Skin is the largest organ of our body and the most visible one too. It performs many functions, starting from sense to protection, it suffers all the environmental stress, the use of harsh products and many other external and internal torments. If you suffer from any problem in any part of the body, the effect will be seen on the skin for sure. Age is another factor that affects the skin.

Whatever may be the problem in body, skin shows it all, especially on the face. Skin conditions include blemishes, acne, wrinkles and uneven skin tone and texture and so on, the list is never-ending. Ageing brings dark circles, sagging skin and wrinkles – which can be treated with anti-wrinkle injections and a host of other conditions. Anti-aging products, topical creams on the market and medications, all promise to evade these skin problems. However, most of these promises remain unfulfilled. That is when people turn to laser treatments. 

The laser is a relatively new technology for the treatment of various skin issues. Earlier, surgical or other more invasive methods were used to treat the skin, leading to long recovery periods or significant risks to the skin. A laser is a specific and focused single wavelength of light, which accurately focuses on small spots with high energy making improvements in the skin with relatively low risk and downtime. 

The laser beam gently vaporizes or ablates the skin tissues to treat wrinkles, scars and blemishes, seal blood vessels or cut skin tissue. Broad spectrum Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) has the ability to specifically treat blood vessels and pigmentation. 

 

Laser is used for the treatment of most skin related concerns, including pigmentation problems, tattoo removal, birthmarks, spider veins, scar reduction, vascular conditions, excessive or unwanted hair growth, skin tightening, improving skin texture, smoker’s line, pucker marks, frown lines and wrinkles.

With new improved and advancing technologies as well as new treatments, many other skin problems and diseases can also be treated.

Our body has the amazing ability to utilise different wavelength or colours of light to heal various skin conditions. There are various kinds of lasers used in laser skin treatment based on wavelength, peaks of the laser light, pulse durations and how the target skin tissue absorbs the light, determine the clinical applications of the laser types.

Lasers can be divided into ablative and non-ablative lasers. Ablative lasers remove the outer layers and tissue stimulating collagen formation. On the other hand, non-ablative lasers or non-wounding lasers treat the tissue beneath the skin without removing it. There are many devices (ablative and non-ablative) on the market that you can choose from such as CO2 Laser, Er: YAG Laser, Pulsed Dye Laser, Nd: Yag Laser – also used for laser hair removal, Alexandrite Laser and Intense Pulsed Light Laser. 

With so many lasers present on the market, it can be quite confusing to know what laser is right for you. Just don’t get caught up on branded ones, rather focus on what kind of treatment you need and what are your skin goals. If you are suffering from sebaceous hyperplasia, then IPL Laser can help treat it. However, for laser and light therapy to be beneficial, you must be the right candidate for that specific device. You should consult your certified skin practitioner or dermatologist as they will better guide you through your laser journey.

These are a few things you need to know about laser skin treatment.