Dr. Marie Jhin, a dermatologist in the SF Bay Area's Premier Dermatology discusses how to be smart in the sun for this summer.
Talk about laser treatments is rampant. If one were to believe all of the advertisements in magazines, laser treatments can be the answer to your skincare woes and are available everywhere from your hair salon to your Ob/Gyn. Unfortunately, the majority of information is misleading at best and medically incorrect at worst. This article attempt to de-mystify the information about laser treatments, provide medically important guidelines and potentially save you from disappointing results.
Types of Lasers
Lasers can be divided into two general categories: ablative and non-ablative lasers. Ablative lasers describe the group of lasers that actually cut the skin. These lasers are used to reduce wrinkles and severe sun-damage. This process is commonly referred to as “laser resurfacing”. Non-ablative lasers emit light and are commonly used for hair removal and the treatment of broken capillaries or redness in the face.
Laser Resurfacing
Laser resurfacing can dramatically improve the texture and appearance of your skin. In order to get these results, an ablative laser is used to remove the top layers of the skin. There is a depth of injury that you have to incur before the wrinkles will go away and when you laser to that depth, it will require at least 7 days to recover. If a provider or laser center promises a shorter downtime, then they are either not going deep enough to remove the wrinkles or they are under-estimating the recovery time. In both cases, the patient will be disappointed in the results. Dr. Jhin always provides realistic expectations to her patients. She will take the time to explain the trade-off between down-time and real results and help patients make a decision that fits with their lifestyle. Based on her medical training and vast experience, Dr. Jhin can adjust settings to provide a lighter or deeper treatment. Lighter treatments can improve texture and pore size with minimal (2-3 day) downtime.
Know Who is Behind the Laser!
This is the most important aspect of any laser treatment. The laser is a powerful tool but the outcome is dependent on the provider performing the treatment. Dermatologists are the only doctors, who in their residency, study lasers, laser physics, laser dynamics, and wound healing. Lasers are included on the dermatology board examination. While others take weekend courses in laser operation, their experience and medical knowledge regarding lasers is lacking. Remember that laser resurfacing is a medical treatment and these lasers should be operating by qualified medical personnel. At Premier Dermatology, Dr. Jhin or one of the other doctors does ALL laser resurfacing procedures.
Why Premier Dermatology is Your Best Bet for Lasers.
There are many considerations to take into account when researching laser procedures.
- Does the provider have Board Certification in Dermatology and membership in the ASDS (American Society of Dermatologic Surgery)?
- Is the physician actually operating the laser equipment?
- Can they provide referrals from patients?
At Premier Dermatology, the answer is YES to all of these questions. Dr. Jhin performs hundreds of these procedures each year and has many happy customers. If you are interested in finding out more about lasers and laser resurfacing, schedule a cosmetic consult with Dr. Jhin. She will listen to your skin care concerns, determine the best options and provide honest feedback.
If you’d like more information on sunscreen options or come in for a skin cancer screening. Please contact Robert, our Patient Manager to schedule an appointment. He can be reached at info@premier-dermatology.com or 415-371-8600 (SF office) /650-551-9700 (Peninsula office)
