Brown spots, especially those of dark color and large numbers, are a cosmetic flaw. They are not a sign of ill health, usually accompanied by dryness, peeling and roughening of the skin, the presence of spider veins. In cosmetology and dermatology, different methods are used to eliminate formations on the skin. Based on the reviews, laser removal of age spots is the most effective and preferred method. But, like most procedures, manipulation has contraindications and consequences that you need to know about.
Can I delete?
Pigment spots are formations on the skin of an oval shape and a darker shade. Pigmentation, especially multiple, is a cosmetic defect. But sometimes, malignant neoplasias can be masked under them. Before embarking on any cosmetic procedures, you should find out if skin formations are a sign of a serious illness.
Laser removal of age spots on the hands, face, neck or other parts of the body is the most effective and preferred method. The procedure is considered optimal from a safety point of view. The laser acts non-contact, has a bactericidal and coagulating effect.
The new equipment, which has an effective and safe impact and ease of use, has made the procedure available to much more people. If earlier it was possible to find only reviews on the removal of age spots by laser in Minsk, Moscow, now similar procedures are carried out even in the smallest cities. Of course, widespread use does not mean complete safety, before the procedure you should consult with a dermatologist and oncologist.
Benefits
Laser removal of age spots (photo of the procedure is presented in the article), like any other cosmetic manipulations, has its pros and cons. The advantages of the procedure include the following:
- High efficiency. Small formations are removed without a trace.
- Achieving good results in a short time. The use of some lasers allows you to get rid of pigmentation in 1-2 sessions.
- Contactless exposure. The lack of contact of the device with the skin ensures hygiene, minimizes the likelihood of allergies.
- Bloodlessness. Under the influence of high temperature, the liquid dispersed medium hardens, which leads to the adhesion of damaged cells and their subsequent natural removal from the body.
- Sterility. The procedure takes place without contact of the patient with the person who conducts it, and the instrument with which the manipulation is performed.
- Visual control. The cosmetologist clearly sees what effect the laser has on the skin and, if necessary, can increase or decrease the energy flow or stop the procedure.
- Stimulation of skin regeneration.
- After applying the laser, no scars or scars remain on the skin. The beam passes freely through the upper layers of the dermis without a preliminary puncture or incision.
- Long lasting effect. Removal with a laser prevents the migration of cells through the blood and for a long time eliminates the likelihood of the appearance of pigments again.
Disadvantages of the procedure
The disadvantages of laser treatment for pigmentation include the following:
- High price. For the visible cosmetic effect, you need to go through several procedures, and this is very expensive.
- Rehabilitation. The recovery period is often accompanied by painful sensations, moreover, its duration is at least a week.
- Complications Based on the reviews, the consequences of removing age spots with a laser are not threatening to life or health, but they create enough problems.
Some believe that these disadvantages are not significant compared to the final result.
How is the procedure
The article will provide feedback on the removal of age spots with a laser. In some you can find a detailed description of the procedure. But do not forget that people for the most part talk not about the intricacies of cosmetic manipulation, but about their attitude to it.
The algorithm of the procedure:
- Before removing age spots, a specialist performs local anesthesia with a special cosmetic ointment or gel.
- In places where skin lesions are large, and with a low pain threshold, injection anesthesia is used.
- The device sets the optimal frequency of the pulse, depending on the size and color of the spots.
- Patient and beautician wear safety glasses. The laser, even the most low-power one, is dangerous for eyesight, if you ignore the means of protection, you can get retinal burns.
- The skin formation is treated using high-energy pulses.
- At the end of the process, an antiseptic is applied to the skin.
After the cosmetic procedure during the day, it is not recommended to wet, touch, scratch the laser-treated areas, apply decorative cosmetics.
Types of appliances
Initially, lasers were used only in surgery. But with the introduction of new technologies, the devices became safer, more functional and easier to use, and they began to be used not only for medical, but also for aesthetic indications.
Beauticians use various types of solid-state surgical lasers to remove skin lesions. These include optical quantum generators, in which the active element is a substance in a solid state (glass, crystal):
- Fraxel installations. Using Fraxel devices of thulium and erbium type, the fractional thermolysis procedure is performed. With the help of such lasers, hyperpigmentation, fine wrinkles, and scars are eliminated.
- Diode. The effect is achieved due to the effect of high temperatures on melanin. Diode optical generators are also used for photorejuvenation, elimination of spider veins, hair.
- Neodymium. It is believed that Nd: YAG devices are most popular. In cosmetology, a neodymium laser is used to remove age spots, tattoos, and also for carbon peeling.
- Picosecond. The peculiarity of lasers is that the pigment is destroyed not due to thermal exposure, but due to decay into small particles. In addition to lightening age spots, picosecond lasers smooth out surface wrinkles and eliminate scarring of the skin.
There are other types of lasers that eliminate pigmentation, but the above are the most common.
Pros and cons of using a fractional device
Initially, the Fraxel laser system was designed to remove tattoos. Over time, the devices were improved and at the moment they occupy a worthy place among the procedures of hardware cosmetology.
The installation generates a thin beam, which is divided into smaller fractions, their number reaches several hundred thousand. The beam penetrates into the layers of the dermis, destroys old cells and activates the regeneration process.
First of all, in reviews on the removal of age spots on the face with a Fraxel laser, users note, to put it mildly, the expensive cost of the service. But the effect and speed of its occurrence suggests that it is worth it. The spots become noticeably lighter already 3-4 days after the first manipulation. It is quite possible to get rid of a few and dimly expressed pigmentation in 1-2 procedures.
Getting rid of pigmentation with a diode device
Laser diode - a device in which the working element is a semiconductor built on the basis of the diode. Diode power generators are considered an alternative to fractional installations with a wavelength of 810/940 Nm. The supplied energy beam absorbs well the cutaneous chromophore of melanin. Due to the chemical reaction, photothermolysis and destruction of melanin occurs.
In almost all reviews about the removal of age spots by a laser with a diode working element, users note a preliminary cooling procedure as a minus. Despite the fact that they warn about this manipulation in advance, contact cooling to 4-8 degrees with a plus sign is a complete surprise for the body. Some girls write with irony that the procedure is painless because the patient is in a state of shock.
Many people don’t like the fact that a week later a crust forms on the laser treatment site. Not only is it unaesthetic, it also causes pain if you start to remove it. The effect begins to be noticeable no earlier than 10 days later. It is unrealistic to get rid of stains in one procedure, but you can do a second one no earlier than a month later. It turns out that laser removal of formations on the skin takes about two months, or even more.
The only significant plus is the low cost, although this is strange, because diode devices are very expensive.
Removal of age spots by a neodymium laser
Almost all devices used in cosmetology for a long time and with success are used in various fields, most often in space and military. True, in aesthetic medicine they use simpler and more compact, but very effective devices. One of such devices is a solid-state Nd: YAG laser (neodymium).
In neodymium optical quantum generators, the active element is yttrium-aluminum garnet enriched in neodymium ions. The laser beam penetrates deep into the skin (4-8 mm). Long-wave radiation is practically not absorbed by melanin, the procedure can be performed on the skin of any phototype. The energy of the beam is absorbed by hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin, which leads to coagulation of small capillaries and the destruction of stagnant melanocytes.
The vast majority of women who removed pigmentation with a neodymium laser, in the reviews, noted that they were satisfied with the effect of the procedure. The device removes even very dark and large spots in 1-2 sessions. After the procedure, there are no signs of burns on the skin, but on the contrary, it takes on a healthy appearance.
However, in the reviews of the neodymium laser for removing age spots, the disadvantages of the procedure are also indicated. Women complain that after the cosmetic procedure there is an increased photosensitivity, in the first days you have to refuse to walk in the sun.
Using a picosecond device
Beauticians are well aware that the higher the laser energy, the higher its efficiency. This indicator depends on the time required to generate a pulse. Lasers with a pulse duration of 3 to 8 picoseconds (1 picosecond = 10⁻¹²) are considered leaders.
Picosecond lasers generate ultra-short waves of 1064, 532 and 775 Nm, which are instantly perceived by the skin epithelium, almost without causing negative reactions and sensations. Under the influence of impulses, pigments deposited in the skin immediately decompose into tiny particles, and later are excreted from the body using macrophage cells. Waves contribute to the activation of cellular metabolism, stimulate biochemical reactions in the dermis, which leads to the rejuvenation of skin cells.
There are still few reviews of a picosecond laser for removing age spots. This is due to the high cost of the procedure. All the girls who had their skin lesions removed using a picosecond laser claim that the process is almost painless, there is only a slight tingling sensation. Hyperemia is observed no more than a day. Women note that much less procedures are required to lighten age spots than with other types of devices.
Contraindications for laser treatment of pigmentation
Any decent medical institution will not perform the procedure without a medical report that the patient has no contraindications. From the reviews on the removal of pigment spots with a laser, you can find out in which places the examination is carried out, and in which not. The examination can be done free of charge in the clinic at the place of residence or in the same institution where the procedure will be conducted.
Contraindications:
- Blood diseases.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Immunodeficiency conditions.
- Confirmed oncological pathology.
- All trimesters of pregnancy.
- Herpes in the acute stage.
- Wounds, abrasions or inflammatory processes on the skin in the area of pigmentation.
- Menstruation.
- Freshly tanned skin.
The consequences of removing age spots with a laser
Most of all you can learn about the consequences of removing age spots with a laser from the reviews of people who have done the procedure. They note such negative manifestations:
- Redness accompanied by swelling.
- Hyperpigmentation is considered normal if it lasts no more than three days.
- The formation of a crust, causing pain, if you touch it.
- Burn.
- Itching
- Peeling.
- Scar tissue.
Most often, negative manifestations arise due to the incompetence of the cosmetologist. Also, the cause of their occurrence may be features of the immune system or failure to follow the recommendations of a specialist during the rehabilitation period.