Have you ever noticed that some people just seem to have the perfect skin? We know, we know—that’s not fair. But there’s no denying it: some people’s skin is just better than others. And for those of us who aren’t so lucky, there are a lot of options available to help us deal with our scars.
One of the most popular is laser therapy. Laser therapy uses light to treat your scar tissue and improve its appearance. It’s been used in this way since the 1970s, but it wasn’t until recently that doctors and researchers started to understand how lasers could help heal wounds. The good news is that more and more people are finding out about the benefits of laser therapy! It’s become very popular in recent years because it works so well on so many different types of scars. So if you’re dealing with an old scar or one that just won’t go away, you should definitely consider trying this treatment out for yourself!
Read on to learn more Laser For Body Scars, How can laser treatment help with scars?
Laser For Body Scars
Dermatologists can use a laser to reduce a scar’s appearance and minimize pain and itching. Laser treatment can also prevent scars from forming after surgery.
The laser helps stimulate new, healthy skin growth. Although laser treatment cannot completely remove scars, it can make them less noticeable and uncomfortable.
People can get laser therapy on many types of scar, including surgical scars, acne scars, and scars from injuries. It is also safe to use on the face.
In this article, we look at how laser treatment works, its uses and procedure, and factors to consider before getting this treatment.
Laser treatments for scars are considered a cosmetic procedure. The goal of this treatment is to reduce or remove the appearance of a scar. This can be done with various types of lasers, including the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) laser and the Fractional Resurfacing Laser (FR).
The CO2 laser uses carbon dioxide gas, which is converted into a laser beam that destroys the damaged tissue in a specific area. The FR laser removes damaged skin by creating microscopic columns in the skin tissue, which stimulates new collagen growth and improves elasticity in the surrounding skin.
Laser treatments can also be used to treat stretch marks or surgical incisions. Stretch marks occur when your skin stretches more than it can handle, causing tiny tears in your collagen fibers. Surgical scars can develop when tissue is moved around during surgery or if you have an infection at the site of surgery. Both types of scars tend to be red or purple and may itch as they heal.
Laser therapy is a type of treatment that uses laser energy to heal burns, acne scars, and other skin conditions. It’s a non-surgical procedure that can be used to treat almost any area of the body.
How Does Laser Therapy Work?
Laser therapy works by stimulating cell growth, increasing collagen production and speeding up healing time. When you have laser treatments, your skin will be exposed to light that’s delivered through a small wand or probe. This light penetrates your skin’s surface and converts into heat as it travels deeper into your skin. This heat stimulates the production of new collagen fibers and reduces scar tissue formation, which helps improve the appearance of scars over time.
The laser can also stimulate skin cells so they produce more melanin pigment — this helps even out skin tone and reduce redness caused by rosacea or sun damage.
If laser scar treatment is purely for cosmetic reasons, it is unlikely that medical insurance will cover the cost.
If the scar is due to surgery or is debilitating, health insurance may pay for a portion of the treatment cost. People can discuss these costs with their doctor and insurance company.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost for laser skin resurfacing, which includes scar treatment, is $2,071 for an ablative laser. The average price for nonablative laser treatment is $1,144.
A doctor is likely to advise a person to have multiple scar treatments over several months to see the best results. The suggested number of overall treatments will affect the cost as well.
Laser treatments are a great option for reducing scars and improving the look of your skin. The procedure involves using a laser to heat up the scar tissue, which causes it to contract and fade away.
Laser therapy is a surgical procedure that uses laser energy to treat scars and wounds. Laser therapy can be used on any type of skin condition, but it’s especially good at treating keloids, hypertrophic scars and acne scars.
Laser therapy is often used as an alternative to traditional surgery because it provides patients with similar benefits without the risks associated with surgery. This includes faster healing times, less pain and swelling, reduced scarring, fewer complications and lower costs than traditional surgery.
Laser therapy can also be used to treat vascular birthmarks such as port wine stains or hemangiomas by causing them to regress (shrink).
Laser treatment is one of the most common ways to remove a scar. Laser treatments can be used on any type of scar, including those that are red, raised, or uneven.
Laser treatments work by using intense light energy to burn away the skin tissue that forms a scar. This process stimulates new collagen growth and causes dead skin cells to slough off. The result is smoother, tighter skin with less visible scarring.
Laser treatments are usually performed using one of two types of lasers: CO2 or erbium-YAG (erbium:YAG). CO2 lasers have been in use for nearly 30 years, while erbium-YAG lasers were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2003 for treating scars and wrinkles on the face and neck area.
How can laser treatment help with scars?
Laser treatment penetrates the outer layers of skin to stimulate new, healthy skin cell growth. The laser removes older, damaged layers of skin so that new, healthy skin can grow in its place.
Laser treatments are, in essence, creating a new scar in place of an old one. However, the new skin should grow more uniformly.
The formation of scar tissue is a natural bodily response to injury. Scars are not harmful and do not require removal for medical reasons. However, if they are painful, limiting, or affect a person psychologically, a range of methods can reduce their appearance and discomfort.
Laser treatment can help with scars by:
- decreasing pain or itchiness
- reducing their appearance
- improving the range of motion of the skin around the scar
Doctors can choose from a variety of lasers that use different wavelengths of light and affect the skin in various ways. Some lasers are ablative, meaning that they remove the top layer of skin, while others are nonablative, retaining the skin’s surface while affecting the layers underneath.
Some lasers may be unsuitable for certain skin tones because they may cause the skin to grow back discolored.
Examples of laser types that doctors use in scar treatment include:
- ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser
- intense pulsed light
- long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG
- nonablative fractional laser
- pulsed dye laser
- Q-switched Nd:YAG
A doctor should thoroughly evaluate a scar before recommending a laser for treatment use. They should explain the potential benefits unique to a particular laser as well as its possible side effects.
Which types of scar can it help with?
Laser treatment can help with many common types of scar, including acne scars and injury scars.
Doctors tend to recommend it for superficial scars. Deep scars or scars that restrict a person’s movement will typically respond better to more intensive treatment.
A doctor may recommend laser treatment for the following types of scar:
- acne scars
- burn scars
- surgical scars
- injury scars
The American Academy of Dermatology say that laser treatment is not a cure for scars and does not remove them completely. In some cases, a doctor may recommend a combination of therapies, for example, using injectable fillers alongside laser therapy to make the scar less noticeable.
How to prepare
Doctors may recommend taking certain actions ahead of the procedure to ensure that it is as effective and safe as possible. These may include:
- Avoiding medicines and herbs that increase the risk of bleeding. Examples include aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and herbal supplements such as garlic or ginkgo biloba. It is important to tell the doctor about any prescription blood thinners.
- Avoiding products that contain glycolic acid or a retinoid for 2–4 weeks.
- Staying out of the sun and not exposing the skin to ultraviolet (UV) light for extended periods. Doctors may not be able to use laser therapy if a person has a tan or sunburn.
- Refraining from cosmetic procedures, such as chemical peels, collagen injections, and waxing.
- Quitting smoking at least 2 weeks before the procedure. Smoking impairs the skin’s ability to heal, which can affect the treatment results.
On the day of the procedure, the individual should avoid using lotions, deodorants, perfumes, or any other products that could potentially interact with the laser treatment. The skin should also be clean.
Depending on the part of the body that requires treatment, a doctor will usually suggest wearing clothing that is easy to take off and put on, such as a soft button up shirt and loose fitting pants.
Procedure
Before a person undergoes laser treatment, a doctor will examine the scar and mark the skin with a pen to identify the area for treatment.
The following is an example of how the treatment process may work:
- A doctor will clean the area around the scar and may inject local anesthetic or apply a numbing cream to the area.
- If the scar is on the face, they may ask the person to wear protective goggles.
- The doctor will place wet towels or gauze around the scarred area to absorb laser pulses that would otherwise affect healthy skin.
- The doctor will pass the laser over the scar tissue. They may occasionally apply a cooling saline or water solution.
- After the treatment is complete, the doctor will apply an ointment and a clean dressing to cover the area.
The treated area may remain red for several hours after the procedure. There may also be mild swelling and stinging that might feel similar to a sunburn.
After the procedure, doctors often recommend applying moisturizing lotion to the area at least twice daily and refraining from applying makeup until the redness has gone away.
Are there any risks?
A doctor should discuss potential side effects and risks with the individual before performing laser procedures. The side effects may depend on the type of laser, the severity of the scar, and the person’s skin tone.
Some of the more common side effects include:
- minor bleeding
- discomfort
- skin infection
- skin crusting
- skin discoloration
- swelling
It is also possible that the laser scar treatment could prove ineffective or worsen the scar’s appearance.