject a scleroic agent into you the affected vein which is designed to make them contract and collapse.

This is done when the patient has medium to large spider veins. It is a painless procedure which is why anesthesia is not given. It is over within 15 to 45 minutes and you will have to go back for two or six more sessions to see its full effect.

Sclerotherapy was first used in Europe and then now being used by doctors in the US. This should only be done by a certified doctor to avoid complications.

The second type of spider vein treatment is laser. Here, the doctor will aim the beam over the spider veins so this will coagulate and shrink. This is very effective when the patient has small and medium sized spider veins.

Patients who decide to use laser surgery should know that you will feel a little pain when the procedure is being performed. Despite that, you dont need to be given any local anesthetic, pain medication or sedative.

In both types, you should expect the spider veins in the skin to get darker and become more visible. Within 2 weeks to a month and a half, this should already start to fade so it is slowly improving.

Some patients who have small, medium and large spider veins have to use combination therapy which consist of sclerotherapy and laser which will greatly reduce the cost for laser treatment.

The cost of sclerotherapy and laser treatment are not that far apart. A session of sclerotherapy may cost between $100 and $400 per session while laser treatment could cost $300-450 per session. But you have to remember that this could go higher depending on the number of veins that have to be treated, the doctor who is performing the procedure and where you are having this done. Doctors who have their own clinic can do it right there instead of having this done in the hospital.

The two types of spider vein treatment have similarities and differences. One cannot be substituted with the other because one type is designed to help patients who have small to medium spider veins while the other is to help treat those who have medium to large spider veins.

Which one will be performed on you will depend on the assessment of your doctor. To help with the cost of this procedure, you should see if your insurance provider will be able to cover it. You should know right now that many insurance companies do not shoulder this expense because their argument is that this is a cosmetic procedure.

While this is true, you can with the help of your doctor argue that you need one of the two types of spider vein treatment for medical reasons. Just remember that this should be backed up by pictures and documents so there is a big chance that your request for this procedure is approved.