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| Dr Vaibhav Shah |
Smooth Skin: Lasers & Peels
One
of the oldest techniques in the world to remove wrinkles and discoloration is
the chemical peel. This goes back to the days of Cleopatra. And while chemical
peels are still used by cosmetic doctors today, lasers have largely replaced
them. High-tech aside, they work in a similar fashion: They ‘burn’ the skin,
which triggers the skin to heal. As it heals, collagen production is stimulated
and a ‘new skin’ emerges, smoother, less wrinkled and less pigmented.
There are different kinds of lasers, but
they come down to two main types: The ‘ablative’ lasers that wound the surface
of the skin aggressively (ablative means to vaporize), and the ‘non-ablative’
lasers that poke a pattern of tiny holes in the skin, stimulating collagen
production and skin tightening under the surface.
When it
comes to getting rid of wrinkles, “Laser resurfacing and chemical peels are the
gold standard,” says Dr.Shah , and both can have lasting effects when it comes
to resetting the clock. The difference is the way the skin is injured. With a
chemical peel, or dermabrasion, a wound is created and when it heals there is
new epidermis and no age spots. Lasers use light energy to burn the skin and
force the building of new collagen.
Dr.
Shah prefers the old CO2 laser, which vaporizes the entire skin surface. While
there are risks of permanent and temporary scarring, extended redness and
infection, “It’s the go-to method for wrinkles,” he says, because it forces the
entire surface to remake itself. Other limitations include the fact that necks
areas cannot be treated aggressively, and that it requires two weeks of
downtime for carefully monitored healing. But these are small prices to pay for
smooth skin.
Most
doctors agree that the more aggressive the laser treatment, the better the
result—but that means more discomfort, more downtime and more risks of side
effects. There is also some controversy over which of the new lasers work best.
“We’re still looking for the holy grail of reproducible results with lasers
that are not invasive and it’s still not happened yet,” says Dr. Shah.
Dr. Vaibhav Shah
www.vaibhavshahblog.blogspot.com.
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