Laser treatment for face procedures have undergone a rapid technological evolution in recent years, granting the fields of dermatology and aesthetics with innovative, precise, and non-invasive solutions to a staggeringly broad spectrum of skin concerns. These concerns range from common, everyday conditions like acne, sun damage, or uneven skin tone to more complex issues like pigmented lesions, warts, or rosacea.
Laser treatment provides a safe, effective, and tailored treatment to each of these issues, utilizing a range of advanced technologies and laser wavelengths to achieve results beyond the scope of medicinal and surgical alternatives.
In this quick read, we will be exploring a few common dermatological conditions and their respective laser-based treatments, shedding light on the nature and cause of these ailments and how cutting-edge laser technologies are used to resolve them.
Here at NuSkinnovation, we take laser skin treatments very seriously and handle every procedure with the utmost care and the highest level of expertise. When you book a laser treatment with NuSkinnovation, you can be sure that you’re in safe hands and look forward to youthful, glowing skin that you can feel comfortable in.
Laser Treatment For Face: Treating Acne
Acne is an incredibly common skin condition that typically occurs in teenagers but can show up later in life, too. Acne occurs when the pores of the skin become clogged with oil, dead skin cells, and other debris, leading to bacterial growth. This results in inflammation, redness, swelling, and unsightly bumps over the skin. In severe cases, it can even be painful. You’ll most often see acne appear on the face, chest, back, and shoulders.
There are many reasons why someone might develop acne, be it rooted in hormonal changes, genetic tendencies, a period of stress, diet, side effects from medication or cosmetics. Laser treatment can be used to resolve acne through the synchronous use of a dual laser system.
Advanced laser systems utilize a deep penetrating Nd laser to reduce inflammation by specifically targeting overactive sebaceous glands that produce the excess oil that clogs your pores. Afterwards, an ER laser that works on the surface of the skin will improve the appearance of acne scars by precipitating collagen production in the epidermis.
Laser Treatment For Face: Smoothing Acne Scars
Acne scarring is the permanent aftereffect of the skin damage caused by cases of severe acne. The unfortunate fact is that as severe acne heals, discoloured scar tissue replaces the damaged area. This can result in large areas of skin being marred with a pitted and mottled appearance.
Laser treatments for acne scarring will use a powerful ablative laser to entirely vaporize the affected area of skin. Although it seems counterintuitive to further damage the scar, it is done in a careful fashion that precipitates the body’s natural healing process instead of merely exacerbating the condition. This second round of healing, triggered by the laser, results in a smooth skin texture with reduced discoloration.
Laser Treatment For Face: Diffused Redness
Diffused redness of the skin is a harmless but annoying skin condition characterized by the appearance of red or flushed skin. This condition is the simple result of increased blood flow, dilation, and damage to the blood vessels that lie just under the surface of the skin.
The causes are many, ranging from mundane factors like sun exposure and heat to periods of stress or eating spicy foods. Alternatively, there are several medications whose side effects may also include diffused redness, or it could be a symptom of rosacea, a chronic but treatable skin condition.
Diffused redness can be easily treated using laser therapy. Both lasers and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) are effective treatments for this condition, emitting wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the haemoglobin in blood vessels, which causes them to rapidly heat up and degrade, breaking up into smaller components that are naturally absorbed by the body.
The result is not only an immediate reduction of redness, but also an improvement of overall skin tone and texture. The treatment is a rather gentle one, with minimal pain or discomfort resulting from the procedure and a relatively short recovery period.
Laser Treatment For Face: Reducing Enlarged Pores
Enlarged pores are a self-descriptive and exceedingly common dermatological issue that is utterly harmless but nonetheless unseemly. There are a wealth of reasons why pores on your face might become enlarged, including sun damage and exposure to UV rays, undergoing hormonal fluctuations during puberty, menstruation or menopause, poor skin hygiene, and age, as skin naturally loses its elasticity over time. Some people are just genetically predisposed to the condition, as those with naturally oily skin are more likely to have enlarged pores.
Laser treatments can be useful in treating enlarged pores in several ways. An ablative laser can selectively damage the top layer of the skin to kickstart the body’s natural generation of collagen, which will result in the healed skin being tighter, smoother, and notably, free of enlarged pores.
Laser therapy also produces a significant amount of heat, which has the convenient byproduct of tightening the skin, reducing the appearance of enlarged pores. An alternative method is to use a laser therapy similar to the one employed to treat acne, where sebaceous glands are specifically targeted and damaged to reduce the skin’s oil production and therefore reduce enlarged pores.
Laser Treatment For Face: Addressing Pigmented Lesions
Melanocytes are naturally occurring cells in the human body that produce melanin, the substance that gives the skin its colour. However, due to factors like age, sun exposure, hormones, medical conditions, or simple genetics, melanin may be overproduced, resulting in pigmented lesions. These lesions are discoloured patches of skin, which may appear anywhere on the body and vary in shape, colour, and size.
Fortunately, laser treatments can effectively and safely deal with pigmented lesions. A deep penetrating laser is used to target pigmented tissue with short, powerful bursts of energy. The pigments are highly receptive to this energy, quickly absorbing it and becoming overloaded resulting in the immediate degradation and collapse of the pigments. What remains is easily absorbed and disposed of by the body’s immune system.
Laser Treatment For Face: Managing Rosacea
Rosacea is a chronic (and unfortunately incurable) skin condition that causes redness, inflammation, bumps, flaky skin, and a burning or stinging pain. It typically occurs on the face, distributed across the cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin. Although Rosacea cannot be permanently resolved, there are several ways to mitigate or treat symptoms. Preventative measures include avoiding triggers like sun exposure, hot and cold weather, and alcohol consumption.
Intense Pulse Light laser treatments can be used to manage the symptoms of Rosacea. This is done by targeting and selectively destroying damaged blood vessels responsible for the redness and inflammation associated with the condition. This treatment also has the side effect of encouraging collagen regeneration, which will improve overall skin texture.
Laser Treatment For Face: Reducing Sun Damage
Sun damage is a general term that refers to the myriad conditions that result from overexposure to the sun. The primary damaging factor at play is ultraviolet radiation (or UV), which penetrates deep into the skin and causes it to prematurely age. Prolonged and unmitigated exposure to UV can result in sunburn, wrinkles, and dark spots.
Powerful and precise laser treatments can be used to repair the effects of sun damage by delivering short pulses of laser energy to the affected area. Damaged cells are targeted and swiftly destroyed, allowing the body to replace them with new healthy cells.
Laser Treatment For Face: Smoothing Uneven Skin Tone And Texture
Uneven skin tone and texture are nonspecific skin conditions that many people deal with on a daily basis. It may be the effect of factors out of one’s control, such as hormonal changes, aging, or genetic predisposition. Or it may be the result of lifestyle, overexposure to the sun, not drinking enough water, a poor diet, or using overly harsh skin products.
Laser treatment can be used to resolve uneven skin tone and texture, using different methods depending on the exact variety and cause. Uneven skin texture can usually be resolved via the use of an ablative laser, which will strip back the top layer of the skin and trigger the regeneration of new, smoother, healthier skin. Uneven skin tone can be resolved using a deep penetrating laser, which will selectively target darker patches, breaking down the pigment within.
Laser Treatment For Face
The emergence of laser technology has provided us with a versatile and effective solution for addressing a huge range of facial skin conditions, including common acne, scarring, redness, and uneven skin texture. This article has demonstrated the ability of laser technology to selectively target different areas and layers of skin to not only eradicate problems, but also promote overall healthier, smoother, and more youthful-looking skin in the long term.
The highly precise, non-invasive, and tailor-made way in which lasers operate makes them a highly attractive choice to patients, especially in comparison to invasive surgical alternatives. So, if you’re battling with an irksome and painful condition or an annoying aesthetic irregularity and you’re looking for an easy and effective solution, it might be time to visit your closest NuSkinnovation laser clinic to see what we can do for you!
About NuSkinnovation
NuSkinnovation is a trusted aesthetics and laser treatment clinic with branches across South Africa, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng. We offer a variety of laser skin treatments and laser hair removal procedures to leave you feeling comfortable in your skin.
Whether you’re aiming for a glowing, youthful complexion or would like to invest in hair removal that lasts, our laser skin clinics are here for you. Our professional somatologists know exactly what they’re doing and will be able to chat with you about the kind of procedure that will work best for your skin. Our professional expertise, coupled with cutting-edge laser technology, means you can look forward to high-quality, hassle-free laser treatments executed by experts in the industry.
It all starts with a consultation, so head on over to our website to find a Nuskinnovation branch near you and book a timeslot to come in for a chat. We’ll ask you everything we need to know about the skin condition you’d like to have treated, and we will help you chart a course for the best laser skin procedures to suit you and your skin type. You’ll also be clued in on downtime, whether repeat procedures are necessary, and what steps you can take to ensure a smooth recovery.
Radiant, youthful skin is just around the corner; all you have to do is book a laser skin treatment session with NuSkinnovation and let us help you be the best you you can be with our professional laser skin treatments. Download our price list and get in contact today!