Laser Services:
Treatment of Red and Brown Lesions, Birthmarks, Scars, Stretch Marks, and Tattoos
New, state-of-the-art lasers have revolutionized our approach to the treatment of a wide variety of skin disorders including pigmentation, freckles, brown spots commonly referred to as age or liver spots, and tattoos. Lasers are often the treatment of choice to remove 'broken blood vessels', spider veins, leg veins, and port wine stain birthmarks as well as hypertrophic scars and stretch marks. All of these lesions can be treated with Pulsed-Dye, V-Beam, GentleLase, long pulsed Nd:YAG and Gemini lasers as well as Intense Pulsed Light.
How do Lasers and Light Sources Work to Remove Vascular Lesions, Stretch Marks, and Scars?
These lasers and light sources produce a bright beam of light to selectively destroy the blood vessels that make up the vascular lesions or are contained within the scar or stretch mark, without damaging the surrounding tissues. Factors such as the type of vascular lesion, age, color, and the location on the body determine whether the lesions can be removed.
What Does it Feel Like?
You may experience mild discomfort similar to being stung by a mosquito or snapped by a rubber band. Treatment may require one, two, or more sessions, with each session taking between 15 and 30 minutes.
How Will I Look and Care for the Treated Area?
In most cases you will be given a bag of ice to apply to the treated area immediately after treatment. We recommend that you apply ice or a cold pack to the treated area for 10 minutes every hour for the rest of the day. You will be asked wash the treated area with a mild soap, gently patting the surface dry, followed by the application of Aquaphor Healing Ointment®. Most treatments result in redness, similar to the appearance of a slapped cheek, that lasts several hours and occasionally a day or two. Swelling may develop shortly after treatment. It usually clears by the very next day but on occasion lasts 2 to 3 days. This allows most patients to return to work the day after treatment. Pulsed dye laser treatment rarely leaves a bruise that lasts five to ten days. Your doctor will discuss this possibility with you in advance of treatment. The laser treatment can be modified should you not wish any bruising to occur. A water-based makeup may be gently applied as a cover-up, provided that there is no crust formation on the skin's surface.
Removal of Pigmented Lesions
Short pulsed Nd:YAG, Alexandrite, and Ruby lasers as well as Intense Pulsed Light are used to lighten or remove a variety of dark skin spots. These lasers produce a very bright beam of light that destroys the cells containing pigment, with very little damage to surrounding skin.
These lasers are used to remove pigmented sunburn freckles (solar lentigines), flat brown spots on the hands or face (sun spots), cafe-au-lait marks, blue-grey birthmarks on the face (nevus of Ota), and tattoos.
The amount of lightening depends on the location and depth of the pigment. For small brown spots, two to three treatments may be needed. Tattoos, birthmarks and Nevus of Ota require multiple sessions.
How Will I Look, Feel, and Care for the Treated Area?
Depending on the extent of treatment, there may be tiny areas of bleeding during therapy and the treated area may become dark red as a result. The treated site usually crusts lightly, and generally clears in one week. Wash the area with a mild soap and gently pat dry, then apply Aquaphor Healing Ointment® twice a day until healing is complete. Crusts will fall off on their own while washing the area during the first week after treatment. Water-based makeup can be gently applied as a cover-up.
Comfort Control
For most procedures, the discomfort is so minimal that no anesthesia or pain medication is needed. For some conditions a topical anesthetic cream may be used before laser treatment. Following the procedure, ice and Tylenol will soothe any discomfort. It is best not to use aspirin, Advil® or Motrin® prior to or for a few days following treatment. Strenuous exercise and contact sports should be avoided, and alcohol intake limited. Avoiding the sun, using sunscreen, and wearing cover-up clothing are critical, both prior to and after treatment. Following the procedure, you will receive specific written instructions on the care of the treated area.
Side Effects and Safety
There are rarely any permanent problems with laser therapy. Occasionally some lightening of the skin occurs. Normal skin color returns within three months after treatment of vascular lesions. Although rare, a slight depression may develop, which usually resolves in a few months. Scarring occurs in less than one-tenth of one percent of all cases. Because lasers produce an intense bright beam of light, everyone in the treatment room wears protective eyewear.
Expert Credentials
The laser surgeons who perform treatments helped to develop and pioneer these techniques and are leaders in their field. They adhere to the highest clinical and ethical standards, and have extensive knowledge about the skin and experience in laser surgery.
