Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent?

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Are you confused by all the promises and guarantees out there for “permanent” laser hair removal? Well, quite frankly, so are we! When we see places offering “permanent removal of 100% of your hair”, we have to shake our heads; this just isn’t possible.

Let’s set the record straight about what laser hair removal can and cannot do. First, it can permanently remove hair, but it likely won’t remove every, single hair in the treated area. Instead of “removal”, we like to say “reduction”. Most patients, when treated with the correct device at the appropriate settings, can expect to see anywhere from a 75% to 95% reduction in hair in any area treated with laser. The reason this is so is that our bodies are naturally programmed to heal and regenerate the hair follicles that are damaged by the laser. This means that inevitably, over time, some of the treated hairs will return.

Second, lasers cannot treat fine or light hair effectively. As these hairs are left behind in a treated area, they may over time, turn into darker, coarser hairs due to the inevitable effect of hormones. Lasers don’t change or alter this natural process in any way but only when the hair becomes darker can we remove it permanently.

Lastly, if someone is offering 100% permanent laser hair removal, get that guarantee in writing. For all the reasons listed above, it just isn’t realistic to make this promise. At Celibre, we like to “under-promise” and “over-deliver”. We never make claims or guarantees to our patients that we know are unlikely or remotely possible. Instead, we focus on your education and understanding of the risks and benefits as well as reasonable outcomes for all the procedures we offer and then work hard to give you results that are better than we discussed.

If you’re looking for catchy slogans and flashy deals, you won’t find that here with us. It just isn’t how we operate. But, if you’re interested in laser hair removal done by highly trained, qualified practitioners using the latest, state-of-the-art equipment, then give us a call for your free consultation. We’d love to discuss how we do laser hair removal better than our competition.

Red Birthmark Removal

Treatment |  Cost

If you were born with a red birthmark known as a port wine stain, we understand what you’ve gone through your whole life. These can be really tough birthmarks to live with, because they’re often very visible to others and poorly understood! Celibre Medical has treated many patients with red birthmarks and we are always moved by the stories our patients tell us. From having to explain what it is to everyone you meet, to the long stares, and the difficulties of covering it with makeup, these are just a few of the many trials that you’ve gone through if you were born with this type of red birthmark.

But maybe you’re ready to get rid of it once and for all? Though you’ve dealt with the frustration of having it your whole life, you’re ready to feel comfortable in your own skin and ready to shift your focus off of your port wine stain and onto something else in your life. Celibre Medical can help you. Our FDA-approved pulsed dye laser is extremely safe and effective at removing port wine stains.

What is a Red Birthmark or Port Wine Stain?

The medical term for them is naevus flammeus. They are present at birth and are caused by very dense and malformed blood vessels close to the skin’s surface. They only occur on one side of the body, and although they can appear anywhere on the skin, they usually affect the face and neck area.

Three out of every 1,000 babies is born with a port wine stain. Just like the name implies, they look like a red or purple discoloration or “stain” on the skin. And they are usually flat and uniform in their color and appearance.

They are caused by a random, genetic mutation that occurs during development in the womb, so they don’t tend to “run in families” and they are not caused by anything that your parents may have done or not done during pregnancy.

How Do Lasers Work to Get Rid of Red Birthmarks?

At Celibre, we use both Cynosure and Candela pulsed dye lasers. Because these lasers target the hemoglobin present in blood vessels, it is the perfect go-to for these red to purple colored birthmarks.

Over the years, Celibre has treated thousands of patients with red birthmarks. They can be really difficult and tough to treat. We understand and prepare you for the long road ahead if you’re ready to have yours treated with laser. Because these birthmarks are so packed with blood vessels, they take a lot of treatments spread out over a long period of time. While it can be frustrating and difficult to wait for in our world of instant gratification, our patients tell us that the entire process is totally worth it. Removing your red birthmark with laser is life changing for anyone who decides to go through treatment.

Give us the opportunity to discuss our laser treatment program for red birthmarks with you. If you’re ready, we are here to begin this journey with you. Call us to schedule your free consultation at either of our Los Angeles offices. Don’t live with your unwanted red birthmark another day. Let Celibre Medical be your partner in taking this important step in changing your appearance and your life.

Spider Vein Removal

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

Are you sick and tired of having to hide your legs behind leggings, tights, or pants because of spider veins?  Do you love to wear shorts to exercise or play, but feel too embarrassed by lots of purple and red spider veins? If so, we are here to help you get rid of those pesky veins and get you back to loving your legs again!

Because each person is unique and the reasons we get spider veins are varied, there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. Celibre Medical Corporation proudly offers the two best fixes in the industry to help our patients get rid of spider veins: sclerotherapy and laser spider vein removal.

Sclerotherapy involves a needle that’s used to inject a solution into the unwanted blood vessel that causes it to harden and eventually dissolve away. It’s a sure thing for those larger to medium-sized dilated veins. It definitely works, and because it can be so effective, we will often recommend and perform sclerotherapy for some of our patients who need treatment for larger, ugly spider veins.

But for a lot of patients, sclerotherapy isn’t the only treatment needed. If you think of the venous system in our legs like connected channels of water, the larger to medium-sized veins are like rivers. These will feed smaller channels like creeks and streams. Medium to small-sized veins are like these. Laser treatment is ideal for vessels like this. Think of it this way: sclerotherapy shuts down the larger “feeder” vessels. This will actually enhance the effectiveness of the laser treatment since the blood in these smaller vessels has nowhere else to retreat to! The combination of sclerotherapy and laser treatment is the perfect one-two punch to get your legs back to looking good again.

Don’t spend another minute worrying about embarrassing spider veins! Treating them is faster, easier and more effective than ever. At Celibre, we are proud to offer sclerotherapy and laser removal of spider veins to almost anyone who’s looking to get back glorious-looking gams. If you thought you’d just have to live with your spider veins – think again!

Why Do I Get Spider Veins in the First Place?

Spider veins on our legs are sort of the “tip of the iceberg” type process that outwardly shows is happening in our deeper leg veins, which is otherwise unseen. Our leg veins are designed to take the blood back up to the heart by using a series of valves that channel the blood in a one-way direction. When some of these valves fail, the blood starts moving back in the wrong direction; this causes the small surface veins to dilate with blood making them visible as blue, purple, or reddish vessels or mats of fine vessels.

Some factors such as weight, pregnancy, blood pressure, and overall general health can contribute to developing faulty valves. Unfortunately though, most of the time, the tendency to have bad valves comes down to your genes…thanks, Mom and Dad!

You may be wondering if getting rid of spider veins is dangerous or harmful to the venous system of the legs. Rest assured, it isn’t. These tiny surface vessels are just a minuscule fraction of the very large roadmap of blood vessels that are all interconnected and working together to return the blood back up to the lungs and heart. Even if you knock out a significant number of them, your blood just gets re-routed through the vessels that remain.

How Do Sclerotherapy and Lasers Treat Spider Veins?

Sclerotherapy is a method that’s been used for decades to get rid of unwanted spider veins. It involves the use of a very fine needle that injects a solution into the unwanted blood vessel. The solution causes it to harden and eventually dissolve away. Many advances have been made in the field of sclerotherapy. At Celibre Medical Corporation, we treat our sclerotherapy patients with a solution called Asclera. Asclera is an FDA-approved prescription for sclerotherapy injection, and our patients tell us it is a very comfortable treatment.

Once we’ve knocked out the larger to medium-sized feeder veins, we can go after those smaller, finer vessels with one of our FDA-approved lasers. This targets the blood that fills the tiny spider veins.  No needles are necessary with the lasers, and treatments are only mildly uncomfortable. The heat generated by the laser is targeted and absorbed by the blood in the vessel, which damages it, causing it to harden then dissolve away over time.

Laser treatments for spider veins offer us a great way to treat those really fine blood vessels or mats of spider veins. Because they are so small, it’s really hard to treat them with traditional sclerotherapy. No matter how fine a needle that’s used, it can be really difficult to get the solution into those tiny structures. With a laser, the energy is selectively absorbed by the blood vessels…no matter how tiny they are!

Most of the time, you’ll see improvement in your spider veins after just one treatment with either sclerotherapy or laser! To achieve your best-looking legs, a series of sclerotherapy treatments will be likely. These can usually be spaced out one to two months. With the laser, one to five treatments may be necessary depending on the extent of your spider veins, your skin type, and texture. These are usually spaced apart by about six weeks.

What are the Side Effects of Sclerotherapy?

Because it involves the use of a needle, you may look a little bruised after treatment. If you have a darker skin tone, there is one side effect that can happen after injections. Dark areas known as hemosiderin staining can occur after injections. It is a brownish discoloration that can be left behind. It can be frustrating to get rid of, but thankfully, lasers are up to the task.

Yes, that’s correct. You can very effectively treat hemosiderin staining with lasers that target excess pigmentation. While no one ever intends for this side effect to occur, you have extra peace of mind at Celibre Medical Corporation, as we are well equipped to handle it!

What About the Veins on my Face and Hands?

So, all of this talk about good-looking legs has you wondering about other areas too? You’re in luck because we can help you with almost any unwanted vein or vascular lesion anywhere on your body!

For dilated veins on the face, laser treatment is usually the go-to. It works extremely well, usually in only one to three treatment sessions, and there is virtually no downtime at all. You can even apply makeup on your way out the door after treatment!

The backs of our hands can really age us quickly! As we get older, our hands start to look hollow, which makes our veins and tendons more prominent. You remember your Mom’s hands, don’t you? Well, thankfully, you don’t have to turn into Mom just yet. We can actually use sclerotherapy to treat some of those veins, and when used in combination with a dermal filler product, such as Radiesse, we can recreate lost volume. The results are amazing and they can literally turn back the clock on aging hands.

At Celibre Medical Corporation, we are here to listen to all of your concerns about your unwanted spider veins. Each of our patients is unique; we understand this and carefully consider all these factors when planning your spider vein treatment. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the treatment of spider veins. By expertly performing both sclerotherapy and laser removal of unwanted spider veins, we truly can offer our patients a complete spectrum of effective treatments. We’d love to be your first choice to help you get rid of your embarrassing spider veins. Give us a call today and come in to meet our fantastic providers who can get your legs summer-ready in no time!

Scar Removal

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

Scars can be one of the most psychologically damaging skin lesions. While some people view them as a “badge of honor”, many others see them as a painful reminder of past trauma, illness, or condition, such as cancer or acne. Maybe, your scar is from a C-section or an elective surgery. You may be really happy with the results otherwise, but just wish the scar wasn’t quite so visible. Even when clothing hides a scar, you still know it’s there.

Treatment of scars can be pretty tricky. No two are ever exactly the same. Some are raised, while others are flat or even indented. The color of a scar can vary too from red to dark brown depending on lots of different things. At Celibre Medical, we are experts at the treatment of unwanted scars. Not a lot of other Los Angeles practices can say they specifically focus on this tough problem, but we do. We’ve helped thousands of patients feel better about their unwanted scars, and we are confident we can help you too!

One of the most important aspects of treatment that we focus on when making your plan is what your expectations are. While we’d really love just to make your scar disappear altogether, realistically, that just isn’t possible. But, we have a wide range of technology and tools available at our disposal including surgery, lasers, and injections that can help minimize the appearance of your scar no matter why or how you got it. Our goal is to help you feel the very best you can about your scar, even if we can’t take it away completely.

What Are the Different Types of Scars and Why do They Happen?

Keloid Scars: Keloids are a really difficult type of scar to treat because they tend to take on a life and mind of their own. They are more common in someone with darker skin, such as Asians and African-Americans, but Caucasians can get them too. They are raised, bumpy, dense growths of scar tissue that grow way beyond the original areas of injury or incision. To make things worse, they actually tend to get bigger over time! This makes them very different from other types of scars.

They form because the body heals the area in a really disorganized way that makes too much collagen. And the process continues on well past the time of the original injury. Ears, chests, and backs are common places to see keloids, but people can get them on the scalp and face too. They are difficult to treat even with surgery. Many keloids will simply reoccur even when they are carefully re-excised.

Surgical Scars: Even the most careful of hands can leave an unwanted scar after surgery. The goal of a surgeon is to always try to minimize the scar left behind, but sometimes that doesn’t always go exactly as planned. While not as bad as keloids, these types of scars can be raised, but they stay within the original boundary of the initial incision. A lot of times, they will shrink or fade to become more skin-colored over time, but that’s not always the case.

Pigmented Scars: After an injury like a burn or surgery, or after an inflammation like acne, our skin often shows a red or darkly pigmented spot in the area after it heals. This is totally normal and happens in most people. Unfortunately, it can look worse if you have really fair skin or have a darker complexion. Excess numbers of tiny blood vessels or excess production of melanin (our skin pigment) can cause red or dark scars, respectively. These types of scars can be really difficult to cover up with makeup, especially if they are on the face.

How Can Lasers Help Treat my Unwanted Scar?

Laser technology has given us the ability to improve the color, texture, and overall appearance of many different scars. In the right hands, lasers can make a big difference in the treatment of unwanted scars.

Again, though, it’s important to reiterate here that all scars are different, and they all can be difficult and even tricky to treat effectively. The very last thing you want to do is to put yourself in the hands of someone who will make your scars look worse. Evaluation and treatment is a highly individualized process that needs to be done by an expertly trained practitioner who has treated a wide variety of scars.

Evaluation of your car should include a review of what features you really want to improve with treatment. Is it the color, the texture, or both things that bother you about your car? Often, we will need to touch, see and feel your scar to sort out what types of laser treatments might help you reach your goals. We have lasers that can help with both the color and texture of scars, but after speaking with you and doing a thorough evaluation, we may advise different options for you. Our goal is to create a unique plan of attack based on both the type of scar you have and the treatment goals that we believe will give you the highest satisfaction with your treatment.

Celibre Medical has performed tens of thousands of laser procedures with over 20 state-of-the-art lasers. We’ve helped many people with all sorts of scars look and feel better, and we can do the same for you. Please give us a call today. During our free consultation at either of our Los Angeles offices, we can walk you through step-by-step a plan that’s tailor-made for you. We understand it can be a difficult decision to move forward with the treatment of your unwanted scarring, and we are here to help you do that. We want to help you look and feel you’re very best.

Poikiloderma Removal

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Let’s face it, it’s hard to be as careful as we should be in the sun. While sun exposure is just a fact of life for those of us who enjoy the outdoors, it is just as hard to avoid it in everyday life too.  Even if you consciously avoid the sun, spending a couple of hours in the car every day can add up quickly to hundreds or even thousands of hours of UV exposure over a lifetime. And while most of us are pretty good (or should be) about putting sunscreen on our face every morning, we often forget about our neck and chest, which are often just as exposed as our face to the harmful effects of UV radiation.

Many men and women suffer from a condition called Poikiloderma, which happens when chronic exposure to the sun causes reddish-brown discoloration on the sides of the neck and the chest area. The skin texture in these areas also changes as well, giving it a “leathery” appearance.

A lot of people are really confused about what causes Poikiloderma. A clue that you have it is to take a look at your chest below the neckline of your shirt and the underside of your chin. Because of the sun protection the shirt provides and the shade cast on your neck from your chin in sunlight, the skin in these areas will look pristine compared to skin affected with Poikiloderma. While there may be other factors that cause it too, comparing sun-exposed and non-exposed skin points to chronic UV exposure as the main cause.

How Can I Get Rid of Poikiloderma?

It can be a really tough problem to tackle. It is super important for you to continue to use your daily sunscreen, preferably one with an SPF of at least 30 that is broad-spectrum, meaning that it covers both UVA and UVB rays. Unfortunately, though, sunscreen won’t reverse the signs of sun damage once they’re there.

However, lasers can really help reverse both the redness and brownish discoloration of Poikiloderma. Celibre incorporates two lasers into our treatment regimen: the pulsed-dye laser and the q-switched laser.

Together, these two work synergistically to help erase unwanted discoloration on the neck and chest. The pulsed dye targets the redness, which is really increased vascularity or tiny blood vessels in the skin. The q-switched laser then goes after the brownish discoloration, which is caused by increased melanin or pigment in the skin. Each device has its own, unique target, but when you use them together in tandem, you can really improve the skin’s overall appearance.

We understand how frustrating this problem can be. While it’s not dangerous or harmful to your health, it can really impact your life. Having to wear shirts with certain necklines, or feeling embarrassed to wear jewelry that might draw attention to the area can limit your ability to express yourself the way you’d like. And it’s never fun if a friend or co-worker is constantly asking if you are upset since your skin stays that flushed color no matter how happy you are!

At Celibre, we understand Poikiloderma. There is help for it, and we are here to guide you through that process. If you’ve read this page, you’re well on your way to educating yourself, which is key in understanding if you’re ready for treatment. Give us a call today. We’d love to sit down and talk to you about how we can help you get your skin back to looking clear and get you feeling more confident. We offer absolutely free consultations at either of our Los Angeles offices. Please give us a call today!

Tattoo Removal

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

Regret is a tough thing to live with. And while some of things that we do in life that cause us regret are kept to ourselves, a tattoo can be very different. Some people absolutely LOVE their tattoos! But for others, what seemed like a great way to forever commemorate your 21^st birthday or a decision to get one that was made under less than ideal conditions on a night out with friends can really be a big source of regret later on!

Tattoos can keep you from wearing the types of clothes you love and even cause you embarrassment when you take off your shirt in public or go on a job interview. Look, tattoos have become increasingly popular in the past several years, and not surprisingly, so has tattoo removal! If you’re over your tattoo and looking to get it removed, please read on. We can help you decide to take the next step.

Laser technology in the area of tattoo removal has really evolved and improved. We now have the ability to remove any tattoo, anywhere on the body, regardless of the colors in the tattoo. Caucasian to African-American, we now have lasers that can effectively and permanently remove tattoo ink from any skin type.

How Do Lasers Remove Tattoos?

As you already know, a tattoo is created by the injection of ink into the deeper layers of the skin (the dermis). The particles of ink are very large, and because of this, they can’t be removed by certain types of blood cells in our immune system that normally remove foreign and unwanted things from our body (like viruses, etc.). And to make the tattoo dark enough to be seen in the skin, the artist has to put a lot of ink in the skin, often times layering it.

Because of the tattoo process and amount of ink used, your tattoo is considered permanent. But as you may notice, tattoos can often get dull or blurry over time. Even though it’s an impossible task, the body continuously tries to break down that ink and take it away.

Engineers have ingeniously designed lasers to capitalize on and further enhance the body’s own natural tendency to want to get rid of tattoo ink. Tattoo removal with lasers is really just a way to break down those ink particles into smaller pieces that the body is capable of getting rid of on its own. Think of a chicken breast. You couldn’t pick the whole thing up and eat it in one bite, but if you cut it up into many smaller pieces, you could probably eat the whole thing in 5-10 minutes. The laser acts like the knife to break up the ink particle.

At Celibre Medical Corporation, we only used lasers that are FDA-approved for tattoo removal. And it is not a one-laser-treats-all process. Different lasers with different wavelengths of light energy must be used, depending on the color of the tattoo ink and your skin. All of them, however, rely on an energy amplification called q-switching. Q-switched lasers basically send an energy shockwave into the skin. The ink absorbs some of the energy, and it will literally explode as a result. This explosion is so powerful, that it actually generates another wave of pressure that breaks up other, nearby ink particles too. This is called photoacoustic effect and it was actually discovered by Alexander Graham Bell. So yes, you can thank the creator of the telephone for part of our ability today to get rid of your unwanted tattoo!

Why Does it take So Long to Remove a Tattoo with a Laser?

Unfortunately, what only took a few hours to create in the tattoo parlor can take up to a year or longer to get rid of in the laser room. Laser removal of a tattoo is a long process. But, it works! And if you’re really committed to getting rid of your tattoo, we can help you by creating a plan that get help you quickly and effectively reach that goal.

It’s true, it is not an overnight process. This is because it just takes time to allow the body to do its work in digesting and removing those ink particles. Another thing to consider is that we have to balance the damage we do to the ink with the collateral damage to the surrounding skin. This is a real tightrope walk! While we want to inflict as much damage as we can to the ink, we have to be careful not to overly damage the skin. This is why some people get a permanent scar from laser removal of their tattoo. That’s definitely not a trade off that you want, and really, trading a scar for an unwanted tattoo could completely defeat the purpose of seeking removal in the first place!

Celibre Medical Corporation specializes in the art of laser assisted tattoo removal. Our highly trained laser specialists have successfully treated thousands of people with unwanted tattoos, and we can help you with yours too. If you’ve thought about it and are ready to take the next step, we hope you will give us a call today. We would love to explain our unique and effective process of tattoo removal with you, and walk you through your customized treatment plan to finally get rid of your tattoo once and for all.

Sun Spot Removal

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

We see stars like Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger and marvel at their clear, almost milky, white skin. Gone are the days of Hollywood tans! Pale skin is in. We know enough about the dangerous effects of the sun that there’s no excuse to have a tan these days. But what if the damage was done long ago? What if you’ve always been careful in the sun, but have melasma from pregnancy or birth control? Guess what? There is help for these conditions. Laser treatment for sun spots is a great option for you!

You may have tried and failed treatments like bleaching creams and freezing (or cryotherapy), and thought there was nothing else to do. Well, lasers can help these embarrassing and unwanted sun spot pigmentation problems by fighting them in a totally different way. Lasers are also great for dealing with pigmentation from acne and traumatic scars too! Extremely versatile and highly effective, laser treatment of pigmentation problems can even be permanent in many cases.

Why Do I Get Brown Spots, Sun Spots in the First Place?

Melanin is what gives our skin color. Its made by a special skin cell called a melanocyte. People with darker skin make more melanin than people with light skin. However, the body’s natural defense mechanism against the UV rays of the sun is to make more melanin. Hence, you get a tan if you spend time in the sun. If you get too much radiation, either outside or from indoor tanning, your melanocytes can’t keep up and you will burn.

Sun Spots: If you’ve lived in southern California most of your life, you’re no stranger to the sun. Three hundred of our days yearly are spent with a sun filled sky. While it’s good for the soul, it can really wreak havoc on the skin! Excessive or intense UV radiation, either from the sun or an indoor tanning bed, can cause sun spots.

Sun spots, or lentigines, can pop up anywhere you’re exposed to the sun: the face, ears, scalp, backs of the arms, hands, shoulder, and lips are common places. They’re different from freckles, but they look very similar. Freckles are inherited and they tend to fade in the winter, or when not exposed to the sun. Sun spots stay the same color all the time, and once they are there, they can be hard to get rid of. To add insult to injury, as we age, our skin thins a bit which can make these dark spots look even darker!

Melasma, Acne scar or Traumatic scar pigmentation: Acne scars and melasma commonly affect the face. A traumatic scar can leave a dark spot anywhere! All of these conditions can drive you crazy; they’re hard to cover with make-up and get worse with even a little sun exposure. In these cases, the melanocytes in the skin are reacting to stimulation: hormones in the case of melasma, inflammation in the case of acne and injury in the case of trauma.

No matter what condition you’re dealing with, Celibre’s laser specialists can help you determine which type of laser treatment is best to help you deal with pesky pigmentation problems once and for all. We would love to have the opportunity to meet you, examine your specific pigmentation problem, and together, make a treatment plan using one or more of our state-of-the-art laser devices to help get your skin get back to (or better than) its former self. We have offices conveniently located in Los Angeles that are open flexible hours specifically to help meet the demands of your hectic schedule. No more making excuses; give us a call today!

Stretch Mark Removal

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

Feeling fed up with your stretch marks? Tired of hiding them with shorts or a skirt at the pool? Wish you didn’t have to feel self-conscious every time you look in the mirror? We get it! Stretch marks are a very frustrating but all too common problem that affects many women. Surprisingly, guys do get them too, but just not as often as the gals.

Stretch marks (also known as striae) are often the result of pregnancy (one of few downsides!), but they can also happen during perfectly normal growth and development of puberty for girls as well. Guys trying to bulk up in the gym can also get stretch marks, which kind of defeats the purpose of getting ripped. You want to show it off, not be worried about keeping it covered all the time!

No matter who has them, no one likes stretch marks. And up until a few years ago, there really wasn’t much that could be done to treat them medically. Creams and solutions have been tried, but they really can’t get to the root of the problem. Now, lasers are being used to fight these embarrassing, ugly marks on the skin and doing a pretty good job of making them less noticeable. With laser treatment, you may be able to wear what you want again (or less if you want to too!).

Celibre Medical Corporation has invested a lot of time and training into learning how to successfully treat unwanted stretch marks. We know how frustrating they are for you to have, and we have developed a laser treatment program that can help almost anyone suffering with stretch marks. Take if from us, they can be a very difficult and challenging problem to treat. There are many different types of stretch marks and not everyone responds exactly the same to treatment, so there really is a great deal of expertise needed to use lasers to treat them. But don’t worry, we are totally up to the challenge and well equipped with the latest, up-to-date technology to help you look and feel better about your body.

Why Do I Get Stretch Marks and Why Do they Look So Bad?

Chances are if you’re searching out information of the treatment of stretch marks, then you’ve only just recently developed them. They are those angry red, purple or brown stretch marks that look like streaks on the skin of your tummy, thighs, buttocks or breasts. If you’re a guy, you may have them on your chest, shoulders or arms.

The main reason we get stretch marks is that our bodies grow faster than our skin can keep up with. This is usually the case with pregnancy, puberty and muscle mass. The parts of our skin that give it its flexibility are the collagen and elastin. When the skin can’t keep up, these parts get broken down. This is what leads to the skin texture changes with stretch marks, and is also why they appear indented in the skin.

The redness comes from changes in vascularity or the amount of blood vessels in the skin in the area of a stretch mark. This usually is the case if you have a fair skin type. If your skin is darker, you may have an increase of melanin or skin pigment in the stretch mark, which makes it look dark or brown in color.

The good news is that usually with time, stretch marks will fade. They can look like faint, silvery or white streaks many years after they initially occur. We understand that’s little comfort to you though if you’re dealing with them now and they’re affecting your self-esteem and life negatively. And while no one can really predict who will or won’t get stretch marks, there is a genetic component to them. So understand that there probably wasn’t much you could have done to prevent them. Also know that up to 90% of women get them at some point in their life, so you are definitely not suffering alone!

How Can Laser Treatment Help Me Get Rid of my Stretch Marks?

Like we said above, lots of creams, lotions and gels have been used to fight stretch marks. And while they may have mild success (at best), they really can’t get into the skin to the deeper layers where the collagen, elastin, pigment and blood vessels are which are the reasons they look the way they do. But guess what? Lasers can help with all of these things!

Celibre Medical Corporation has a number of lasers that can be used to stimulate new collagen and elastin and help fade redness and dark discoloration. So if you have textured or colored stretch marks, anywhere on your body, old or new, chances are we have a laser treatment that can help you! Unfortunately, we do not have any treatments currently that can help with flat or white colored stretch marks.

If you’ve wondered what can be done to help fade your stretch marks, and thought about seeking help, we are so glad you’ve found this page. Celibre Medical Corporation is a leader in laser treatment of this frustrating and difficult condition and we are here to help you. Please call to schedule your free consultation today. We would love to meet with you and discuss how our unique laser treatment plan can work for you!

Rosacea Treatments

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Are you embarrassed of always looking embarrassed because of the redness in your face? Tired of everyone asking you “what’s wrong?” all of the time? If so, you may be one of the 16 million Americans suffering with a condition called Rosacea (roh-Zay-sha). At Celibre Medical Corporation, we get it and are here to help you through treatment of this frustrating condition. There are many medical treatments out there for Rosacea, and while they may work great for some people, maybe you’ve tried all the creams or even some of the oral medications and they just haven’t helped. Laser treatment for Rosacea can really make a difference for you!

Celibre Medical Corporation offers Class IV medical laser treatments for Rosacea. These are super effective at reducing the redness that you have because they target the microscopic blood vessels in the skin, which are really the root cause of the redness.

Let us be real with you though for a moment: lasers are not a cure for Rosacea. It’s important that you understand that fact. While they can reduce and improve the outward signs of it, no one has yet discovered a lasting cure for this difficult problem.

What is Rosacea and What Causes It?

Rosacea is a very frustrating, yet common skin condition that causes facial redness, burning, itching, dryness and/or pimples off and on in those who have it. If left completely untreated, long-term, permanent changes of skin texture that can alter the appearance of the nose (rhinophyma) may occur. All of these changes in the skin occur due to an inflammatory process that triggers the skin’s blood vessels to dilate. While no one is totally sure what causes it, there are lots of guesses.

Here is what we do know about Rosacea: it typically runs in families and is diagnosed after the age of 30; it commonly affects those with fair skin who blush easily (Northern European heritage), but can affect anyone with any skin type, and it is a triggered process. This means there are one or more internal or external things that often trigger a flare up, or a dilation of those blood vessels that lead to the uncomfortable and embarrassing redness and discomfort.

What makes Rosacea so tricky to control is that every individual may have his or her own unique set of triggers. Celibre Medical is dedicated to the awareness and education of those who suffer with Rosacea. We understand the process and while we love treating Rosacea patients with our medical grade lasers, we also want you to understand that you too can play a role in controlling the appearance of your skin. We can help educate you on what common triggers are. Things like sun exposure, spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, certain harsh or abrasive skin care products, heavy exercise and tobacco may all be making your Rosacea worse. It’s our priority to take care of you; and we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we only recommended laser Rosacea treatment. We are here to help you understand your condition, and we will be your partners in treating it. By identifying and avoiding triggers, we can help you have better control over your Rosacea and reduce its control over your life!

You Don’t Have to Keep Suffering with Rosacea

If you haven’t heard of the National Rosacea Society, please check out their website. It is absolutely the best resource out there for anyone suffering with Rosacea.

In a 2014 survey they conducted, they found that almost 78% of Americans don’t have any knowledge of Rosacea. So what is everyone thinking of the 16 million Rosacea sufferers that they see walking around everyday? Maybe that they drink too much? Or maybe they think that they don’t eat right or take good care of themselves? The psychological impact of Rosacea can be really devastating to the person who has it! That same study found that 70% of Rosacea patients said that it had lowered their self-confidence and self-esteem, and 41% said that Rosacea had caused them to avoid public contact or cancel social engagements. In those with severe Rosacea, nearly 70% said that it had adversely affected their professional interactions and close to 30% said that they’d missed work due to their condition.

Our practice understands the devastating impact that Rosacea can have on your life. You’re not alone and we can offer you help to get back to feeling good about your face again. Laser treatments can really help your skin look and feel its best, and while they are not a cure, they are extremely effective at managing the signs and symptoms of Rosacea. Please give us a call today and schedule your absolutely free consultation at either of our conveniently located offices in Los Angeles. What are you waiting for? Let Celibre Medical Corporation help you manage your Rosacea today!

Laser Resurfacing

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

Is your skin looking older than it should?  Do you have acne scars that bother you every time you look in the mirror? Do you use the best skincare, avoid the sun and eat right, but feel that your skin has lost its brightness and luster? Or maybe you keep up on your Botox and fillers, but notice that despite all that, you’ve got more sunspots, finer wrinkles or laxity of your skin than you would like? If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, then it may be time to consider laser resurfacing.

When laser resurfacing was first done to treat wrinkles in the late 1980’s, it was kind of a one-size-fits-all procedure. Everyone was treated similarly, regardless of what the particular problem was. The recovery was long and loaded with potential pitfalls that could leave you looking worse than before you started!  In 2016, laser resurfacing is all grown up. The technology is advanced, precise and sophisticated. Today, it’s a treatment that is totally, 100% customizable to each patient.

At Celibre Medical Corporation, we use the term medical laser resurfacing to refer to treatments that renew and rejuvenate the skin. We use over 20 different, state-of-the-art lasers to tailor a treatment targeting any or all of your skin problems. From fine lines and wrinkles, to sun damage or pigmentation, to acne scars and large pores, we can help you find the best treatment to help your skin look smoother, fresher and years younger.

How Does Laser Resurfacing Work?

In very basic terms, laser resurfacing is way to force the skin to heal itself with new, fresh skin. These lasers use energy to “ablate” or remove the skin and/or heat it in order to precisely and accurately create a wound. This process can involve removing the outer layers of skin and damaging the deeper layer, which is where collagen lives, telling the body to make more and replace the damaged or dull surface cells with new, brighter skin.

If you’ve ever worked out at the gym, you know that sore feeling you have the next day. That’s your muscle tissue, which has been damaged by the stress of the exercise. Soon, if you keep it up, your muscles heal and adapt, and end up looking bigger and more toned in the process. You can think of your skin’s response to laser skin resurfacing in the same way. The laser is the exercise and your skin is the muscle. The goal of the treatment is to carefully and precisely injure the skin, and force it to adapt and heal.  The end result is skin that looks firmer, clearer and smoother!

Celibre Medical Corporation is proud to offer the latest in laser resurfacing technology: fractional laser skin resurfacing. Our laser, added in 2013, is the Sciton Profractional. It allows us to dial in more control in the resurfacing process, deliver great results and decrease your downtime. Fractional laser resurfacing technology does this by only removing or damaging a fraction of the skin. This means that in between every pinpoint area of injury, there is a little “island” of normal, healthy skin. Because of this, the skin will heal itself faster than if the entire surface layer was removed. While it used to take weeks to heal with past technologies, fractional treatments can heal in 4-7 days!  And surprisingly, the results are very comparable to treatments that remove the entire outer layer.

What Makes Laser Resurfacing Different than Other Procedures?

The difference with laser resurfacing is the control over the process these lasers allow. Laser resurfacing is a simple yet very precise treatment. Different skin types will require different lasers. And depending on the target problem (wrinkles versus acne scars), the settings on the laser can be adjusted to precisely target the level or layer of skin that can give the most improvement.

While older procedures like dermal-abrasion and deep chemical peels, still have their place, more and more practitioners and patients are turning to laser skin resurfacing instead because it gives better, more consistent results for these tough problems. Because the injury can be targeted to the exact problem level of the skin, treatments are both predictable and effective. While the experience of your laser practitioner still matters a lot, the specificity of these devices helps take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation. Laser resurfacing gives you better, more consistent results.

So what does all this mean to you? It means that we can fully customize a treatment that not only meets your specific needs but also delivers great results. In addition, with our vast array of devices, we can help you choose a technology that fits your recovery schedule.

Laser skin resurfacing is no longer the one-size-fits-all treatment of decades ago. Give us a call today. Celibre Medical is one of the premier laser dermatology facilities in the Los Angeles area with 30 years of experience. One of our laser resurfacing experts would love the opportunity to sit down with you and make a plan to discuss what our laser resurfacing program can do for you.