Laser and Light Treatments
Laser Treatments
A good skin care routine is key to maintaining a flawless, youthful complexion. But when your normal techniques fall short, laser treatments can step in to effectively address common concerns like acne scars, dark spots, wrinkles and broken capillaries, treating deep beneath the skin where topical serums or moisturizers can’t reach.
When it comes to skin care, lasers have revolutionized modern dermatology. Lasers provide cutting-edge treatments that deliver dramatic results without surgery or significant downtime. Today, the abundance of technologies, devices and applications make laser treatments a highly versatile option that can meet your exact needs, whether you want to rejuvenate your appearance or eliminate unwanted pigmentation.
No matter your aesthetic goals, at Ridenour Plastic Surgery, we have the best-in-class lasers for every problem.
How Do Lasers Work?
Lasers in dermatology are designed to treat certain conditions by targeting specific molecules in the skin (called chromophores), resulting in desired and beneficial changes. For example, chromophores such as water, melanin and deoxyhemoglobin are precisely targeted by lasers made to address wrinkles, brown spots and unwanted spider veins, respectively. By changing the wavelength of light a laser uses, along with other factors like beam size, pulse duration and energy level, laser treatments can be customized to a patient’s individual needs.
This has made lasers a top choice among both patients and providers for a number of common concerns. They are commonly used in popular procedures such as wrinkle reduction, eliminating brown spots, reducing facial redness and getting rid of unwanted hair.
Types of Laser Treatments
Laser treatments are varied, and the specific technique or device used depends on each patient’s individual needs. Below, you can learn more about the laser treatments offered at Ridenour Plastic Surgery and how they can help improve your complexion.
On this page, we cover the following types of laser treatments:
- Lasers for skin resurfacing
- Clear + Brilliant
- Fraxel re:store DUAL
- Candela CO2RE
- Laser treatments for acne and acne scars
- Fraxel re:store DUAL
- Candela CO2RE
- Profound RF
- Lasers for rosacea, redness and spider veins
- Vbeam Prima
- Lasers for brown spots and hyperpigmentation
- PicoWay Zoom
- Laser hair removal
- Diolaze
- Laser tattoo removal
- PicoWay
- RevLite
- Other non-laser intense-light treatments
- Sciton BBL HERO
- Lumecca IPL
Lasers for Skin Resurfacing
Laser resurfacing is a nonsurgical in-office procedure that heats the skin’s upper and/or mid-dermal layers, causing microdamage and triggering the body’s healing response. Resurfacing lasers target the water in the upper layers of the skin to produce a predictable injury that results in new skin cells and the production of collagen and elastin, which naturally decline with age. As the skin heals, its tone and texture improve. This treatment is used to address fine lines and wrinkles, excess pigment, acne scars and a rough, uneven texture. In some cases, it can also help tighten mild sagging of the skin.
Not all laser resurfacing treatments are the same, and there are two primary categories: ablative and non-ablative.
- Ablative laser treatments, which include CO2 (carbon dioxide) lasers, remove the damaged surface layer of your skin while heating the water molecules deep within the dermis to trigger a strong healing response. This process leaves treatment areas red and raw, with at least a week of downtime while your skin heals.
- Non-ablative laser treatments, such as Fraxel and Clear + Brilliant, leave the surface of the skin intact, heating only the deeper dermal layer. There’s typically little to no significant downtime after non-ablative laser resurfacing.
Clear + Brilliant
Clear + Brilliant is a non-ablative laser treatment that works by making thousands of tiny thermal injuries beneath the skin’s surface to trigger the body’s healing process, replacing damaged skin with new, fresh tissue.
The Clear + Brilliant laser is used to achieve the following:
- Reduced fine lines
- Smaller, less visible pores
- Improved skin tone and texture
- Reduced melasma
Clear + Brilliant is a fractional laser, meaning the laser energy is broken up into a number of tiny beams that treat only a percentage of the skin at a time, leaving the rest intact. Because it treats 20 percent of the skin, instead of the 40 percent treated with the Fraxel laser, it’s often referred to as a “mini” or “baby” Fraxel. With Clear + Brilliant, treating less skin causes less damage, which translates into no downtime.
Fraxel DUAL
Fraxel re:store DUAL laser is a similar non-ablative fractional laser to Clear + Brilliant, but it has a greater range of energy and density settings. Treatment with the Fraxel DUAL is a little more aggressive than with the Clear + Brilliant laser, and fewer treatments are required to achieve the same result.
The Fraxel re:store DUAL is used to improve the following signs of aging:
- Fine lines
- Pore size
- Acne scars
- Melasma
- Rough skin texture
- Sun-related pigment
Fraxel DUAL has two wavelengths of light in the same laser. The 1927 nm wavelength Thulium fiber laser is used to treat the very upper layers of the skin and is a workhorse laser for removing unwanted surface pigment and brown spots. Fraxel DUAL also uses a 1550 nm wavelength erbium laser that can treat deeper under the surface of the skin into the dermis, targeting deep lines and scarring. These two wavelengths are what put the “dual” in Fraxel DUAL, and they allow this laser to treat multiple skin layers for optimal results.
Like Clear + Brilliant, Fraxel DUAL is a fractional laser. It treats a fraction of the skin rather than all of it, leaving healthy skin between the microscopic injuries in the treated skin for a faster healing process and shorter recovery compared to non-fractional lasers. Swelling and redness after the procedure may last a few days up to a week.
Candela CO2RE
The Candela CO2RE laser system is a fractional CO2 laser that uses powerful microscopic laser beams to improve skin texture and tone. This ablative CO2 laser resurfacing treatment offers a unique combination of deep and superficial skin resurfacing.
In a single and dramatic treatment, the following aesthetic concerns can be treated:
- Moderate to deep wrinkles
- Fine lines
- Age spots
- Sun damage
- Acne scars
CO2 fractional lasers create a more intense heat than the other resurfacing lasers, partially disrupting the skin’s surface and reaching the middle layers as well as down into the deeper dermis. The CO2RE fractionated laser can treat multiple skin layers with just one pass of the device over your skin. The result is a strong healing response that targets surface concerns like pigmentation and deeper issues like wrinkles.
Fractional laser resurfacing with the CO2RE utilizes a computerized scanning handpiece to deliver thousands of tiny beams into the skin, allowing for increased accuracy and versatility. The laser also features four different modalities and an internal scanner that delivers the settings and flexibility best suited to your needs.
LASER TREATMENTS FOR ACNE AND ACNE SCARS
Acne is a frustrating cosmetic concern for many. The unappealing blemishes often arrive around puberty but can persist as an issue well into adulthood. What’s worse is that constant picking at them may lead to scarring, which can remain for a lifetime. Acne and acne scars are unfortunate cosmetic issues, but with advancements in aesthetic technology, it’s possible to restore beautifully smooth, clear skin.
Acne and acne scar laser skin resurfacing treatments offered at Ridenour Plastic Surgery include Fraxel DUAL, the Candela CO2RE laser and Profound RF treatments.
LASERS FOR ROSACEA, REDNESS AND SPIDER VEINS
Rosacea is a common skin concern that affects nearly three million Americans a year. The condition can be upsetting for those who have it, causing broken and dilated blood vessels to appear on the face and creating red blotches. Although there is no known cure for the condition, it’s possible to manage and maintain it with the help of topical medication and laser technology.
At Ridenour Plastic Surgery, we use the Vbeam Prima system to address facial redness and the visible blood vessels associated with rosacea.
Vbeam Prima
Vbeam Prima is the most advanced pulsed dye laser (PDL) in the world. It’s most commonly used to treat rosacea, but it can also treat the following concerns:
- Raised and red scars
- Spider veins
- Broken capillaries
- Birthmarks such as port-wine stains
- Large pores
- Newly formed stretch marks
- Other forms of red, brown or purple pigmentation
The Vbeam Prima laser also has a built-in long-pulse 1064 nm wavelength Nd:YAG laser that can be used to treat wrinkles, venous lakes and blue veins, such as the larger dilated blue veins that develop in the forehead and around the eyes with age.
The VBeam Prima 595 nm wavelength pulsed dye laser works by targeting dilated blood vessels. This wavelength can deliver 12 J of energy in a large treatment size area up to 15 mm for quick and efficient treatments and down to 0.5 mm treatment areas for precision targeting. When the laser energy is introduced to the blood vessels, it targets hemoglobin, a red-colored protein in blood cells, which it heats to cause their destruction. After treatment, unwanted spider veins, red marks and broken capillaries fade, revealing clear skin once again.
PDL treatments are a safe and effective option that’s been used for many decades, but they have become even more powerful with the introduction of the new and improved Vbeam Prima technology. The Dynamic Cooling Device™ (DCD™) of the VBeam Prima delivers cryogen-based cooling to protect the skin, and the EverCool™ cooling system allows for the treatment of pigmented and vascular lesions all at once.
This pulsed dye laser offers clinically proven results, and patients with pale to light brown skin (Fitzpatrick types I to IV) can benefit from this treatment.
Lasers for Brown Spots and Hyperpigmentation
The cosmetic concern referred to as sun spots, liver spots and solar lentigines can define certain parts of the body, appearing as unwanted tan, brown and black spots. They form because the skin’s melanin clumps or is produced in high concentrations, usually when our pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) are exposed to the sun’s damaging UV rays.
While it may feel like brown spots are a necessary and inevitable sign of aging, this is no longer the case. Treatments exist that can significantly reduce or eliminate unwanted and unsightly pigment.
PicoWay
The PicoWay laser offers two treatment modalities: PicoWay Zoom and PicoWay Resolve. They use short, rapid pulses (trillionths of a second) to shatter pigment deep beneath the skin. Two different wavelengths of light (532 nm and 1064 nm) treat pigment at different depths in the skin, making PicoWay lasers effective for a number of common pigmentation issues, including the following:
- Age spots/dark spots
- Café au lait spots
- Freckles
- Melasma
- Stretch marks
- Scars
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
PicoWay treatment is safe for patients with light and dark skin types. Healing is rapid, and there is little to no downtime. Pico lasers are the state-of-the-art way to reduce unwanted pigment in just one to two treatments spaced every four weeks or so. After treatment, the shattered pigment particles naturally fade away until they’re no longer visible.
PicoWay Zoom
PicoWay Zoom delivers concentrated packets of energy over a very short interval and can, therefore, shatter even very dark unwanted pigments in the skin. This PicoWay modality is designed to treat individual spots.
PicoWay Resolve
PicoWay Resolve can be used over the entire face or neck to improve skin smoothness, diminish pores, even out pigment and treat melasma. As a fractional laser, PicoWay Resolve targets a fraction of the skin and leaves the surrounding areas unharmed for a fast recovery.
Laser Hair Removal
Diolaze
At Ridenour Plastic Surgery, we perform laser hair removal with the Diolaze laser system, a device specifically designed for cosmetic hair removal. The treatment works by introducing concentrated energy into the hair follicles, where it is then absorbed. This damages the follicles and inhibits future hair growth. The laser emits intense, energy-filled light pulses that are able to target unwanted hair follicles without damaging the surrounding tissue in a process known as selective photothermolysis.
Laser hair removal with the Diolaze laser is extremely fast, versatile and creates exceptional results. As with any laser hair removal, multiple treatments are required to achieve optimal results.
Laser Tattoo Removal
Laser tattoo removal is a process that utilizes the power of high-speed laser technology and your body’s natural healing process to remove unwanted tattoo ink safely and effectively. The treatment works by introducing concentrated laser energy beneath the surface of the skin to break apart the tattoo pigments. The body naturally absorbs the shattered pigments in the days and weeks after treatment.
Depending on how dark (dense) the unwanted pigment is and the number of pigment colors, laser tattoo removal can make the appearance of a tattoo fade away until it’s hardly visible to the naked eye. In many cases, the procedure has the potential to erase the tattoo from the skin completely. Several sessions of laser tattoo removal are typically needed for optimal results.
Both the PicoWay and RevLite lasers are excellent options for anyone seeking tattoo removal. We begin most treatments with the PicoWay laser for fast and efficient removal of the darker ink colors. We then treat any residual colors of ink with the versatile RevLite laser. In some cases, a fractional CO2 laser is used to remove stubborn or persistent ink.
PicoWay lasers are the most powerful and effective lasers when it comes to removing tattoo inks. This laser uses ultra-short laser pulses (trillionths of a second) to destroy unwanted pigments instead of heating them, a method known as the “photoacoustic” effect. The laser shatters the pigment, breaking it up into smaller particles that the body can naturally dispose of. The PicoWay laser utilizes a single, concentrated beam that can rid the skin of most darker-colored ink pigments. Because the laser produces less heat, treatments are more comfortable than in the past. After the pigments are shattered, your body’s scavenger cells (macrophages) gradually absorb and dispose of the treated pigment.
The RevLite laser contains multiple laser wavelengths, making it suitable to treat all colors of tattoo ink. During treatment, a concentrated laser beam of a specific wavelength is selected to target a particular color of tattoo ink. Similar to the PicoWay laser, the RevLite uses ultra-short pulses of energy (billionths of a second) to shatter pigment, which the body naturally absorbs over time.
Both of these lasers are excellent options for anyone seeking tattoo removal. We begin most treatments with the PicoWay laser for fast and efficient removal of the darker ink colors. We then treat any residual colors of ink with the versatile RevLite laser. In some cases, a fractional CO2 laser is used to remove stubborn or persistent ink.
PicoWay
PicoWay lasers are the most powerful and effective lasers when it comes to removing tattoo inks. This laser uses ultra-short laser pulses (trillionths of a second) to destroy unwanted pigments instead of heating them, a method known as the “photoacoustic” effect. The laser shatters the pigment, breaking it up into smaller particles that the body can naturally dispose of.
The PicoWay laser utilizes a single, concentrated beam that can rid the skin of most darker-colored ink pigments. Because the laser produces less heat, treatments are more comfortable than in the past. After the pigments are shattered, your body’s scavenger cells (macrophages) gradually absorb and dispose of the treated pigment.
RevLite
The RevLite laser contains multiple laser wavelengths, making it suitable to treat all colors of tattoo ink. During treatment, a concentrated laser beam of a specific wavelength is selected to target a particular color of tattoo ink. Similar to the PicoWay laser, the RevLite uses ultra-short pulses of energy (billionths of a second) to shatter pigment, which the body naturally absorbs over time.
Other Non-Laser Light-Based Treatments
Sciton BBL HERO
At Ridenour Plastic Surgery, we also provide light-based treatments that are similar to lasers but use a range of wavelengths to treat common skin concerns. We’re proud to offer treatment with the Sciton BBL (BroadBand Light) HERO (High Energy Rapid Output™). This powerful skin rejuvenation device uses intense pulsed light (IPL) to improve your complexion and skin clarity.
Patients with the following signs of aging and cosmetic concerns can benefit from Sciton BBL HERO treatments:
- Hyperpigmentation issues, such as:
- Unwanted freckles
- Age spots
- Red spots
- Vascular lesions, such as:
- Rosacea
- Spider veins (telangiectasias)
- Poikiloderma
- Sun-damaged skin
- Skin texture issues
How Does the BBL HERO Work?
Sciton BBL HERO is an advanced cosmetic device that uses IPL technology to treat superficial pigmented skin and vascular lesions. During treatment, the Sciton BBL HERO “photofacial” emits bright flashes of light that heat the skin in a process called photothermolysis, breaking up unwanted pigmented skin lesions and “closing off” small capillaries or blood vessels. The BBL HERO has dual flashlamps that allow for continuous motion over the face and any part of the body for a faster, more comfortable treatment.
Afterward, the body naturally absorbs treated blood vessels, and pigmented lesions will flake off. The BBL HERO also stimulates collagen production, an important structural protein that keeps the skin youthful and healthy.
BBL HERO Recovery and Results
You may experience redness and warming of your skin for an hour or so after BroadBand Light HERO treatment, but no downtime is needed. Pigmentation concerns will resolve and reveal your brighter complexion within a few days, and vascular issues will resolve within two weeks.
How Many BBL HERO Treatments Will I Need?
Two to three treatments are recommended for best results, each spaced about one month apart. Sciton BBL HERO treatments are considered comfortable yet deliver powerful results with fewer treatments compared to other IPL devices.
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Aging, acne, rosacea and other skin concerns are aesthetically displeasing problems that affect millions of Americans every year. Despite their commonality, they can damage your self-confidence, preventing you from feeling as beautiful as you truly are.
If you’re considering a laser treatment in St. Louis, MO, and want a smoother, more youthful and even complexion, please call Ridenour Plastic Surgery at (314) 501-7946 or visit our contact page. You can schedule a consultation with one of our providers to determine which laser treatment will improve your image.
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