With so many skin laser treatments being offered in the market, people with skin problems like acne and/or scarring need to be informed what treatment matches which skin problem. Skin laser treatments are more expensive than the usual facial cleaning so self-assessment is needed to determine whether it would be the best route to take. Examine skin for wrinkles, freckles, sun spots, discoloration, scars, or redness. If any of the following mentioned are persistent and troublesome, visit a dermatologist. Below is a list of laser treatments and the appropriate skin condition to treat it with. 1. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) IPL is one of the most preferred options by men and women alike for hair removal and photorejuvenation. With hair removal, the broad spectrum light utilizing specific wavelengths is applied to the skin surface usually with a handheld wand. The light from the wand targets the root of the hair, converts light into heat and instantly vaporizes the hair shafts. Another advantage of this treatment is that it nourishes blood vessels in the follicle where darker colored capillaries are present. Apart from hair removal, IPL is also used for other skin disorders. These include dyspigmentation and vascular changes caused by sun damage, acne rosacea, broken capillaries, and pigmented lesions like liver spots, birth marks and freckles. It must be stressed that not everyone can be a candidate for this procedure especially those who are prone to keloid and hypertrophic scarring and pregnant women. 2. Ablative Lasers Laser ablation to the skin removes thin layers of the skin by vaporizing the damaged skin with an intense light. This light penetrates the epidermis to reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles. Ablative laser procedures are more intense and can require patients to take pain relievers or general anesthesia for deeper penetrating lasers. After the process, the skin becomes raw and uncomfortable and will fully heal after several weeks depending on how fast a patient heals. When it is fully healed, new skin is regenerated and maintained with less invasive treatments like chemical peels and microdermabrasions. Ablative lasers do not completely remove wrinkles but reduces it dramatically. 3. Fractional Lasers Fractional lasers are used for skin resurfacing by using fractional laser to direct light to a specific area of the damaged skin only leaving the surrounding areas untouched. Those who undergo fractional lasers heal faster than those treated with ablative lasers. It treats various skin conditions which include age spots, hyperpigmentation, melasma, wrinkles, scars and stretch marks. Fraxel is the most popular laser treatment with a fractional approach in the US and in other countries that efficiently use CO2 laser skin resurfacing for reparing acne damaged skin.
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