What to Expect from Laser Skin Tightening

If you are interested in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and loose skin on your face, a unique option you should consider is laser skin tightening. Laser skin tightening can effectively tighten your skin, dramatically reducing the appearance of wrinkles and giving you a more youthful appearance.

What it is

Laser skin tightening is a process used to tighten skin in a nonsurgical, minimally invasive way. A laser is used to heat the collagen under the surface of the skin, tightening the skin as it contracts. Skin tightening of the face is immediately noticeable. That and the fact that no downtime is needed makes this procedure increasingly popular. For optimal results, patients should receive their laser skin tightening treatments two or three times over a few months. Laser skin tightening has been approved by the FDA as a method for reducing skin laxity, wrinkles, and fine lines. Though patients will not see results that are as dramatic as a facelift can offer, the lower cost makes laser skin tightening a great option.

What to Expect

The patient must remove all substances on their skin before a treatment session, such as sunscreen, oils, and makeup. A topical anesthetic is applied by the practitioner to the area being treated. The patient is also given protective eyewear. Patients who experience discomfort may opt to use over-the-counter pain medications before their treatment.

Treatments for laser skin tightening usually take place in a cosmetic dermatologist’s office. During the procedure, pulses of laser energy are briefly applied to the skin by the practitioner using a handpiece. To help keep the patient comfortable, cool air is continuously blown on the patient’s face. Typically, the practitioner must treat the same area three times to provide optimal results. Depending on the location and size of the treated area, the session can last between 30 minutes and an hour.

With laser skin tightening, the patient can immediately return to their normal daily activities. There are minimal side effects that may include minor swelling, redness, and a warm feeling on the skin. The side effects generally disappear within a few hours.

Is it Painful?

No, it is not painful to have a laser skin tightening treatment. Before the treatment begins, an anesthetic cream is put over the area by the practitioner to help minimize any discomfort the patient may feel. Minor discomfort may be felt by a patient undergoing a skin tightening treatment because of the heat from the laser. The cool blasts emitted from the laser skin tightening handpiece helps to ease any discomfort created by the heat. These blasts of cool air not only help the patient feel more comfortable but can also prevent the outer layer of skin from being burned.

Conclusion

Laser skin tightening is a great method for anyone interested in gaining a more youthful appearance through reducing skin laxity, wrinkles, and fine lines. It is a safe procedure that can be done quickly and comfortably. If you are interested in smoothing over your wrinkles, give us a call today.

 

Risks of Laser Liposuction

Laser liposuction is a very effective method to remove fat deposits from your body. Problem is, if you regain the weight after your liposuction treatment, the bulges of fat that were removed during the process will return.

Right after surgery, you will be able to notice some improvements in the contour of your body. These improvements may continue to be seen for weeks after the procedure as the swelling continues to reduce. It could take several months for you to see the full effects of the laser liposuction procedure.

Risks

There are some risks associated with laser liposuction but is typically considered safe when done in a properly equipped facility by an experienced doctor. The risk of complications may increase if you are having a large area treated. Some of the most common side effects of laser liposuction include:

  • Treated areas being numb, sore, bruised or swollen temporarily.
  • Minor scarring and irritation in an area where the incision was made.
  • Skin that is rippling or baggy. It may take a few months for the skin to tighten around the area. Some people may have loose skin indefinitely.
  • Changes in the color of the skin in the area.
  • Skin that is uneven on the surface around the treated area.
  • Some damage to the skin and nerves may be possible.

After the procedure, if you gain weight, the fat in your body may be stored in a different place. Some of this fat may grow inside your body around your liver, heart, or other organs. This could potentially be harmful to your health, more so than fat in other parts of your body. Therefore, anyone who undergoes laser liposuction needs to be careful to not gain excess weight after the procedure.

Potential Complications

It is extremely rare for anyone to die from laser liposuction, but it can happen. Your risks are increased if you have health problems, are obese, or if you have a large amount of fat removed. Some potential complications include:

  • The shock from excessive fluid and blood loss is possible but extremely unlikely.
  • Life-threatening conditions caused by blood clots or fat clots traveling to the lungs.
  • Fluid buildup in the lungs.
  • An infection, though antibiotics can be given to prevent this.
  • Having a toxic reaction to the solution injected.
  • Abdominal organs being punctured.

Laser liposuction should never be performed on anyone who is pregnant, has a blood clotting disorder, or anyone with severe heart problems.

Conclusion

If you are interested in have a laser liposuction done, it is important to find a doctor with specialized training who can respond to any complications that may arise during surgery. It is also best to have liposuction done while having any other cosmetic procedures to reduce the risk of complications.

Laser liposuction should never be done as a method to lose weight. Instead, a balanced diet and exercise is the best way for anyone to lose weight. The best candidates for laser liposuction are those at a healthy weight who are having problems with pockets of fat that will not respond to exercising.

 

Is Laser Hair Removal Right for You?

If you’re tired of having to remove unwanted hair through waxing, shaving, or tweezing, another option you may want to consider is laser hair removal. In the United States, this cosmetic procedure is one of the most commonly performed. Hair follicles are destroyed by beams of light that are highly concentrated. The hair follicles absorb the light, thus destroying them.

Benefits

Laser hair removal is useful for removing unwanted hair from areas including the bikini line, underarms, legs, arms, and the face. The benefits of using laser hair removal include:

  • Predictability: permanent hair loss is typically achieved after 3 to 7 sessions.
  • Precision: the lasers can select the coarse, dark hairs alone while leaving the rest of the skin untouched.
  • Speed: only a fraction of a second is needed for the laser to treat several hairs.

Preparing for Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that can carry risks and require specialized training. It is important to check the doctor’s credentials before scheduling a session.

If you are scheduled to undergo laser hair removal, it is important to avoid sun exposure for several weeks before and after your treatment. Exposure to the sun can make your treatment less effective and create complications after the treatment.

It is also best to limit waxing and plucking for several weeks before the treatment since the laser targets the roots of the hair and plucking in waxing temporarily removes them.

What to Expect

Right before the laser procedure, the hair on the area being treated will be cut to the desired length. The doctor will adjust the laser equipment to the thickness, color, and location of the hair being removed. The equipment must also be adjusted to your skin color.

Appropriate eye protection is important to be used by you and the technician during the procedure. A cold gel is typically layered on your skin to protect it during the process as well.

Once you are protected, the doctor or technician will treat a small area. Once this is done, they will check for any bad reactions and determine if the best settings are being used.

Once the laser hair removal is completed, the technician will help ease your discomfort by providing you with cold water, ice packs, or anti-inflammatory creams or lotions. You will continue receiving treatments until the hair stops growing in the area being treated.

Risks

Generally, a day or two after the treatment, the area of your skin that was treated will feel and look sunburned. Moisturizers and cold compresses may help. It is fine to wear makeup on the area unless your skin has blisters.

The hair in the area treated will fall out over the next month. It is best to wear sunscreen during that time to help prevent problems as the hair falls out.

Occasionally, a patient may experience blisters. Though blisters are rare, people with darker complexions are more likely to have them. You may also experience scarring, redness, and swelling in the treated area. Some patients may notice the color of their skin changing our scarring permanently.

Laser Lipo

Laser lipo is a method of using suction to remove fat from your body. This is done with bluntly tipped tubes that are small and thin and are inserted into the skin through tiny cuts. The tube sucks the fat out as the doctor moves it around beneath the skin surface to target deposits of fat.

Laser lipo, over the past few years, has become easier, safer, and less painful. Some of the newer techniques are:

  • Laser-assisted liposuction: low-energy waves are used in this technique to liquefy the fat. The fat is then removed by small tubes.
  • Ultrasound -assisted labor suction: an ultrasound is used in this technique to liquefy the fat, making it easier to remove. This technique is best for removing fat from the back, sides, upper abdomen, and neck.
  • Tumescent liposuction: the area where the tube will be inserted in your body is numbed using a local anesthetic. Then, a solution containing epinephrine and lidocaine is injected into the fat before liposuction is done. This technique of liposuction typically doesn’t require general anesthesia.

Typically, laser lipo is done on an outpatient basis. Unless you have a large amount of fat removed, the hospital will not require you to stay overnight. In most cases, local anesthesia is used. Sedatives are occasionally used to help the patient relax.

After Treatment

The area that received the liposuction will need to be wrapped firmly after the procedure to help reduce the pain, bruising, and swelling. Depending on the part of the body you had treated, you may require a firm fitting garment, special girdle, support hose, or elastic bandages and tape to wrap the area. Compression garments are often worn for 3 to 4 weeks after the treatment. You can expect to have swelling and a lot of bruising for the first week.

Typically, patients can move around shortly after the treatments once the sedation has worn off. As soon as you feel comfortable, you may return to your normal activities. It could potentially take up to a few weeks, though. If you have a large area treated, your recovery time may be longer.

Why Have Laser Lipo?

Most people have laser liposuction done to reshape their body, not to lose body weight. When diet and exercise don’t help a problem area, liposuction is the next step. Typically, the areas that are treated include the back and waist of men and the hips and outer thighs of women. Other commonly treated areas include upper arms, legs, buttocks, back, abdomen, neck, and the face.

Liposuction is often combined with other procedures, such as facelifts, breast reduction, or a tummy tuck.

There are a few medical conditions that liposuction can help treat. These include:

  • Axillary hyperhidrosis, or excessive arm pit sweating.
  • Lipodystrophy, or problems metabolizing the body’s fat.
  • Gynecomastia, or male breasts that are enlarged abnormally.
  • Lipomas, or benign fatty tumors.

Obesity is not treated with liposuction. You can also not use liposuction to help get rid of stretch marks or cellulite. If you need to get rid of stubborn fatty deposits, though, laser lipo is the way to go.