Acne and Unwanted Hair

There are few things more distressing for most people than visible skin imperfections or blemishes, such as acne or unwanted hair, which can destroy confidence and lead to social isolation. Until fairly recently, it has been difficult to access effective acne scar removal, or body treatments for other conditions that could provide a complete or permanent solution. However, in the last couple of decades, laser technology has become available for an increasingly wide range of skin conditions, and has revolutionized the outlook for thousands of sufferers.

Laser Skin Treatments

Lasers work by emitting intense beams of light on only a single wavelength or color, each targeting a single type of body tissue. The beam is converted into heat, which destroys or inactivates cells in that tissue type, without seriously affecting cells in surrounding areas. Because different skin problems involve different pigmentations, a specific type of laser wavelength, or light color, is required for treating each specific skin problem.

Laser treatments are basically grouped into two main types: ablative, which vaporize the top layers of targeted skin, and non-ablative, which target deeper layers without the top layer being affected. Within these, there are many different types of laser, depending on which pigments are treated. Among the most commonly used types are CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). Erbium YAG and Nd: YAG.

Acne Scar Removal

One of the largest groups of people who benefit from laser treatments are former acne sufferers, who are often left with deep scarring that seems almost impossible to remove. For some acne scar removal treatments, the CO2 laser type, an ablative laser, is used, especially for deeper scarring. However, more recently, considerable success has been achieved with Erbium YAG and Nd: YAG. The energy from these is more easily absorbed than that from CO2 lasers, which means their vaporizing action is exceptionally precise, with pain and side effects being greatly reduced.