Busting Myths on Laser Skin Resurfacing

After Being in the Medical Spa industry for 10 years the technology for non-invasive cosmetic treatments has consistently involved and improved.  One of the top treatments to burst on to the seen in the past year is laser skin resurfacing using non-ablative and ablative lasers to treat scars, wrinkles, stretchmarks and more.  At our medical spa Winter Park Laser in Orlando we utilize several fractional lasers to treat a variety of aesthetic concerns. However, while laser resurfacing is such a viable option for treating skin concerns there are many myths and incorrect information out there.  My goal is to bust the myths on laser skin resurfacing.
Myth #1: Laser skin Resurfacing is Painful

Fact: This isn't true anymore.  Most lasers now have built in cooling systems, and topical numbing cream can be applied 30-60 minutes prior to treatments for an extremely comfortable treatment.
Myth #2: Laser Resurfacing involves extreme downtime of being raw, bloody & red for weeks.

Fact: This is not true, certain older ablative lasers such as CO2, Fraxel, and Urbium used to cause severe downtime for 10-21 days as the holes took 96 hours to close.  However, Palomar's Ablative Fractional Laser Resurfacing hand-piece only requires a "rug burn" effect for 4-7 days as the holes close in 6 hours also significantly reducing any risk of infection.  There is also non-ablative laser skin resurfacing which involves multiple treatments but has no downtime with the exception of slight pinkness for a few hours and is great for minor wrinkles, acne scars and stretchmarks.
Myth #3 All Lasers for Skin Resurfacing Treatments Are the Same
False: While this may have been true a decade ago, it definitely isn’t today.  There are a growing number of different lasers and various brands which can be classified as either ablative or non-ablative.  Ablative laser skin resurfacing removes the top layer of your skin whereas non-ablative relies on wavelengths to penetrate the epidermis and stimulate deeper tissues.  Newer lasers (less than 3 years old) are safer, require less down time and have better built in cooling systems for great results.
Myth #4 If you have a surgical face-lift you won't need any other treatments such as Laser Resurfacing or Fillers
Fact: This is a common myth among surgical procedures but the fact is that surgical does not improve the texture of your skin.  Laser skin resurfacing will stimulate your own collagen & elastin to tighten skin, reduce wrinkles, and tighten pores.
Myth #5: Dark skin Types are not safe for Laser skin resurfacing.
Fact: This isn't true for non-ablative laser resurfacing but it is true for ablative laser skin resurfacing.  Most non-ablative lasers such as Palomar 1540 are color blind so they are safe for all skin types.

For more information on busting myths about laser skin resurfacing for Fractional ablative or non-ablative lasers at Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center in Orlando go to http://www.winterparklaser.com

Non-Surgical Body Sculpting Options

While plastic surgery and surgical options used to be the only method of body sculpting used, lasers and new technologies are giving non-surgical, no downtime time options to men and women.  In the 1980's & 90's lipo-suction and tummy tucks reigned the supreme way to lose fat, inches, and tighten skin, but the 2000's have ushered in non-surgical procedures in a big way. 
At our Orlando medical spa Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center we have seen a surge in non-surgical body sculpting treatments in the last 5 years.
So what non-surgical body sculpting options are available?
One of the first treatments to the market was Syneron's Velashape, they now have Velashape I, II, and III to treat cellulite and tighten skin. available.  Velashape technology utilizes bi-polar radio frequency, it treats the deeper tissue, offering a measurable reduction in fat layers, circumference and the upper layers of the skin, resulting in cellulite reduction, the smoothing of the skin’s tone and texture, inches lost, and noticeable reshaping of the treated area in 5-6 treatments. Usually, an infrared thermometer is used to ensure your body heats up to 104 degrees-the temperature it takes to melt fat. Most people describe the treatments as feeling like a warm deep tissue massage. The Velashape II is 20% more powerful than its predecessor Velashape I giving you shorter treatments, with better, longer lasting results in fewer treatments. This treatment has no discomfort, is non-invasive and requires no down-time.
There are now three non-surgical procedures on the market that offer permanent fat reduction and are a great non-surgical alternative to lipo-suction.  They are Zeltiq® (cool-sculpting), Liposonix®, and TruSculpt™.
TruSculpt™ is the first RF Non-invasive procedure to give permanent surgical type results, previously only available through cosmetic surgery. Using radio frequencies, the practitioner deep-heats tissue over large areas of the body. The raised heat temperature stimulates cells, targeting areas of fat, and creates apoptosis or slow fat cell death. The fat eliminating process begins with the truSculpt treatment, but once activated it continues on its own for In only 2 treatments on average, patients can quickly see permanent results in their appearance, such as smaller mass, tighter skin and less dimpling. TruSculpt™ can be used on any area where fat deposits can accumulate, such as the neck (“turkey neck”), under the arms, around the buttocks, thighs, love handles, back, or abdomen.
For more information on non-surgical body sculpting options go to http://www.winterparklaser.com

Laser Stretch-Mark Removal Advantages

Lots of people with stretch marks are hunting for treatment past those traditional stretch mark removal methods. Stretch marks typically turn up when the skin is dramatically stretched particularly in pregnant women, teens with growth spurts, and those who experience sudden and fast weight gain. Even though stretch marks don’t pose any health danger, they are unsightly marks that bother many women and men especially for summer time or bikini time. Stretch marks can impact your own self-esteem and self-confidence especially for younger girls or new moms. Until the past 1-2 years every doctor told women and men that there was no solution to remove stretch-marks, until Palomar Medical received FDA clearance and approval over a year ago with the Fractional 1540 Laser Skin Resurfacing hand-piece to effectively remove stretch-marks (white and red striae). Since then our medical spa and many other has been removed unwanted stretch-marks for hundreds of women and men.

The Lux1540 laser hand-piece improves the unsightly color and skin texture associated with stretch marks, leaving clients with smoother, better-looking skin in four to five treatments there is a 50%-95% removal of white or red stretchmarks on areas such as the abdomen, hips, breasts, buttocks, thighs, arms, or calves. For stretch mark treatment, the Lux1540 hand piece delivers an array of high-precision micro-beams to create deep, narrow columns of coagulation in the epidermis and dermis. This triggers a restorative natural healing process that creates healthy new tissue, including the deposition of new collagen. This treatment improves the tone and texture of the skin while tightening the area and removing unwanted stretch-marks.

This treatment is finally giving hope to new moms, body builders, those who have gained and lost weight as well as young girls who experienced a sudden growth spurt to remove unwanted stretch-marks and regain their confidence. For more information on this treatment go to www.winterparklaser.com, or www.palomarmedical.com

Laser Stretchmark Removal is Effective to Remove Striae

Stretchmarks occur in women and men post-pregnancies and with weight gain, over the past few years advances have now been made in lasers to reduce and remove these stretchmarks (striae). Fractional 1540 Laser Resurfacing by Palomar Medical is currently the ONLY FDA approved and cleared laser to remove stretchmarks in the United States.

The Fractional Lux1540 Laser treatment delivers micro-beams of light to create columns of coagulation (heat) within the skin. The heated columns of tissue initiate a natural healing process to form new healthy tissue, collagen, and skin cells to reduce stretchmarks in just 3-4 treatments on average. There is little down-time with this procedure and amazing results! Palomar's fractional non-ablative skin resurfacing laser minimizes the appearance of stretch marks (striae) both white and red striae can be removed with a 50-90% improvement.

Laser Stretchmark removal is an amazing innovation in laser technology that has changed the life of many Moms and people everywhere!

Winter Park Laser in Orlando has been treating stetchmarks wiht lasers for the past 3 years. For more information go to www.winterparklaser.com

Why Guys get Laser Hair Removal

Great ARticle: http://www.thenewage.co.za/15913-12-53-Why_guys_do_it

Why guys get Lasef Tom Selleck’s hairy chest floats your boat then who are we to judge? But some guys are a little self-conscious about their hairy bods Would you believe me if I told you that Jay-Z and Diddy wax their private areas? Probably not, but according to gossip they do. And there is no doubt that Wayne Rooney waxes his chest because we’ve all seem him on the field with his shirt off.

Hair removal is a growing trend in male circles. Between waxing, shaving, electrolysis, tweezing, trimming and laser hair removal, men of all ages, sizes, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and professions are getting rid of excess body hair but it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons why men are opting to do this.

Gone are the days of the ’60s musical Hair, which was symbolic of the cultural counter-revolution of hippydom and freedom.

For some it’s a personal choice – some men simply prefer to have less body hair. A few guys have told me that “chicks dig it”. Even so, this too is a personal choice made by individual couples.

Athletes, including cyclists, runners and swimmers, typically remove body hair as part of their training to ensure the hair does not interfere with their fitness regimen, as well as to reduce the extent of an infection, spandex discomfort and resistance in the water. Cyclists like Lance Armstrong shave their legs, not just because it shows of their sexy pins but because it makes crashing a whole lot easier. How so? With hair, you tend to get greater tearing or abrasions and it’s so much easier to clean and bandage a wound without all that hair to deal with.

Our own swimming hero, Ryk Neethling, also has a hairless chest – if you’re a woman, you probably would have noticed. Swimmers keep their chests hairless to reduce drag in the water and to make sure that when they win medals, their medallions don’t get lost in a jungle of tangled strands.

Brad Pitt, Taye Diggs, Ronaldo and Usher are some of the other celebrity hotties known to like the smooth look – and we ladies have no complaints, generally.

Winter Park Laser has been specializing in laser hair removal in Orlando for over 7 years. www.winterparklaser.com