 |
Laser Resurfacing; Are You a Good Candidate?!Laser resurfacing is not for everyone since not everyone makes an ideal candidate, "Certain people with very sensitive skin cannot tolerate the medications and lubricants used on the skin during healing", explains Stephen W. Perkins, M.D., president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and of the Meridian Plastic Surgery Center of Indianapolis, Indiana. Laser Resurfacing May Not be for Dark Skin Tones!...Perkins also feels that the darker-skinned ethnic groups are not candidates because the laser surgery alters the color of skin too dramatically and unpredictably. Tina Alster, M.D., director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C., on the other hand, believes that in the hands of a very experienced surgeon, people with darker skin tones, although not ideal candidates, can benefit from surgery. Alster warns that anyone not mentally prepared for laser resurfacing or who expects instant results is not a good candidate. "This is not easy in-easy out surgery," she says. "Potential patients have to realize that there will be bruising and swelling and they will be holed up in the house for seven to 10 days," she says. "They will have a crusty, oozy, bruised, scabbed, raw-appearing face." Further, they should not expect unflawed skin. "I can't deliver that," she says. "I am not able to give unlined, unscarred skin." Patients, however, can expect a 50 percent or greater improvement. Ten-Days-Wait Isn't Too Bad!...You must also plan on at least 10 days of healing before applying any makeup. For satisfactory healing, that means following rigorous laser resurfacing after-care treatment, including proper skin cleansing, the application of a skin lubricant, and the frequent changing of dressings. Risks to Consider in Laser Resurfacing...
As with any medical procedure, patients undergoing laser treatment may experience certain complications--most temporary--including a prolonged redness of skin, tenderness, easy flushing, and some pigmentary changes, like hyper pigmentation, when the skin appears darker than normal, says Rox Anderson, M.D., director of the Laser Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Other risks in laser resurfacing are more serious, and possibly permanent, including hypo pigmentation, or lightening of the skin. "Somewhere between one to two years after treatment it becomes clear that there is a permanent lightening of the skin color where the resurfacing was done," he says. And scarring may occur in about 2 percent of laser resurfacing cases, he adds, from poor postoperative care, during which time an infection may develop. Or a surgeon may go too deep during the procedure, creating an injury the skin cannot repair, says Alster. Learning From Kathy's Ordeal...Consider the case of Kathy Molina (not her real name) in semi-rural Montana, a stay-at-home mom and a dentist's wife. Wanting to remove some mild acne scars, she went to a well-respected local plastic surgeon to undergo laser surgery, but after a five-month recovery period, Molina realized that something had gone very wrong. "He had just burned my face," she says. It was red, with scar tissue all over, she adds. Eventually, Molina went for help to an ophthalmologist who had extensive laser knowledge--many ophthalmologists use lasers for corrective eye surgery. He took one look at her and exclaimed, "Oh, I am so sorry this has happened to you." He told her that the laser surgeon had been too aggressive and had not used the right settings, so that her skin had retained too much heat and had been severely burned. Beware of Unqualified Practitioners... Because both qualified and unqualified laser resurfacing practitioners are flooding the cosmetic laser "The person planning to do laser resurfacing surgery must understand the basic "Sometimes people may choose the wrong laser, or a surgeon may believe more is better, which can lead to significant burning," says Alster. And some laser resurfacing operators don't know they must keep wiping off the partially desiccated skin or that they must keep moving the hand holding the laser instrument during the procedure. Sadly, You're on Your Own...To date, no national policy exists for credentialing those planning to practice laser resurfacing. Felten says FDA is responsible for granting individual manufacturers permission to market their lasers for the specific indications requested. FDA also often recommends training needed to operate the lasers. But credentialing is a state function, since states are responsible for the licensing of doctors and nurses, and standards for laser resurfacing training vary from state to state. That's bad news for laser resurfacing patients like Molina. Two years have passed since her laser resurfacing procedure and she has spent nearly $70,000 for both the initial surgery and subsequent consultations and corrective surgeries to remove the scarring. She says she has partially reclaimed her life. But she bitterly regrets undergoing the initial surgery. "I will never look right," says Molina. "I would never do this again." A Few Effective Skin Treatment Products...
More Related Pages to Check Out...
Beauty Make Up Tips
Skin Health Care
Cosmetics Tools Acne Products (Attention Teens!) Laser Resurfacing Surgery Celebrity Without Make Up Pictures
|
