After giving birth to daughter North, Kim Kardashian sought to blast the stretch marks with which the prenatal experience had scarred her with a few kisses from a laser wand. Thanks in large part to the celebrity’s choice to broadcast the procedure on her weekly reality show, the world got a firsthand look at the powers of this emerging
tool in the cosmedic enhancement world.
When laser treatments first hit the dermatological scene some three decades ago, it was on the wings of much promise. Expectations were high that this focused beam of intense light would burn off aged and damaged top-layer skin and expose baby skin in its place. But the early iterations of this technology proved problematic, leaving its early adopters the unwitting victims of what seemed an intense and enduring sunburn.
Improvements made in the meantime have vaulted the technology back into the upper echelons of the toolbox, and today laser treatments are considered among the most valuable technological cosmedic enhancement advancement in decades.
This focused beam of monochromatic light and the heat it produces which can be modulated to achieve different effects can deliver impressive results to patients with little to no downtime and minimal risks. In short, the laser has revolutionized what can be done to for the aging face.
Lasers can:
- erase vascular blemishes, like port wine stains, rosacea and spider veins;
- minimize fine lines and wrinkles;
- smooth rough skin;
- eliminate unwanted hair (by arresting its growth while still in its active phase);
- remove tattoos;
- treat scars (along with those left behind by acne, injury or previous enhancement, by stimulating the blood vessels inside and encouraging collagen production).
Progress has meant a number of different laser types have developed with time, each subtly different from the last, each particularly suited for a specific treatment. As such, patients need to be clear not only on which laser type is most applicable for their issue at hand, but of the experience their physician has with the tool and technique in question. Ask about experience and to see pictures.