Total Body Surgical Blog

What can lasers do for your skin??  ALOT!!!!  As time goes on and the natural aging process of the skin occurs there are many changes that occur.  Ultraviolet light from the sun, pollutants in the air, pollutants in what we eat, the loss of collagen as we age, genetics, loss of fat,....and the list goes on and on.  All of these things lead to the aging of our skin causing spots, wrinkles, enlarged pores, and even skin cancers.

Here is a comparison of young and old skin...here you see how the age spots form, the outer layer thins, and fat is diminished.  On a smaller scale we would see collagen loss as well.

    What we see on the outside is this....

  How can laser treatment alter these changes??  There are a number of effects that a good laser treatment can cause making the skin look and feel younger.  Laser can tighten the skin by causing new collagen to form as the damage caused by the laser is healed.  The outer layer of skin (stratum corneum) is also thinned and made more organized by laser treatment making the skin look and feel smoother and softer.  Dark spots (age spots) or dark patches (melasma) are not only caused by sun damage but also are aggravated by hormonal changes.  When lasers are used carefully and these treatments are combined with targeted skin care and sun protection, these spots can usually be treated and removed.

Laser skin resurfacing today is safer, cheaper, and recovery times are significantly less than ever before.  At Total Body Surgical we use the Cutera Pearl laser.  This laser is unique for a number of reasons.  It is a wavelength that penetrates well into the skin but shortens recovery time.  We have the only pearl in the area.  It gives the same results as a CO2 laser but the recovery time is only around 4 days.  This means that you can wear makeup after about 4 days but will have some redness for a week or two. 

Laser resurfacing can make a huge difference in acne scarring too.  Smoothing them and helping pigment changes they can cause. 

So if you want to get rid of age spots, melasma, acne scarring, or just tighten the skin up to look younger, come see us at Total Body Surgical.  We can get you started on the new you in 2012.  Now laser treatments are as cheap as $800....much cheaper than the big city.....schedule today!!   918-786-7780...cosmetic consultations always complimentary...

Don't forget our specials too!!

This week we are still talking about wrinkles!!  Ya'll will enjoy this one...

http://youtu.be/NCvHgppVey4

To sum things up at this point, young skin, ages up to about 30 just need protection from the sun and some type of vitamin C product to maintain collagen production (Obagi or Skinceuticals make great products).  From ages 30-40 or 50 most can get by with good skin care, and add Botox to slow the musculature down that is causing the typical wrinkles between the eyes, crows feet, and forehead lines.  For stubborn wrinkles that are too deep for Botox, fillers such as Juvederm and Radiesse can be used to soften them.  Laser procedures and peels can help a great deal as well and that is what we will discuss in this installment. 

Lasers have come a long way in the past several years and this is exciting.  Laser technology has come a long way and this seriously benefits our patients. The old complications can still occur but are not as common with fractional techniques.  The most common problems are hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, persistant redness, and scarring.  These problems are less likely with the new technologies and pre treatment.

Who needs or wants laser treatment?  There are many indications.  The most prevalent use is for treatment of mild to moderate wrinkling.  It also helps a great deal in rejuvenating the skin and helping remove spots from sun damage.  Lasers stimulate the skin to make more collagen and make it look much healthier by removing damaged stratum corneum (the outer layer) and promoting new skin growth. 

Older "full ablation" laser techniques removed all of the outer layer.  Since the skin heals from either hair follicles or by expanding from undamaged areas, this took awhile.  Newer laser technology allows us to "fractionate" the damage.  This means that we can now regulate the energy put into the skin, the depth of penetration , and the separation of spots that are treated.  In other words, we are treating small areas that are surrounded by normal skin.  This allows the skin to heal much quicker so recovery time is much shorter and complications are less.  The down side is that multiple treatments may be required to get the same result.

At Total Body Surgical, we have the Pearl Laser by Cutera. www.cutera.com  .  We have access to other lasers as well, depending on the need.  This laser is a great tool to treat both younger and older skin.  The recovery time is usually only 4 days.  This means you can begin wearing makeup after four days and look about back to normal in a week or two.

Come see us at Total Body Surgical Cosmetic Surgery for complimentary cosmetic consultations, Obagi Products, or laser therapy.

Don't forget our Breast Augmentation and Laser hair removal specials!!