People seek acne laser treatment, as it can have a profound effect on their life and boost their self esteem. The most common uses of acne laser treatment are:
Removal of Acne Scars
One of the most commonly used methods of acne scar removal today is acne laser treatment. Acne usually leaves unsightly and/or disfiguring scars after it has been cured. Over the years, dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons have used various techniques to remove these scars. Sanding procedures are used to remove the skin’s topmost layer as well as chemical peels, but these procedures are associated with risks such as infections. Also, the procedures take a long time, are often painful, and the results are not guaranteed. With acne scar removal using laser, no blood is lost and the doctor has complete control over the process.
In most cases, acne scars are removed by the burning of the scarred skin cells using a wand-like laser that the doctor holds in his hand. The burnt skin cells fall off after some time and are replaced by fresh skin cells. The procedure is precise and the surgeon gets to decide how far he wants the laser to penetrate the skin.
Acne scar removal using laser is called laser resurfacing. Erb:Yag lasers and CO2 lasers are used for this.
Treatment of Acne
Laser is short for ‘light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation,’ and the tiny streams of light that are emitted makes it is easy to target the radiation. This makes this method effective in the treatment of acne. The surgeon has control over the intensity of the radiation, which is important because the radiation needs to be strong enough to get all the acne-causing cells and low enough not to damage the surrounding cells.
Some lasers are so precise that they can target the blood vessels causing swelling and the sebaceous gland. This is done without hurting the skin, thereby reducing the chances of scarring. Other than the low risk of scarring, the advantages of acne laser treatment are that very little healing time is required and the root cause of the problem, instead of the symptom, is treated.
For mild acne that is not too deep, ablative laser treatment can be done, but the most common treatments are non-ablative since they are more specific and have fewer side effects. Common names for non-ablative laser treatment are CO2 laser treatment, LuxV, OmniLux Blue and Smoothbeam.
The number of laser treatments needed before complete recovery depends on the severity of the acne and the intensity of laser used. There is often a need for initial treatments and maintenance treatments.
Weigh these pros of laser treatment against the cons, such as the high cost which ranges from $300 to $2500, before seeking treatment, and consider the alternatives. Note that for the best results, it is wise to combine acne laser treatment with other treatments.
