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Because there are many types of <strong”>acne scars there is no single laser that can help with all of them. Three types of lasers used to improve or eliminate acne scars include the CO2/Erbium (for textured acne scars), pulse dye (for red acne scars) and q-switched (for pigmented acne scars).
Erbium/CO2 laser resurfacing is a commonly used treatment for textured <strong”>acne scars. The Erbium and CO2 lasers are designed to resurface the skin by removing the outermost layers or in the case of fractional resurfacing by making small perforations in the skin that remove scar tissue. When the skin regenerates, it develops new collagen that replaces hard, fibrous scar tissue and in the process smooths the texture of the skin. The skin appears smoother and more pliable with a reduced depth and softer edges. Although it is difficult to get rid of textured acne scars altogether, they can be greatly improved with CO2 and Erbium lasers. With several laser resurfacing treatments, textured acne scars can be improved between 25% and 75% on average. Improvement depends on depth of scars, age of scars, age of the patient and the number of treatments.
Pigmented acne scars are treated with different lasers based on their color. In lighter skinned individuals, pigmented acne scars are usually red. They are created by a healing response that brings small blood vessels to the site of the injury. In darker skinned individuals, this same healing response leads to darker acne marks by bringing melanin (the body’s natural pigment) to the site of the injury. Using heat generated by pulsed dye and q-switched lasers, we are able to eliminate the redness or darkness associated with the two types of colored acne scars. The pulse dye laser is attracted to hemoglobin in blood. When used to treat red acne scars, it closes the small blood vessels developed during the healing response, thereby decreasing the redness. In the case of dark skinned individuals, the q-switched laser heats up the melanin (temporary post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation or PIH) that was brought to the site during the healing process. The heat energy of the laser breaks down this excess pigment and allows it to be carried away from the site of the acne lesion, which reduces the appearance of the mark.
Besides laser treatments, there are several other options for acne scar treatments, including subcision with dermal filler injections, punch excision and dermabrasion (not microdermabrasion).
Rosacea is a common, frustrating skin condition affects millions of Americans. While many patients may find relief with prescription medications, many do not. If you’re searching for alternatives to medication, treatment with a pulsed-dye laser can offer you a safe and effective alternative to medications. However, Rosacea is not curable. Laser treatment can calm it and help your skin look more normal, but you will need to have regular maintenance treatments to keep your skin looking its very best.
Pulsed dye lasers target the excessive facial blood vessels associated with Rosacea. Excessive blood vessels are why your skin appears pink or red and why you blush or flush easily. Pulsed dye lasers can safely improve Rosacea, and these work better to clear the redness, but treatments may also leave your skin slightly bruised . We tell our patients that aggressive pulsed dye laser treatments will usually require them to have several days of “social downtime”. This means you stay away from work, school or social activities while the bruises fade.
Rosacea laser treatment before and after pictures
An important factor in aggressive pulsed dye laser treatments for rosacea is your skin type. These types of treatments are normally used with lighter skin types. Darker skin types have an increased risk of unwanted side effects with aggressive pulsed dye laser treatments, so we use them cautiously.
Appropriate Rosacea patients who choose aggressive laser treatments can expect to see dramatic improvement in the appearance of their skin in 3-4 treatments spaced 4 weeks apart. For patients who need or choose normal (non-aggressive) pulsed dye laser treatments, they can expect improvement after 4-6 sessions spaced 4 weeks apart.
Celibre Medical has the laser expertise, equipment and knowledge you’re looking for if you’ve failed other Rosacea treatments and are looking for a safe, effective Rosacea treatment option. We can design and execute a Rosacea laser treatment program that perfectly fits your needs, goals, budget and lifestyle.
Most patients like you with unwanted tattoos are interested in the idea of laser tattoo removal, but are not sure how it works. Before we get too far into the science of tattoo removal, it’s important to understand that it is a very specific and intentional process—much like getting a tattoo in the first place. Lasers designed for tattoo removal use short but extremely powerful bursts of light that specifically target the ink particles of the tattoo without harming (too much) the surrounding skin. This process of preferential absorption into the tattoo ink is known in the laser world as “selective photothermolysis”.
So, how does the process work? The answer lies within the tattoo – a lot of implanted ink. As you might remember when you got your tattoo, your artist used a needle to “push” the ink into the deeper layer of your skin, known as your dermis. These ink particles were likely layered on top of one another to create the image of your tattoo. Normally, your immune system works to remove foreign things like viruses and bacteria. It tries hard to do the same with the ink particles in your tattoo, but they are just too large, so your tattoo remains visible on your skin permanently.
Tattoo removal lasers don’t actually remove the tattoo—they simply break up the ink particles into small enough pieces so that your body can do the removal naturally on its own. This explains why it’s not a single treatment process and why it takes several treatments for optimal tattoo removal.
Not every laser works for tattoo removal. Specifically, a type of laser known as a “q-switched” is best for these treatments. Q-switching is not a specific wavelength of light, but rather a way that light is amplified and made more powerful by the laser. Q-switched lasers utilize different wavelengths of light—which is helpful since different colors of tattoo ink attract different wavelengths.
Laser tattoo removal is a process that is customized for each patient. No two tattoos are exactly alike and neither are two laser tattoo removal programs. Sometimes, what worked for one patient’s tattoo won’t for another, and some tattoos take longer to treat than others and require the use of several different q-switched devices rather than just one.
Most laser tattoo removal can be successfully completed with a series of 5 to 15 treatments spaced 6 to 8 weeks apart. If you have a lot of color in your tattoo, you will likely be on the higher end of this estimate. Dark colors absorb light easily, and are the easiest colors to remove. Dark blue and black respond quickest and red is the next easiest to remove after the dark colors. Other colors including pink, green, light blue, orange and white are more difficult to treat because they don’t absorb light easily. These colors can often take several visits to remove or can require a different type of laser altogether to remove them.
* Tattoo Removal Before and After Photos
Living with an unwanted scar is difficult. It may remind you daily of trauma or an injury that you’d rather forget. The treatment of unwanted scars is varied and can be complex because each scar has its own characteristics. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Finding a practice with the skill and range of technology to treat scars can be challenging.
At Celibre Medical, we offer a range of treatments for scar removal. One of these is laser treatment. We have lasers that can target the individual characteristics of your scar including: redness, brown discoloration, or textural changes such thickness or depression (atrophy). Because the gamut of possible treatments is so broad, it’s hard to answer the question of how many laser treatments are necessary.
In general, we counsel our patients that most will see improvement within three laser treatments. These are spaced about four weeks apart. This is also the minimum number of treatments we’d recommend because it is usually at this point that we can tell if we’re going in the right direction with your treatments or if we need to develop a revised treatment plan.
It’s important to mention that we will never promise complete removal of a scar. Our approach is to evaluate your scar(s) fully, build a treatment plan that we think will work best for you, and then tell you that despite our best efforts, we may not be able to achieve your goals.
Laser scar removal before and after pictures
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You may have research the type of laser treatments you want to have, and are all set to book your first appointment. But do you know who will be holding that laser to your skin? Do you understand his or her training, education and qualifications? Many consumers take so much time focused on the type of laser that they neglect to focus on finding the right laser practitioner. Experience matters in laser dermatology.
So who can perform laser treatments? Each state has its own regulating body that dictates who may perform them. The explosive growth of the laser industry and demand for laser treatments has made it hard for regulatory agencies to keep up legislative guidelines as to who can provide laser treatments.
Some states have no regulation about who can operate a high-powered medical laser, while others are very restrictive allowing only licensed physicians to perform laser procedures. Here in California, there is a balanced approach: licensed physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants may all perform these treatments. However, a licensed physician must oversee a practice in which non-physician providers are operating lasers.
At Celibre Medical, we take this one step further. Our facility serves as a laser training site and provides continuing medical education credits for the California Board of Registered Nursing.
There has never been a more critical time in our industry for the medical community to be proactive in shaping, defining and abiding by the state regulations on laser medicine that are designed to protect you, the consumer. Celibre is proud to set a high standard for excellence in laser safety and patient-centered care.
If you’re looking for a laser practitioner in the Los Angeles or torrance area, we advise you to be vigilant and do your homework. Ensure that your laser practitioner is a licensed medical professional practicing within the legal bounds of their scope of practice. Make sure they have the proper training and experience with the laser, and ask questions about their background, education and track record with the device that you’re considering. Do several consultations to get a feel for the practice and practitioner that’s right for you.
Acne scars come in all different shapes, textures, colors and sizes. In fact, acne scarring is such a common problem that it’s hard to find medical offices that have the technology and experience to treat all the different types. Perhaps you’ve experienced this firsthand and have been told that nothing can help your acne type scars? Celibre Medical wants you to know that that’s just not true. There are many effective acne scarring treatments, but finding the one that’s right for you takes a practitioner who has both the experience and equipment necessary to treat your specific type of scarring.
The most common type of acne scarring that we see is red scarring. Red acne scars can affect anyone with acne, but they can be worse in those with fair or light skin types (colors). The redness is a natural reaction of the skin to the inflammation of the acne, and although it feels like it lasts forever, we promise you it is temporary and gets better on its own with time.
We understand that it’s hard to wait for this improvement to happen. Patience is hard enough in daily life…in acne scarring, it’s impossible! Vascular lasers are an effective, safe way to get rid of red acne scars. The V-beam and V-star are two pulsed dye lasers that work well to remove some of the excess blood vessels that have formed in the skin after acne, triggering red scarring. Following treatment, most people notice the redness fades significantly. But sometimes a series of treatments is necessary to help your skin look normal again and make red areas blend in with your natural skin tone.
You don’t have to live with red acne scars. Stop struggling to cover them up with makeup and come and talk to us more about real, effective solutions for red acne scarring.
Many patients like you who have signs of aging and sun damage are looking for ways to improve their skin. Often they ask how they can erase the telltale signs of aging – wrinkles, freckles and age spots. One patient recently asked us if she should have q-switched laser treatments or microdermabrasion to get rid of her age spots. We wanted to share our conversation with her with you because it highlights an important fact about anti-aging treatments: many consumers are misinformed and fooled into thinking that all cosmetic treatments are alike and can accomplish the same goals.
Let’s start with the q-switched laser. This laser is a class IV medical device that can only be operated by a nurse, mid-level practitioner (NP/PA) or a physician. These lasers are designed to target and destroy excess pigment in the skin. The lasers treat tattoos, brown birthmarks, freckles or age spots. Q-switched lasers are specifically designed to be absorbed by the target pigment and leave the lighter, surrounding skin unchanged. This controlled process creates an injury to the skin exactly where we want it by using light and heat. The laser is an effective way to permanently get rid of excess pigmentation. Once the pigment is cleared away naturally by the body, the skin replaces the injured cells with new, healthy ones that are normal in color.
Microdermabrasion is a completely different type of treatment. The device can be operated by non-medical personnel, like an esthetician. And unlike q-switched lasers, microdermabrasion works by providing exfoliation rather than the removal of pigment. A good analogy is to think of it as sandpapering wood. By “rubbing”, microdermabrasion removes dead skin cells, forcing new ones to come up to the surface faster.
Here is the major difference: q-switched lasers can penetrate the skin down to the lower dermal layer. This distance is roughly 1/10 of an inch. Microdermabrasion can only remove the very top cell layers—about 1/100th of an inch. That’s a HUGE difference! Think about this for a moment: microdermabrasion has no way of reaching that unwanted, excess pigment. It just can’t penetrate the skin deep enough to reach it! Yes, the age spots may look lighter after microdermabrasion, but this is a temporary phenomenon, not a permanent change to the skin. And remember, microdermabrasion is a “rubbing” mechanism. Even if you “rub” harder or deeper, you can’t permanently get rid of pigment this way. In short, microdermabrasion just isn’t an effective treatment for pigmentation problems.
Our goal in sharing this information with you isn’t to tell you there is no place for microdermabrasion in our industry. Rather, our point is simply that treatments need to be matched to the primary task at hand to achieve the best outcome. We understand that the price point of these treatments are different, but we also know that the results are as well. Why pay for something that can’t do what you want? Is that wiser than spending more on an effective treatment?
At Celibre Medical, we are committed to offering only those treatments for which we can achieve at least an 80% patient satisfaction rate. For brown spot removal, that treatment is q-switched lasers.
Liver Spot Removal Before and After Photos
Los Angeles Age Spot Removal Free Consultations
Are you seeing spots? Not in your eyes, but on the skin around them? If so, you may have syringoma. These are tiny, almost pinpoint, skin-colored bumps that pop up in your teens or twenties on the skin around and/or beneath your eyes. They don’t hurt and they typically don’t change with time, but unfortunately, they don’t go away on their own either.
Women tend to get them more and often notice them when their under-eye concealer or makeup won’t hide them. Even though they’re harmless, most people with syringoma would like a way to remove them.
As of now, there are only two ways to effectively remove these: electrodessication and class IV medical lasers. Electrodessication uses a very fine needle that harnesses a small electrical current to “burn” or “zap” the syringoma. It is not always effective at removing them as it is highly dependent on the practitioner’s technical skill and experience with it.
The erbium micro laser peel is an ablative laser treatment that can more effectively remove the skin and glandular tissue of syringoma. It’s a very delicate procedure and extreme care is taken as we are treating the thin, sensitive skin of the eyelids. If you’re a candidate for treatment, it can be a great way to get rid of these unwelcome, unwanted spots around the eyes.
If you’re not sure exactly what a port wine stain is, then chances are you don’t have one. These are small to large, red or purple birthmarks that can be almost any shape and are commonly located on the face, although they can affect any part of the body. They are usually present at birth.
The color of a port wine stain comes from an overgrowth of capillaries in the affected skin. These extra capillaries aren’t needed for proper function, so port wine stains can be treated or “removed” with lasers without harming the skin at all. Class IV medical lasers are a great tool to remove these birthmarks.
The specific type of laser that is used is the pulsed dye laser. It works by targeting the blood inside of the capillaries. The capillary walls are heated by the energy of the laser and it triggers them to collapse or “coagulate”. This stops more blood from filling up the capillary and over time, it is reabsorbed by the body. With each laser treatment, more and more capillaries are removed and slowly, the port wine stain will begin to lighten and disappear. Successful treatment takes time; usually a series of 6 to 12 laser treatments is necessary to completely remove one.
Even today, pulsed dye laser treatment of port wine stains is still considered the best, “gold standard” treatment available. For someone affected with this birthmark, the results are often life changing.
Have your legs officially gone into hiding? Are you embarrassed or worried about the appearance of spider veins? If so, you’re not alone. This is a common problem for about half of all people over the age of 50.
The medical term for small veins is “telangectasias”. Spider veins is a descriptive term because these blood vessels often look like a tangled mass of fine threads, much like a spider’s web. Unlike larger varicose veins that bulge out above the skin’s surface, spider veins are flat and even with your skin.
So, what exactly causes spider veins? There are many factors that increase your risk for spider veins, and pregnancy, obesity, or being on your feet all the time are just a few. The biggest influence is genetics. If they run in your family, then you’re likely to develop them.
Leg veins are designed to function like a one-way road: blood is supplied to the legs via the arteries and is supposed to flow back up through your leg veins to your heart and lungs. The blood return to the heart occurs against the pull of gravity. To counteract gravity,, your leg veins have a series of one-way valves that keep the blood from settling downward. Genetics can make these valves “leaky.” When this happens, blood flows in the opposite direction that it’s supposed to, pressure increases, and the veins become larger and more visible.
Spider veins can also show up on your face (cheeks and nose are common).In the face, these changes are often triggered by sun damage which causes the capillaries to enlarge and your skin to thin. Spider veins on the face are not related to the valve problems we discussed above.
Spider veins are rarely a medical problem, but more often a cosmetic concern. Luckily, good treatments exist! Class IV medical lasers offer you great results with little discomfort or downtime. These lasers can be used anywhere on the body and are safe for any skin type (color). While you might need a series of treatments to get rid of all your unwanted spider veins, laser treatment is very effective and gives most people amazing results.
It certainly can be. And until the advent of laser technology, there simply wasn’t an effective option to help people who had unwanted brown birthmarks. An important part of understanding what birthmark laser treatment can do for you is to have the right expectations.
Just like the variety you see in birthmarks (colors, sizes, shapes, location), the results can vary from person to person too. Unfortunately, we can’t predict who will have complete removal of their birthmark versus significant fading. We also see rare cases where after successful laser treatment of an unwanted birthmark, it returns. This usually happens within the first one to three years following treatment, and the most common factor among those who experience this is sun exposure.
We let our patients know that it’s difficult to predict exactly how many treatments it will take to see optimal results. This is because the pigment in the skin may be at several different levels. We counsel our patients that treatment of birthmarks with laser removal is very individualized. Improvement after each session can help us better determine your response to treatment, but it may take some time to see how effective the laser treatment will be for you and better give us an idea of how many sessions it will take.
Lastly, our practice has only licensed nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physicians who evaluate and perform laser birthmark removal. Always have your birthmark evaluated by a licensed medical professional before you start laser birthmark removal. A crucial part of successful treatment of any condition is having the proper diagnosis from the start.
Celibre uses q-switched and Erbium fractionated laser technology to treat pigmented birthmarks. These lasers are safe for any skin type (color), and treatments generally take less than 10 minutes.
If you have a brown birthmark, we have an option for removal. We’ve helped thousands of patients with their birthmark and we can help you. Through our extensive experience, we’ve honed our skills, knowledge and expertise in this area. We can help you decide if pursuing laser treatment for your birthmark is the right choice for you.
That tattoo that seemed like a good idea at the moment may not feel like such a good idea at a later time. If and when that becomes the case, class IV medical lasers offer a good option for long awaited tattoo removal.
The laser technology is fascinating and quite advanced. By using high powered, “Q-Switched lasers”, we are able to actually fragment the tattoo ink particles, breaking them apart. In this way that the body’s lymphatic system can then absorb and process the pigment over next several weeks.
All skin types (light to dark-skinned) can have their tattoos removed with lasers.
No. There are many factors involved in determining how quickly a tattoo will respond to laser tattoo removal treatments. Although some patients believe that their older tattoos should be less challenging, the ink has already faded (something the body and sun exposure does over time regardless of laser treatments) which makes it more challenging to find the right energy for the ink to respond to while being safe at the same time. Newer, professional tattoos tend to have higher quality, more dense ink which may require many treatments to obtain good results. Very new tattoos are treatable as long as the area has completely healed. Sometimes, very new tattoos obtain excellent results because treatments begin before ink has begun to shift in the skin/tissue.
Yes. Often, patients are not aware of what type of ink or substance was used when they received the tattoo. Certain ink (ex: Indian ink) may represent more of a challenge or can resolve more quickly than expected. The number of treatments required for laser tattoo removal is variable and has a lot to do with the type of ink that was used.
Most colors are treatable with the correct laser wavelength and the correct fluence (energy) with dark ink being the least challenging. The patient’s skin type also determines what treatment settings are safe and appropriate. Colors that are challenging are purple, yellow, and orange. Red pigment is treatable with a shorter laser wavelength which may represent a risk to those patients that are dark-skinned. Colors that are difficult and may not be treatable with current laser technology are those that lack enough pigment such as peach and white.
Yes – there is no way getting around that fact. Most patients will say that the treatment hurts as much or more removing the tattoo versus having it put on. However, the positive to this is that the laser treatment is generally very fast – much more so than having the tattoo put on. At Celibre, we offer two forms of numbing cream as well as a machine that provides very cold air to the area during treatment. Any discomfort ends when the treatment ends.
At Celibre, our protocol is to wait six weeks between treatments to allow for complete healing. Also, research supports that it generally requires six weeks for the body’s lymphatic system to completely clear the fragmented ink from the treated area. Performing treatments any sooner is not advisable as the laser may be treating the same ink particles that have yet not cleared from the area. We believe that following this protocol is in the best interest of our patients.
A common belief is that the tattoo will fade consistently and uniformly. On the contrary, pigment will fade quickly in some areas but may take longer in others. A “breaking up” of the pigment is usually what is observed initially. Each treatment should render slow but progressive progress. Using photos throughout the process will offer encouragement that things are moving forward.
This is a frequent question because patients do not fully understand the process of laser tattoo removal. The length of time required to receive optimal results is in part due to treatments being spaced six weeks apart. Some patients request to have treatments more frequently, but this would not only be unsafe, but a waste of their time and money. Another misconception is that by turning up the energy to its highest setting – the results will be accelerated. Not only does this not offer a more effective treatment but actually causing more harm to the epidermis, increasing the potential for scarring. A good practitioner will use effective but safe settings with each and every treatment. There are very specific skin and tissue reactions that the nurse or physician observes to be confident that the appropriate outcome is achieved.
What the patient does at home is extremely important in minimizing potential adverse outcomes. Wearing sunscreen daily to the treated area is mandatory while receiving laser treatments in order to minimize any discoloration to this area. Complete sun avoidance is necessary during the healing phase following each treatment which is generally less than a week. Keeping the area protected by clothing or a bandage will easily accomplish this during the short time of healing. Blistering following a treatment is not a desirable endpoint but is sometimes unavoidable. Not picking at the healing skin will minimize the risk for scarring. Sometimes, a lightening of the treated area (hypopigmentation) is observed. Although this is not common, it is necessary to avoid treatments to this area as well as sun exposure in order to allow the body to repigment the skin.
It is difficult for the laser tattoo removal practitioner to predict the number of treatments required for optimal results because there is no way to determine how the ink will respond. A wide range in the number of treatments should be expected such as six to ten or more treatments. By using the term “optimal results”, it is suggested that there may be a point wherein the tattoo ink is no longer responding even at the highest energy/fluence available. A correct, realistic expectation should be dramatic fading if not complete resolution.
At Celibre, we believe in setting the correct expectations by offering necessary patient education and involvement in the process. Our nursing staff is highly trained in delivering effective yet safe treatments for all skin types. We utilize the most advanced Q-Switched lasers for laser tattoo removal, and we stay on the forefront of research for all of the services that we offer. Visit celibre.com/tattoos for more information.
Poikiloderma is a term that is used to describe sun damage (photo-damage or photo-aging) to the sides of the neck and chest area. Photo-damage leads to brown and red discoloration that gives a rough or ruddy appearance to the skin on the chest.
As the texture of the skin on their chest changes, our female patients complain of a leathery look and feel to the skin. This leathery feel, combined with brown and/or red damage is what is commonly referred to as Poikiloderma.
Usually, a combination of lasers is used for effective Poikiloderma treatments. One laser is for redness while another is for brown sun damage. The patient’s skin type (color) is an important factor in determining how many laser treatments may be required for optimal poikiloderma results.
Some skin types are safe for aggressive pulsed dye laser treatments whereas others are more safely treated with non-aggressive treatments. Generally speaking, most patients receive good outcomes with a minimum of 6 “no downtime” treatments.
This is a question that we hear all the time from our patients! We think it’s great that more and more people are forgoing the tanning bed and the sun and opting for the much safer choice of a self-tan instead. Although it may be the safer choice regarding your risk of developing skin cancer, it still isn’t safe to have a fake tan and do any type of laser treatment.
Even though self-tanning and suntans are totally different, a laser cannot differentiate the two. Here’s why: self-tanners basically work by depositing a “stain” into the very top layers of your skin. A real tan (from the sun or artificial UV light) develops when your pigment cells, or melanocytes, are stimulated by UV light to make more melanin or pigment, gradually darkening the color of your skin over time.
Totally different, right? Yes, but lasers work by targeting excess melanin – which is why they work for removing hair, sun spots or scars which all contain it. Obviously, you don’t want a natural tan during this process as the excess melanin in the skin competes with the melanin in what you want to remove with the laser. The “color” or “stain” of the self-tanner however, can do exactly the same thing. Even though it’s not melanin, laser technology is just not smart enough yet to be able to distinguish the two and tell the difference. When too much laser energy is concentrated into the upper layers of skin, a burn can develop. This can lead to unwanted scars and darker discoloration.
We always complement our patients who’ve given up the sun for good. It can be really hard, but in the end, your skin will thank you for it. But if you’re considering having a laser procedure, you will need to avoid all self-tanners for at least two weeks prior to your treatment. This gives you enough time to completely fade (or exfoliate) anything that’s there and ensures that you have the safest, most effective laser treatment possible.
Laser hair removal before and after pictures
Lori Ishii Haney, RN, MEP-C
Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer
Laser dermatology is a relatively young, but quickly growing field. Until about 2005, it may have been difficult to find a “laser center” that offered multiple different laser technologies and procedures. But, if you’re thinking that practicing laser medicine is “easy” since everyone’s doing it…. think again! Laser medicine requires a significant amount of training and knowledge as well as numerous different devices to do it well and get it right. Laser physics is complicated, and for many practitioners, very confusing. At Celibre, it’s what we do best.
We believe that the foundation for a successful laser dermatology practice is educating you. We’ve created this page to help you better understand the principals involved in laser treatments. We understand that it’s confusing and we also know there is a lot of misinformation out there—both on the internet and at laser dermatology practices. So, let’s talk a bit about what lasers are and why they work on so many different types of skin problems.
Lasers use light energy. Without going too far back to high school physics, remember that light travels in waves. Each color of light has a specific, unique wavelength. Visible light (the rainbow) is a range or spectrum of wavelengths that when reflected off an object hit the back of our eye (the retina) and are translated to a “color” by our brain. There are laser wavelengths that we cannot see as well. Examples would be infrared and ultraviolet light. These wavelengths are outside of the range of what the human eye (and brain) can see. Together, all wavelengths are called the electromagnetic spectrum.
Now, back to lasers. The reason dermatology lasers are so powerful is because each device is designed to utilize and amplify one, single type of light. This is also why lasers work to target one, particular type of skin problem.
For example, a certain type of orange light has a wavelength of 590 nanometers (590 billionths of a meter) and it is highly attracted to hemoglobin, the part of your red blood cells that binds to oxygen. Pulsed dye lasers use this wavelength of light to treat various skin conditions that involve unwanted blood vessels like Rosacea or vascular (red) birthmarks like Port Wine Stains. Because this light energy is preferentially absorbed by unwanted blood vessels, it does not affect the rest of the skin.
The idea of specifically targeting single structures (like melanin, hemoglobin or water) with single wavelengths of light is known as “selective photothermolysis”. This is the basis of all laser medicine, and explains why a laser dermatology practice really needs multiple, different devices to really provide a broad range of effective laser services for a variety of skin conditions. Each laser (ideally) should be good at treating one or two different but related conditions.
At Celibre Medical, we use over 20 different laser devices to treat almost any cosmetic skin condition. We choose only the very best device for your unwanted skin condition, and our practitioners have years of expertise with each of our lasers.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to laser medicine, so be wary of a facility that claims it can treat “anything” effectively, but only has one or two lasers. Armed with a very basic knowledge of laser medicine, you can better decide with practice offers the technology and specification that you’re looking for to best help you with your skin.
