By Dr. Mark Kohout, Cosmetic Surgery Specialist
For us mere mortals, extreme close-ups on high-rating TV shows may never be a concern, but the amazing quality of personal cameras can reveal flaws in your skin that would never be noticed using old film technology. It can be startling to zoom in on your face in a photo and see just how damaged the skin can be.
Of course, no one has perfect, flawless skin. Indeed, many people would probably say that the odd scar or wrinkle actually adds to the appeal of a person’s face. And plenty of minor blemishes can be easily overcome with make-up.
But if you have wrinkles, inconsistent skin tone or scarring that make-up never can quite cover up, there are a number of safe and relatively painless methods that can be used to fix the problem. They are Fractional Resurfacing and Photo Rejuvenation.
Fractional Resurfacing:
This relatively new method of eliminating skin flaws is a laser based treatment which uses light energy via a matrix of laser beams to produce deep dermal heating and iron out wrinkles, remove scars and even out skin tone.
It works by using overlapping light beams to penetrate deep into the dermis and pre-heat the target tissue to a depth of up to 2.5 mm. Deep thermal heating both shrinks and generates new collagen, leading to skin tightening and renewal of dead skin cells. Your skin tone and colour improve measurably.
Following one treatment with the system, most patients showed improvement in facial parameters such as skin brightness (83%) and skin smoothness/wrinkle reduction (90%)
There are two kinds of Fractional Resurfacing; Fractional Ablative Skin Resurfacing and Fractional Non-Ablative Skin Resurfacing. In a nutshell, the difference is this; when set on a low setting, the matrix treatment is non-ablative (it doesn’t remove any skin tissue) and when set on a higher settings, it is ablative. Both systems help to achieve a smoother, clearer complexion.
Fractional Ablative Skin Resurfacing:
Fractional Ablative Skin Resurfacing works by ablating the superficial layers of the treated area. The healthy skin in the surrounding helps accelerate the healing process of the skin. Following treatment, you may notice increased levels of collagen as healthy skin cells are produced. Mild to moderate wrinkles and superficial skin discolorations are reduced and the texture of your skin will have added smoothness and elasticity. The treatment is suitable for most skin types and it is advised to space three treatments 4-6 weeks apart. During treatment, some patients feel a warm, prickly sensation and following treatment notice a slightly pinkish tinge to the skin. Topical ointments help to cool and relieve any unpleasant feeling.
Treatment costs $800 per treatment.
Fractional Non-Ablative Skin Resurfacing:
Utilising elos technology, the combined light and radio frequency current energies heat the connective tissue stimulating collagen production to help produce a younger appearance in the skin. Mild to moderate wrinkles are reduced and the skin is left with an even and elastic skin tone. Patients begin to see a noticeable improvement after 2-3 treatments and the total number of treatments is dependent on the skin condition. The treatment is pain free, as the machine has a built-in cooled treatment tip which ensures constant skin surface protection during the treatment.
Treatment costs $500 per treatment.
Photo Rejuvention:
Another method for increasing the youthfulness of your skin is to use Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) in a process called Photo Rejuvenation. Perfect for reducing signs of sun damage, inconsistent skin tone and broken capillaries, the process is non-invasive and thankfully takes only a short period of time before the skin is fully healed and the full benefits of the treatment are revealed.
It works by directing high intensity pulses of visible light in to the target area. The light energy is absorbed into only those cells with a particular colour in the skin. The light energy is converted to heat which causes thermal damage to a specifically targeted area, reducing or even eliminating skin imperfections.
Each treatment is completely painless and they are normally 3 to 4 weeks apart, in some cases patients achieve excellent results from only 2 to 3 sessions. After a treatment, you can expect to look like you’ve had a thorough workout at the gym, with flushing and redness, although this should only last for a few hours. Those who are using Photo Rejuvenation to reduce uneven pigmentation, sun spots and freckles can expect the treated areas to become darker before fading over a period of up to 10 days.
Treatment costs $1200 for a course of 3 treatments.
To discuss your suitability for surgical or non-surgical procedures with Dr. Kohout, please phone 1300 551 151 or email info@drmarkkohout.com.au
