Sun Damage Laser Treatment
In our last post, we outlined the skin issues caused by sun exposure. Once this discoloration appears, it can be alarming and something you want to fix. Are there ways to improve the appearance of these skin concerns? Yes! There are many skincare products that claim to improve skin tone, and some work better than others. Topical skincare products can be effective for unsightly signs of sun damage, but require many months of consistent application. For patients desiring more instant gratification improvement of their skin tone, the best way to go is laser treatments.
At Skin Associates of South Florida, we have multiple types of laser treatments, for various skin concerns.
Cutera Enlighten 532 nmPicosecond Laser:
This laser is great for individual brown spots because it has a small spot size that can target isolated brown spots on the face, hands, chest, and the rest of the body. The procedure is quick, relatively painless, and no anesthesia is needed. After the procedure, patients can expect brown spots to darken over the next four or five days before fading away permanently. Yes, permanently. This is a nice option for patients with little downtime because they can cover the spots while they are darker with tinted sunscreen.
Fraxel Dual 1927 nm Laser:
This laser is fantastic for diffuse sun damage, speckled and rough skin. Before the procedure, a topical anesthesia cream is applied and allowed to sit for 45 minutes to improve patient comfort. Once the patient is comfortably numbed, the laser is performed over the whole face with the procedure taking approximately 10 – 15 minutes. This Fraxel laser can also be performed safely on the neck, chest, and other parts of the body. The Fraxel 1927 nm laser has been shown in published studies to also effectively treat actinic keratoses, or rough dry ‘pre-cancers’ that never go away completely with moisturizing. Immediately after the procedure patients may feel like they have a mild sunburn. For the 3 – 5 days post-procedure, the skin is dry and the top layer of skin gently flakes off revealing even-toned, luminous skin with just a single treatment.
Fractional Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Laser:
The most aggressive way to address uneven skin tone and wrinkles from ultraviolet rays is the fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. This laser requires downtime of about a week, but some patients experience pink skin a week or more thereafter. This is the ideal laser for a patient who has never done anything for sun damage and would like to address brown spots, blood vessels, and etched-in lines in a single treatment.
In addition to these three mainstays, Skin Associates of South Florida has additional low to no downtime ways to reverse that sun damage including the Clear+Brilliant fractional laser, the Cutera Laser Genesis procedure and the brand new PicoGenesis procedure using the Enlighten laser 1064 nm.
Our dermatologists are leaders in the cosmetic dermatology field and treat the effects of sun damage on a daily basis. They can help identify your skin concerns and suggest appropriate treatment options. For more information on sun damage laser treatment, please call us at (305) 443-6606 to set up a consultation.
