Scars and Stretch Marks - Laser Treatment

We offer two laser treatments for scars - Palomar 1540 Laser Resurfacing and Ultrapulse co2 Laser Resurfacing.  

Palomar 1540 Laser Resurfacing:
The Palomar LUX 1540 laser is a revolutionary noninvasive laser therapy designed to dramatically improve skin texture and pigmentation, including the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles, acne scars and surgical scars, brown spots, melasma, and stretch marks without significant downtime. Until now, two varieties of laser treatment were available for cosmetic enhancement-ablative and non-ablative. Traditional ablative lasers, which literally means vaporization at a very high temperature, are very effective at destroying unwanted tissue but may have significant side effects and require a lengthy healing period. The Palomar 1540 non-ablative laser is very safe and requires almost no healing time. It safe for all skin types and skin conditions with extremely rare adverse effects. The Palomar LUX 1540 laser combines the potency of ablative lasers with the gentle safety of non-ablative lasers to treat a variety of cosmetic conditions. Each treatment averages a 15-20% permanent improve in skin texture, pigmentation and collagen building.

Benefits of Palomar LUX 1540:
Improve skin texture and pore size, Erase unwanted brown spots, Smooth fine wrinkles, Improve acne scars, Rejuvenate your neck, chest, and hands, Diminish the appearance of stretch marks and surgical scars, Decrease melasma, Minimal downtime, Less expensive than comparative Fraxel laser treatment

The 5 most common skin conditions treated with Palomar 1540 Laser: Aged, sun-damaged skin, Facial acne scars, Stretch marks, Melasma / hyperpigmentation, Surgical or body scars

How does it work?
The Palomar LUX 1540 utilizes fractional resurfacing technology, where only a small fraction of the skin receives the laser light. Thousands of tiny but deep columns of laser energy are produced. This eliminates old surface pigment and penetrates deep into the skin, intensively restoring the skin's previous appearance. Around these microscopic treatment zones, the surrounding tissue is unaffected and intact. This allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once, using the body's natural healing process to create new, healthy tighter tissue. The laser's deep penetrating beams also stimulate collagen production in the skin which rejuvenates the skin from the inside, smoothing the appearance of wrinkles and scars.
What results can I expect?
Clinical studies suggest that on average, the most effective treatment regimen is 3 to 5 sessions, spaced 2 to 4 weeks apart. Most patients start to see results after the very first treatment. After your final treatment, improvement will progress for at least 3-6 months as your collagen continues to remodel. Palomar LUX 1540 laser treatment is performed using only topical anesthesia in most cases. Our treatments are all performed by our highly trained nursing staff. We perform these treatments on a daily basis. If your skin is more sensitive, we will ensure that you are made comfortable. The topical anesthetic can be purchased in office and is applied at least 30 minutes prior to treatment. We advise that you wash your face and apply your numbing cream before you leave to drive to your appointment so that you are numb when you arrive. The procedure takes approximately 10 minutes for a full face.

What skin care is required after treatment?
After the treatment, you will experience a mild sunburn sensation for about an hour and then minimal discomfort. The skin will have a pinkish tone and mild swelling for usually no more than 2 days. This is a normal sign that the skin is deeply healing. We recommend application of ice and daily gentle cleansing with Cerave cleanser or any mild cleanser. Apply an antioxidant such as Skinceuticals CE Ferulic increases your results by penetrating into the laser skin columns to stimulate more collagen production, thus increasing your long-term results. You must apply moisturizer morning and night such as Cerave or Eucerin for the first 2-3 days after treatment. You may apply fading creams and cortisone creams mixed together if you are pigment prone as well. You should wear SPF 30 sunscreen 24 hours after your treatment. You may apply make-up or shave the next day after treatment. Some patients are able to return to routine activities the same day. Others require a little more time, depending on their skin condition and treatment. It is important to apply an SPF 30 sunscreen daily during the healing phase and for several months after to protect the new skin. Over the following weeks and months, the body repairs the deeper dermal tissues that have been stimulated by the Palomar LUX 1540 treatment, producing even longer beneficial change.

Is it safe for darker or more sensitive skin types?
Yes! We have the laser and cosmetic treatment know-how to treat the unique challenges to safely treat patients with darker skin colors and sensitive skin.

ULtrapulse CO2 LASER RESURFACING - LUMENIS
ActiveFX is a fractional CO2 laser procedure that uses a high-energy beam of laser light is used to smooth out fine lines, wrinkles and scars, and removes brown spots and other skin irregularities. It also stimulates formation of new underlying collagen to continue improvement over time. It is a factional laser treatment, meaning only a fraction of the skin's surface is treated by the laser, leaving small areas of the skin "untouched" allowing for a faster healing process and enables you to get back to normal activities sooner. The treatment causes the upper layer of skin to peel off and regenerate a layer of new, healthy skin. ActiveFX is a long-term treatment with results that can last for years.

What are the benefits of a ActiveFX treatment?
-Immediate collagen tightening, -Reduces wrinkles and fine lines, -Softens deep lines, -Noticeably improves skin tone and texture, -Eliminates and reduces age spots and sun damage, -Stimulates new collagen formation and plumps the skin. The results of a ActiveFX laser treatment are long-term and, with proper sun protection, can persist for many years. Most effects of treatment become visible right away, whereas others - such as new collagen formation - build up gradually and become more evident over time. Therefore, most people look even better 3-6 months after procedure.

The treatment itself lasts approximately 20 minutes. We apply anesthetic cream prior to the treatment, to help minimize discomfort. During the treatment, you will feel warm sensation over the area being treated. Recovering from the procedure is much like any laser treatment. The skin may feel slightly sunburned and swollen and require a bit of cooling. This can be controlled with ice packs and medications prescribed. There may be a red, crusted appearance for eight or more days with the heavier CO2 laser or just four days with the ActiveFX laser. The skin will likely appear as a sunburn and this will subside over a few days or weeks as the skin heals and begins to peel. Keeping the skin moisturized is always a good idea as is avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun. It is possible to get back to work and an everyday routine after procedure as long as the skin is taken care of. Compared to other total resurfacing treatments, patient recovery from ActiveFX treatment is rapid. Of course everyone will heal at various rates depending on the depth of the treatment, the particular areas treated and your own healing rate. Light resurfacing may take only a few days to heal, while deeper treatments can take up to just over a week. Results are often visible right away and progressively get more noticeable as time goes by. The skin will peel and heal over and new collagen is formed, thus filling fine lines, removing discolorations on the face, and tightening loose skin. The results typically reach their peak up to six months after the initial treatment.