Q: Your medical spa offers a variety of laser services from hair and vein removal to skin treatments. How did you first become interested in this industry?

A: We’ve always seen great potential in laser skin treatments. When we opened our first cosmetic medical practice over a decade ago, people thought we were crazy because they didn’t quite grasp what the future might hold. But we were excited about the technology and what it could do to keep Baby Boomers looking young, and we knew that if we built it, they would come. Well, fast-forward twelve years and it turns out that what we created is now called a medspa and thousands have opened across the country. I’m proud to say that we’ve stayed on the cutting edge all of these years, and along the way we’ve witnessed some really amazing leaps in technology and the results we can provide for our patients.

	From anti-aging to acne, to facial redness and scar reduction, even body contouring, there are so many ways we can help our patients.

We have worked with the laser manufacturers from the early days to help develop devices that are safe and effective. Happily, we’ve succeeded, and laser therapies are now safer, more effective, and easier for patients to tolerate than ever before.

Q: What are the advantages of laser hair removal over electrolysis?

A: Laser hair removal is leaps and bounds beyond electrolysis when it comes to safety, effectiveness, and comfort. The treatment usually only takes 15 to 30 minutes and patients can return to normal activity right away. Laser hair removal can also be performed on any part of the face or body and is faster and easier than other forms of hair removal. It’s also a permanent method of hair removal, which you can’t say for shaving, waxing, and tweezing.

It’s still not a one-laser-fits-all world yet, so we have a number of different devices for different skin types and hair types. Having a variety of lasers allows us to match the correct laser wavelength to each patient’s individual needs. This makes a really big difference in safety and the results a patient sees. It’s important that anyone considering laser hair removal choose a provider that is dedicated to laser procedures and has multiple devices for different skin and hair types. Stay away from salons and places with only one device–you’ll be glad you did.

Q: What can a client expect when they come in for hair removal treatment?

A:The number of sessions required to permanently remove hair varies from patient to patient, and is determined by things like skin type, the density of hair, hair color, and hormonal factors. Usually we say the number of treatments required varies from 4 to 8, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart.

With each treatment there’s cumulative damage to the hair follicle resulting in a progressive reduction in the number and diameter of the hairs that re-grow in the treatment area. There are also several stages of hair growth, and hairs in the active growth phase are more responsive to the laser.

Comfort has really improved over the years. The procedure itself feels a bit like the snap of a warm rubber band. Our lasers feature a cooling cryogen spray that is delivered microseconds before the laser fires at the hair follicle. This pre-cools the skin and makes treatment quite comfortable. If a patient has discomfort, we offer a topical anesthetic cream, but this rarely happens.

Q: How is laser rejuvenation therapy used to improve the condition of the skin? Who are the best candidates for this type of treatment?

A: This is a big subject, but generally we say that just about everyone in a good candidate for laser skin therapy. From anti-aging to acne, to facial redness and scar reduction, even body contouring, there are so many ways we can help our patients.
The demand for anti-aging treatments continues to grow, and new technologies present many viable options for reversing the signs of aging and sun damage. For instance, we have fractional lasers that produce thousands of microscopic treatment columns in the skin, triggering the body’s natural healing process and creating healthy new tissue. This skin resurfacing technology smoothes out wrinkles and removes all kinds of imperfections in the skin, leaving it looking younger and more radiant. The results we’ve seen are really amazing.

Q: Lasers can also be use to treat sun and age spots. Can lasers also be used to reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks?

A: New advances in laser technology can improve or eliminate red or raised scars and stretch marks. Lasers, such as the FRAXEL, remove scars and stretch marks by stimulating the skin’s natural synthesis of collagen, repairing and rejuvenating skin tissue. It removes damaged skin tissue, seals broken blood vessels and repairs the fibers of the middle skin. This helps to “fill in” scars and stretch marks.
There are creams that follow the same line of treatment but they are not very effective. This is because they don’t penetrate beyond the top layer of the skin and fail to reach the layer where the skin produces collagen. Lasers can reach the underlying levels of the skin and effectively repair the damage.

Q: What are the advantages of laser treatment for vein removal over sclerotherapy?

A: Laser vein treatments are quicker and less invasive than sclerotherapy, which involves the use of needles. For many patients, the needles are a real hurdle to sclerotherapy.
Laser vein surgery delivers intense pulses of light energy into the veins and this causes them to fade and disappear. The treatments take about 20 minutes, and depending on the severity of the veins, three to four sessions may be needed to achieve a treatment goal. There is some discomfort during the procedure, but it fades before patients leave the office, and they can return to normal activity right away.
For veins over 3mm, other approaches like sclerotherapy are a better choice. It is not uncommon for sclerotherapy to be performed initially and then the laser is used to clean up the veins that have been resistant or were too small to treat. The course of treatment really all depends on the needs of the patient.

Q: Are there any new advances in the laser therapy field that we will be hearing about in the near future?

A: Two exciting new therapies that are just now emerging are Ulthera and Zeltiq.
The Ulthera System represents a unique approach to skin rejuvenation and is poised to revolutionize the esthetics industry. It is the first technology to combine ultrasonic visualization beneath the skin surface with non-invasive delivery of ultrasound energy at depths that enable significant lifting and tightening of the skin. For the first time we can see beneath the surface of the skin using ultrasound and precisely deliver energy to lift and tighten the skin. The FDA just approved it for performing non-surgical brow lifts and we expect it to be used all over the body in the future.
Another exciting technology is the Zeltiq device, which removes unwanted body fat. It takes a novel approach, using cryolipolysis, the precise, controlled cooling of the fat to target fat cells and leave the surrounding tissue unchanged. It a really innovative way to eliminate unwanted fat from the body in a totally non-invasive way. It’s still awaiting FDA approval for fat removal, but when it hits the market it could be a real game changer.