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CO2 Cosmetic Laser Resurfacing

Botox Patient — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:09:17 +0000

How Come Fractional CO2 Aesthetic Lasers Are Now The Top Fractional Procedure For Skin-Tightening?

CO2 laser skin resurfacing is not really a new principle. Co2 laser resurfacing has been around for 25 years. While conventional laser ablation had been fantastic for facial lines and wrinkles, scarring, sun damage or elastosis, there were substantive threat of infections, scarring and pigmentary differences. All those negative effects made this complete ablation to drop in favor with laser surgeons and subjects as well.

The concept of fractional laser treatments has been around since 04. Basically, fractional treatments provides for a small fraction of the epidermis is treated even though the all of the intervening areas are not ablated. These untouched areas of dermis all around the treated zones provides for swift healing.

As this methods was combined with with a CO2 laser, exhilaration within the laser clinic community catapulted. There are specific reasons for the medical spa community’s excitement:

First, there’s a smaller amount of downtime.

Conventional full laser ablation methods took extended down times of as many as 6 weeks. A handful of clients might have erythema (redness) for nearly eight months. By using Fraxel remedies, the down-time is from 3 to 6 days depending on the energy levels used. Such fast recuperation gives a much higher degree of expediency for your usual individual.

2. Much less danger of secondary complications.

Utilizing old-school total ablation laser procedures the chance of contamination, scarring like hypertrophic scarring and color alterations like hypopigmentation were much more frequent even with the most practiced laser surgeons. Considering the fact that Fraxel CO2 solutions leaves behind the majority of the dermis intact, the pitfalls linked with the approach are reduced.

3. Improvement.

Though much less of a dramatic end result when compared to old school CO2 laser solutions, the lowered risk and fine effects help make newer fractional laser treatments an alluring laser. In contrast to non-ablative fractional lasers, fractional CO2 lasers allow for significantly greater skin tightening. Fractional CO2 laser treatments are frequently performed again too. For scarring damage, it ordinarily involves 3 procedures in order to lessen the the scars. There are several fraxel CO2 lasers that you can purchase:

1. Smart Skin by Cynosure. This particular laser goes to thirty W in a two millisecond length. There are plenty of various parameters which may be selected so the procedure is personalized to every single customer.

2. Active FX & Deep FX by Lumenis: This fractional skin is also well-known, having said that you will find a couple of spot sizes which end up being switched out through a procedure.

3. Fraxel Repair from Solta: This laser skin penetrates really deeply. Be certain you look at a seasoned MD, since the highest rate of problems have been involved with this particular laser do to the level of penetration.

4. eCO by Lutronics. This fractionated laser is certainly attaining footing inside quite a few skin clinics and has a chaos technology which is good.

Those might be all the main fractional CO2 lasers which are typically though of as lasers which are generally easy to apply and show results. Certainly, there are different lasers, yet, some can be low powered and / or studies are lacking.

CO2 Cosmetic Laser Resurfacing is a post from: Botox Patient

Cosmetic Surgeons enlist patients to fight Botox Botax.

Botox Patient — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:32:23 +0000

Your plastic surgeon of dermatologist may be asking for your help to fight the Botox Botax shortly. Here’s what the ASDS (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery) is giving it’s members to solicit the support of Botox consumers:

The U.S. Senate health care reform bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) contains a proposed 5 percent tax on “elective cosmetic medical procedures.” While this may look like an attractive option to Senators looking for ways to pay for health care reform, we know that:

Cosmetic medical procedures taxes are an unreliable and risky revenue source, which has proved to be a failure at the state level;

A tax on cosmetic surgery discriminates against working women;

The definition of cosmetic procedures is arbitrary and almost impossible to administer; and

enforcement would necessitate review of patient medical records by tax collectors, a clear invasion of privacy.

Please enter your zip code below to be connected to an automatic email system which allows you to send a quick message to your Senator asking him/her to vote against this tax.

Cosmetic Surgeons enlist patients to fight Botox Botax. is a post from: Botox Patient

Medical Spa eBook: IPL & Laser Training Course for Estheticians

Botox Patient — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:43:14 +0000

Awhile back I posted an esthetician position on a local job search website. In my requirements, I had stated that only those estheticians who have been trained in the proper use of laser technology should apply. I must have received over 100 resumes with barely a few who have ever laid their hands on a laser or even observed any procedures.

I selected a few resumes who I felt had years of experience and; therefore, would know the basic concepts of how skin reacts to laser light, Fitzpatick Skin Typing Scale, etc. I was surprised at how many of them had no idea how to answer what I was asking them.

It’s obvious there are many skilled estheticians out there seeking employment, or desiring to advance their career. I would highly suggest the Advanced IPL & Laser Training Course for Estheticians & Laser Technicians.

The Advanced IPL & Laser Training Course is much more than knowing what the difference is between 532nm and 2940nm of light; or how different wavelengths affect blood, pigment and water; or even how laser light affects the stem cells of a hair shaft during the anagen growth phase. It’s about broadening your knowledge of the aesthetic field, becoming a more valuable member to a medical aesthetic team, increasing your revenue by commission and upselling with your knowledge, and benefiting your patient by being able to explain various treatment options for them (some performed by you and other treatments by the physician). Even though you may not perform every treatment in a medical spa, such as injectable procedures or laser skin resurfacing, your knowledge of those procedures is very important in the patient advocate and educational process.

Even if you have no hands on training at this point, the Advanced IPL & Laser Training Course will lay down the foundation you need to secure a position in a medical spa. If one of the candidates had any understanding of some of the principles of laser technology, I would have brought them in for a personal interview with the physician. Hands on training is the easy part, the hard part is the theory behind laser technology.

Via Medical Spa MD

Medical Spa eBook: IPL & Laser Training Course for Estheticians is a post from: Botox Patient

Never a wait for Botox or Photofacials.

Botox Patient — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:09:10 +0000

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology says if you want to see a skin doctor about a changing mole, get ready to wait. The average wait time is 26 days. But if you want a Botox shot, it’s just eight days, two-and-half weeks shorter. Here in mid-Missouri, two dermatologists say that’s not true.

“There’s a shortage of dermatologists nationally,” dermatologist John Despain said. ”Also, patients have direct access to dermatologists for skin care.”

Dr. John Despain owns Despain Dermatology Center and Skintuition Medical Spa in Columbia, focusing on cosmetic dermatology like Botox. He says at his practice, clinical appointments always come before cosmetics.

“They are seen on a priority basis within a few days,” Despain said. ”If they’re a new patient, if there’s the ability to put them in a new patient slot, they priority over anyone calling for cosmetic concerns, of course.”

At Dr. Lindall Perry’s practice in Columbia, they treat all appointment requests the same.

“We don’t have, quote, ‘cosmetic appointments,’” he said.

Although Perry is booked through January, he says patients with skin problems can get appointments.

“We have open appointments in two weeks with our newer staff and they would take both a cosmetic patient, an acne patient, a wart patient,” Perry said.

Perry says it can be a challenge juggling business and patient care.

“I like to think I have sound business practices,” she said. ”I do schedule myself very fully. My staff would say too full. My patients would say too full. We pay attention though to the frustration of long waits.”

With a heavy focus on clinical treatments, Perry says he tries to see as many patients as possible. Often leaving the Botox appointments for after hours. He says money is a benefit of his practice, not the motivator.

“My desire everyday is to find every melanoma that’s in front of me and not to miss that,” he said.

As for Despain, he likes biopsies just as much as Botox.

“I view them as a compliment to each other,” he said. ”If I had to choose how to spend my time out of enjoyment or profitability, they’re probably equal.”

Both doctors say there’s certainly a demand in mid-Missouri for cosmetic dermatology, but most of their patients and profits stem from clinical work. In the meantime, if you want to see a dermatologist, the best idea is to plan ahead.

via komu.com

Botox Patient: Posted from Laser Treatment MD

Never a wait for Botox or Photofacials. is a post from: Botox Patient

Do it yourself laser hair removal at home.

Botox Patient — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:17:21 +0000

They’re are a growing number of ‘home laser hair removal‘ devices appearing on the market. This article on do it yourself laser hair removal supposes that medical spas and laser clinics are feeling the heat.

Want to get rid of some unsightly hair, but don’t want to spend the big bucks for electrolysis or a laser clinic? Now, you can buy your own laser and do it yourself.

And people are.

The growth of the at-home cosmetic-device market, which includes personal lasers, has some professionals buzzing. At an annual conference hosted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Barry DiBernardo, a New Jersey plastic surgeon, delivered a talk in Seattle about the pros and cons of the DIY market on the ASPS’s “Hot Topics” panel.

“We have to make sure that the patients are getting good, safe treatments. If they are getting good, safe treatments, then whether they are doing it at home or not, I’m not as worried,” DiBernardo told Wired.com by phone. “What I’m worried about is that they are seeing things in the Skymall on the airplane and spending hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars on something that is not going to work or is unproven.”

New cosmetic lasers and medical devices including DIY lasers (do it yourself cosmetic lasers) are expected to explode into a $1.3 billion market 2013, up from just $296 million in 2008, according to the analyst group Medical Insights.

The growth in the market appears to be coming from light-based products that claim to either remove or grow hair on the human body. The Silk’n Hair was the first at-home laser device to be approved by the FDA, in 2006, although it didn’t come on the market until early 2008.

The laser hair removers damage the hair follicles that are in their growth phase, generally leading to some permanent reductions of body hair. DiBernardo questioned whether the lasers used in the home devices were powerful enough to get the kind of results that clinics achieve.

“In general, these devices are low-powered versions of the doctor versions. We’ve been doing laser hair removal since 1998, so we know that they work and how well they do,” he said. “I think these home devices have some effect, but they legally can’t have the power of what we fire at people.”

From nother nice post from Wired:

Technorati Tags: laser hair removal, laser treatment, do it yourself laser hair removal, laser clinic, medical spa, cosmetic laser, home laser hair removal, diy laser hair removal

Do it yourself laser hair removal at home. is a post from: Botox Patient

Clinical Exchange of Laser Treatments for Medical Spas, Laser Clinics, & Skin Clinics

Botox Patient — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:17:17 +0000

When it comes to the cosmetic laser field, we can sometimes feel adrift at sea with little more than a compass and the stars to guide us. We're either doing laser treatments according to our laser manufacturers' guidelines, which are conservative and often inadequate to produce excellent clinical results. Or we're trying new laser treatment settings without the benefit of knowing what other doctors have tried.

If we discover something important, we have no forum to discuss this information with our colleagues. Many of us experiment in our clinics, but we don't share our problems, successes, failures and thought processes with anyone. As a result, we make little progress because we don't benefit from others' advances and insights.

This has flattened our learning curves. Innovation-if and when it comes-is slow. This needs to change. And it begins with doctors simply talking to each other. Participating in Internet-based user groups is one of the easiest ways to do this. Such a forum allows us to share our ideas, experiences and opinions so that we can learn from each other.

The collective intellectual capacity among us, as cosmetic laser providers, is tremendous. If we all worked together, we would discover and share treatment protocols that are more effective and less painful, and produce fewer complications. We would discover better ways to reduce and treat complications when they do arise. Our field would become stronger, and we'd become better practitioners.

Unfortunately, cosmetic laser practitioners have little clinical exchange compared to other specialists, such as cardiologists. These physicians have thorough initial training with a three-year residency and a one- to three-year fellowship. They have mentors, classmates and large practice groups so colleagues can talk to one another. Publications and newsletters keep cardiologists abreast of developments in the field. They stay in touch with their academic training centers, attend meetings and are members of professional associations. In short, they communicate and connect.

What Do We As Cosmetic Physicians Have?

Contrast this to cosmetic laser medicine. Unlike cardiologists, we don't have highly developed professional networks. Nor do we have the formal advanced training. Our main professional association is the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS), which hosts a yearly meeting and produces a monthly journal. The ASLMS is a great professional society, but it doesn't serve all of our needs.

Another source of education is the laser companies, which provide clinical training, Webinars and Web sites. The trainers teach the basics, but they're limited by company protocols, which are reviewed by corporate attorneys, and designed to prevent problems rather than to get excellent clinical results.

The laser companies' Webinars are lectures designed to sell lasers, not provide advanced training. Luminaries are paid to do the Webinars, but there's no access to them for detailed follow-up questioning.

What's more, we have to sit at our computers for two hours listening to basic, redundant information to glean one useful, advanced clinical tip. The content of the Webinars are not made available in any other format?-written summary, cassette tapes or CDs-so it's not widely accessed.

If we go to aesthetic laser manufacturers company Web sites for resources, the information is basic and limited. The marketing material, of course, is fresh and current, but the clinical material is dated and sparse.

Other resources are trade publications that keep us abreast of issues in aesthetic medicine. But these magazines don't get into the details of treatment protocols and how to get the best results.

Finally, we have independent blogs, such as MedicalSpaMD.com. This blog, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to get information and find out what other providers are thinking and doing. Some doctors who blog on MedicalSpaMD are experienced users who share their expertise and opinions?, all of which are extremely helpful. But the drawback is too few physicians blog about specific topics.

Several Solutions

Working with laser companies is one way to combat this problem. Laser companies can be particularly valuable in the clinical exchange arena. These companies have the resources to start, support and nurture this activity. They know who their users are, they can enlist the knowledge of luminaries, and they have company doctors and scientists who understand the clinical applications of their laser devices. It's important to mix all of these elements in the proper environment to spur the best advances and innovations from these groups.

M. Christine Lee, MD, MPH, writes that upstanding laser companies "put more money and resources into product development than in marketing and advertising. They have a corporate philosophy that's based on building relationships.investing in new technology and research.[and] nurturing forward vision."¹

It seems almost foolish not to work with cosmetic laser companies, especially since many providers are getting clinical results that are suboptimal. Furthermore, many patients are experiencing complications that can be avoided. (See RealSelf.com for patient complaints and see MedicalSpaMD.com for physician complaints.)

Although aesthetic laser companies don't provide the clinical exchange we need, we can find useful models to emulate outside our field. For example, a medical device company produces Philips NetForum. This community connects Philips users from around the globe in a virtual users meeting so they can share clinical experiences, learn from peers and optimize results.

I'm sure many innovations have occurred when users simply share ideas and explore insights with each other via this Internet clinical forum. If we had this resource, our field would advance dramatically.

What We're Doing As Medical Spa Physicians

As a physician, I have a responsibility to take my part in this call to action. As a result, we're now forming clinical exchange meetings at our Cherry Hill, N.J., clinic. We get together twice yearly with doctors from 20 to 30 other clinics to discuss what works and what doesn't. Part of our meeting focuses on business and marketing, and the other part addresses clinical issues.

We also work closely with MedicalSpaMD.com. We are active visitors to this site and frequent contributors. This Web site is so important that we've actually bought an intense pulsed light (IPL) system based largely on the opinions of the Web site's bloggers, many of whom have had experience with several IPL systems.

We're also forming Internet-based user groups on our own. These groups discuss everything from fractionated CO2 systems to injectables to treating patients with skin of color. Doctors from around the country and the world, including Greece, Australia, France, England and India, share their opinions and experiences.

In addition, we're setting up systems in which providers who attend conferences or listen to Webinars write summaries of what they've heard. These summaries can be posted on Medical Spa MD for others to learn from. Once these summaries are posted, other providers can read them and comment on the issues they're discussing. Of course, we cannot overlook traditional methods of clinical exchange. These are still important and should be developed further. Conferences, publications, newsletters and professional associations are excellent ways to communicate and exchange opinions and experiences.

Cosmetic laser medicine is still in its infancy. We haven't yet worked out the best protocols and new technology is continually emerging.

We have to quickly learn the best ways to use all of our technology for optimal clinical results. The best way to do this is to communicate with each other so we can learn what others are thinking, doing and experiencing. When we actively participate in this learning, our field will advance more rapidly and dramatically. This will benefit all of us. True to the Chinese maxim, when the tide rises, all boats indeed rise higher.

Reference

1. Lee CM. Lasers: what every patient should know, and what your doctor probably doesn't. The ultimate guide for the best skin ever. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse; 2006; 163.

Botox Patient: Posted from Laser Treatment MD

Clinical Exchange of Laser Treatments for Medical Spas, Laser Clinics, & Skin Clinics is a post from: Botox Patient

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CO2 Cosmetic Laser Resurfacing

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Clinical Exchange of Laser Treatments for Medical Spas, Laser Clinics, & Skin Clinics