What are my Laser Treatment Options?
by Margaret in Laser Scar Removal
If you are considering laser scar removal, it’s important to understand the options and how they affect you. There are several different kinds of lasers, although most of them work in the same way. They differ in how much they are able to penetrate the skin, which is important if you have severe scarring. These treatments mainly work by using various wavelengths of lasers with different intensities. All types of lasers used for scar removal are very precise, with a short downtime following treatment.
Nonablative lasers, such as yellow pulse dye lasers and N-Lite lasers, trigger collagen formation under the skin, filling in the scars and reducing redness. Other types, called Ablative lasers, are more commonly used to treat scars by vaporizing the top layers of the skin, like sanding a tabletop. These include the CO2, Erbium, and Nd:YAG lasers. While the CO2 was once commonly used to treat acne scars, it has fallen out of favor for new types of lasers. However, many doctors are still using these older lasers, so make sure you understand the differences in technology before agreeing to a procedure using an older laser. These types of laser are used under various brand names, so be sure to ask your doctor about the technology offered for laser scar removal.
Your doctor will evaluate the type and severity of your scarring to determine which method will work best for you. There are three main types of scars, including keloid, hypertrophic, and atrophic (acne). The lasers have been developed to work on different kinds of scars. Your doctor will help you choose the right one for your situation. Raised scars need a more powerful laser beam, while flatter scars respond to different kinds of lasers.
Your choice will also be affected by which types of laser are offered by the laser treatment center you have chosen, as not all laser scar removal centers use all available types of lasers. For the best results, choose a doctor who understands how to select a laser and adjust the settings for your specific situation; the lasers will not be equally effective on all types of scars.
After your initial treatment, you’ll have the option of additional treatments to further reduce the appearance of the scar. At that point, you can either leave the scar alone if you are satisfied with the results of the first round of laser treatment, or continue to have additional treatments until your scar achieves a satisfactory appearance. Many patients do decide to undergo additional treatments, but you may not decide to, especially if your scar was small to begin with. Some patients undergo as many as 6 or 8 treatments; after several treatments you will begin to see diminishing results from continued treatment.
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2 Responses to “What are my Laser Treatment Options?”
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I have a question. I am of very light complexion, I have old dark brown scats from a burn & a scrape, would laser traetment help. Also do you have real photos of before & after pictures i could see.
Thanks
Hi Rosetta,
The visual impact of scarring from burns can be lessened with laser scar removal. However the success of the treatment does vary from person to person, and is affected not just by their skin tone, but also the age, depth and severity of the scarring suffered.
Photos of before and after treatments can only be shown as a possible outcome of a procedure. I personally do not like to show these images on the Internet as they can give prospective patients an inaccurate expectation of treatment outcome.
It is advisable to only view before and after images while visiting a fully qualified laser professional as they will be able to help you understand how realistic the outcome of the images will be when compared to your circumstances.
Margaret.