subject: Acne- The Laser Treatment Options [print this page] When a person is suffering from face and body acne, her whole confidence is shaken. Healthy living habits such as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and drinking eight to ten glasses of water per day can help in having a better and healthier looking skin. What is a person to do when despite her best efforts, face and body acne persists?
Acne is a medical condition and treatment should only be started after consulting with the proper skilled personnel such as a family doctor or better yet a dermatologist.
One of the proposed solutions to persistent face and body acne might be laser treatments. Laser acne treatment has been used for a few years now, and it is quickly gaining in popularity alongside with more traditional forms of acne removal and prevention. Antibiotics might become increasingly ineffective due to overuse and the development of resistances. An increasing number of people are now opting for laser treatments for their face and body acne condition. During a laser resurfacing treatment, a doctor holds a laser pen just above the acne or acne scar tissue and waves the concentrated beam of light in a back and forth motion. The laser treatment has the effect of only vaporizing the unwanted tissue and creating a new surface for skin cell growth. This technique is called laser resurfacing. New collagen might form after laser treatment. (Collagen is a protein in the skin's connective tissue that helps give the skin its elasticity and texture.)
Laser resurfacing treatment under the proper medical care is said to be safe and painless in almost all cases. Side effects that can occur are such as post-procedural bruising and swelling that should resolve rapidly. In most cases, these side effects persist for no longer than seven to ten days. A person has to wait until this passes before applying make-up. The person should also consult her doctor in cases where side effects are pronounced.
There are currently no federal restrictions on who can perform laser resurfacing. At the time of writing, regulations only affect the laser manufacturers themselves. A person interested in laser treatment for her face and body acne should only consult qualified medical staff. There are many types of lasers for many different purposes, so be sure to use a dermatologist or plastic surgeon. Another precaution is to ask where your doctor was trained to use the laser equipment and whether your doctor rents or owns his or her laser equipment. Asking to see before and after pictures of the doctor's cases can be of great help to decide if laser treatment is what a person wants. Finding out how many different types of lasers the doctor owns and how often each piece of equipment is used is another good question one can ask.
Laser treatment for body and face acne is not the best solution for everyone suffering from acne. People with dark skin can see their skin alter in color after a laser resurfacing treatment dramatically and unpredictably. Others believe that in the hands of a very experienced surgeon, people with darker skin tones can benefit. People who have a delicate skin can also have more side effects and poor results with skin resurfacing laser treatment for acne. These reasons and many more are the base of the need for a good communication between the person suffering from acne and her doctor.
Laser treatments can easily cost in the thousands of dollars range. This fact in itself another good reason to consult with only skilled and experienced dermatologists or doctors.
