Laser Treatment of Pigmented Lesions
Melanin is what gives our skin its color. Pigmented
lesions are dark in color simply because melanin is abnormally
concentrated in one area of the skin. High concentrations of melanin can
be due to various factors. Some types are present at birth, but most
occur with age or as a result of overexposure to the sun's damaging
rays.
Lentigenies or age spots are premature ageing brown marks, which
appear on the backs of hands and the face. Sunburn freckles are the
result of sun damage and occur on the back, upper chest and shoulders.
Most are harmless but all are aging and may be unattractive.
Nevus of Ota and other flat pigmented birthmarks are localized areas
of increased pigmentation in the skin, which are present at birth.
Although most brown spots are easily ignored, many are quite conspicuous and can detract from your skin's natural beauty.
Most brown birthmarks will fade with treatment but some recur. These
may require additional treatment to keep pigmentation at bay. Brown age
spots often fade or disappear with one to two treatments.
What types of brown spots or pigmented lesions will be removed?
It is most commonly used for removing brown age spots, "liver spots",
freckles and many brown birthmarks. Dr. Bouzaglou will identify your
specific type of lesion and explain what can be done to help you look
and feel better. We do not use lasers for treating cancers or suspected
cancers. If in doubt, we will biopsy any suspicious spots to make sure
there is no skin cancer.
How does the laser remove pigmented lesions?
Energy from the laser is very well absorbed by cells containing
excessive concentrations of pigment - and not well absorbed by normal
tissue - so the VersaPulse laser stimulates your body to eliminate the
unwanted excessive pigment while having little or no effect on other
tissues or on normal skin color.
If the area to be treated has a fresh sun tan or has been treated
with self-tanning lotion, it is best to wait a couple of weeks for the
tan to fade before having treatment, because the tan will absorb and
waste some of the laser energy intended for the pigmented lesion. A
fresh sun tan (or color from a recent application of self-tanning
lotion) could also absorb enough laser energy to increase the risk of
skin irritation or blistering.
If you take ASA, alcohol or vitamin E during the week before your
pigmented lesions are treated with the laser there might be a bit more
bruising in the treated area.
Most people find that laser treatment of pigmented blemishes is not
particularly painful - each pulse of laser light is similar to the snap
of a thin rubber band, or tiny specks of hot bacon grease on the skin.
There may be less discomfort if a second treatment is needed because as
the freckles and age spots fade, there is less pigment to absorb laser
energy.
Most patients do not require anesthesia, but ice packs, anesthetic
creams or local anesthetic can be used if necessary. If there is a large
or sensitive area to be treated, a couple of plain Tylenol can be taken
to raise your pain threshold somewhat before laser treatment.
No other special preparation is needed. The high power of the laser
allows large diameter, deeply penetrating beams to be used, and will
help to speed up the resolution of your pigmented lesions.
What will happen after treatment?
For the first half-hour after laser treatment, the treated area may
feel hot (like a sunburn) and it might be red for the rest of the day.
Occasionally (depending on the severity of your sun damage) the treated
spots will become darker in color and over the next week or two will
flake off. This is a normal process as the body works to eliminate the
pigmented blemishes.
There may be some lightening or darkening of the treated area for
several months after laser treatment. This is usually not very obvious.
Protect the treated area from sun exposure until the skin is completely
healed and the skin color has returned to normal.
Gentle cleansing of the skin and application of an antibiotic
ointment will help the treated area heal quickly after treatment. Avoid picking at or irritating the skin after treatment.
How many treatments are required?
About 60%-80% of common freckles and age spots resolve after one
treatment. Some need a second treatment, and a few need to be treated
more than twice. Some blemishes do not disappear completely, but will be
significantly lighter in color after treatment.
Because there is a great deal of variability in the size, depth and
darkness of freckles, age spots and pigmented nevi, and because there is
some variability in people's natural ability to clear away pigment
after laser treatment, it is not possible to "promise" you that a
certain result will happen after a fixed number of treatments. How well
your lesions respond depends on several factors. Superficial lesions
such as freckles and age spots tend to respond more quickly as compared
to deeper, more complex lesions.
How long should I wait between treatments?
It is best to wait at least 4 to 8 weeks between treatments so that the maximum amount of fading can take place.
Will the freckles and age spots disappear completely?
In many cases the freckles and age spots can be made to disappear or
fade to the point where you are the only person who can find a trace of
them, because you know where to look.
What are the risks of treatment?
In most cases, the laser treatment leads to satisfactory fading or
complete removal of the freckles and age spots without significant side
effects.
The most common problem is incomplete removal of brown spots or
pigmented nevi. Some spots are relatively resistant, although there is
almost always a worthwhile amount of improvement.
Scarring is very rare. Infection is also very rare and is usually
prevented or treated by using antibiotic cream. Loss of pigment from
normal skin is rare and usually minimal.
You can reduce the chance of irregular tanning - and reduce the
chance that the freckles and age spots will come back -- by protecting
the treated area from sun exposure.
Hypo-pigmentation (lightening of the skin) or hyper-pigmentation
(darkening of the skin) are quite infrequent, and are almost always
temporary.
Pricing:
The cost of using the versapulse laser for pigment lesions is generally per 15 minute treatment session. Multiple treatment sessions are sold as a "package" of 5 treatments spread apart by 4-6 weeks or longer if desired.
Call the office at (859) 263-8083 to schedule your consultation for pigmented lesion laser removal or request an appointment