Tips For Using Facial Laser Treatment - The Photo Facial

One of the most popular cosmetic laser facial treatments is called a Photo facial. This type of laser procedure can be very effective at treating brown spots, broken capillaries, and unwanted redness (such as rosacea). Photo facials can also improve the overall quality and smoothness of your skin by mildly stimulating new collagen production. There are many types of laser systems that can perform photo-facials-most are called IPLs or Intense Pulsed Lights. If you are trying to decide whether to have a photo-facial, here are some considerations:

1. Photo facials are best at treating discoloration. For significant wrinkling or sagging, fractionated resurfacing lasers are a better laser treatment choice.
2. More than one treatment is almost always necessary, no matter which kind of photo-facial you choose to do. Expect that you will need 3-5 treatments depending on the severity of your sun damage, and depending on your desired result. These treatments will be spaced out every 2-4 weeks.
3. Its not only your face that ages you. Sun damage to your neck, chest, and hands can be corrected with the photo-facial treatments, as well.
4. Downtime is minimal with a photo-facial. My patients typically experience less than 12 hours of facial redness, though sometimes it can last into the next day. Makeup can be worn immediately after the procedure to help "hide" that post-treatment redness. You can also expect your prominent brown spots to scab for a few days after the procedure, before peeling off.
5. Photo-facial treatments are generally easy to tolerate. You will feel a snapping sensation on your skin, but shouldn't feel significant pain. A topical numbing medicine is usually applied for 20 minutes beforehand. This helps further reduce any discomfort.
6. The anti-aging benefit of any laser treatment is not permanent. Your face will continue to age. You will develop new age spots at some point, and your skin will start to sag again. But if you start to take better care of your skin after these treatments by consistently wearing sunscreen and by using premium skin care products, these measures will help preserve your results for a longer period of time. But repeat treatments will be necessary for maintenance. My patients see me for maintenance treatments at intervals of 6 months to 1.5 years, depending on how well they take care of their skin in between. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dermatologist.