Home Tag: "pigmentation"

Tag: pigmentation

Frax 1550
10Aug

Get the joy of a smoother skin after Frax. Post-procedure, most people see smoother skin within a few weeks — and the results continue to improve for another six months.

The good news is that with the Frax 1550 there’s less risk of significant complications such as scarring and pigmentary changes compared to fully ablative lasers.

How it works

This next-generation laser uses high-grade medical technology to deliver a deeper skin resurfacing experience. Instead of removing the top layer of skin, it warms up the underlying layers of skin by strategically administering small columns of heat energy. This helps stimulate collagen production, as well as addressing several skin concerns.

Because the roller is programmed to offer consistent resurfacing, you’ll be getting the more balanced, even skin tone you desire. Also, the device is quiet, giving you the opportunity for a good nap during treatment.

Good candidates

Optimal candidates for fractional laser resurfacing have facial lines, wrinkles, acne scars, surgery or traumatic scars, sun spots, or more extensive sun damage. Fortunately, there isn’t an age minimum or maximum.

However, people who have particularly sensitive skin or are prone to vitiligo, keloid scars, psoriasis or scleroderma should skip Frax treatment. Unfortunately, these lasers will only irritate the skin further. The same applies to those with skin cancer. But once the cancer has been removed, the fractional laser can provide significant improvement to scars.

Dark skins

Typically, people with dark skin tones are more at risk for melasma or hyperpigmentation, so it would be best to avoid Frax treatment. But people with fair to medium skin tones can tolerate the procedure well, barring there are no other contraindications.

Benefits

  • It can treat acne scars, age spots, and even wrinkles, often producing significant results after a single session.
  • Typical downtime is less than a week, with a shorter and easier recovery than from fully ablative lasers.
  • This laser is equipped with a continuous cooling mechanism which improves comfort levels significantly, while also reducing burn risk.

For smoother skin after Frax, most people opt for at least three treatments at monthly intervals. After that, you would do well with yearly maintenance.

20May

The good news is: IPL reduces the appearance of Dyschromia. Another alternative treatment which yields good results is chemical peels.

As the name indicates, Dyschromia is a skin pigmentation disorder. The main cause is hyperpigmentation: darker patches surrounded by lighter patches on the skin. Normally, these darker skin patches occur on areas of the skin which are commonly exposed to sunlight, such as the face, hands and arms.

Causes

Age or liver spots are the most common form of Dyschromia. Meanwhile, Melasma and Chloasma have larger darker patches on the skin as a result of hormonal changes.

More melanin in the skin can also be the result of other factors such as heat, heavy metals, hormones and trauma from ionising radiation. Mottled skin is another type of Dyschromia in which blood vessel changes cause a patchy appearance.

Many things can cause Dyschromia, but by far the most common is accumulated sun exposure, especially recurrent sunburns or suntans. In some cases, certain medications heighten sunlight sensitivity.

Other causes are post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) as a result of wound or skin infection healing. Generally, the darker your complexion, the darker your PIH will be. Café-au-lait spots, Mongolian blue spots, seborrheic keratosis, moles, malignant melanoma and radiation therapy can also cause Dyschromia.

Treatment

By far the best treatment is to avoid exposure to direct sunlight. Use an SPF50+ sunscreen, cover legs, arms and hands and wear a wide-brimmed hat.

If you suspect that you suffer from Dyschromia, consult a dermatologist. Once the condition is diagnosed, he/she may prescribe topical creams such as hydroquinone and/or tretinoin and steroid creams. But do check whether you’re a suitable candidate for IPL, because it’s definite that IPL reduces the appearance of Dyschromia. You may need more than one session to truly see a good result, but it will be worth it in the end.

Chemical peels also are a good alternative. And again, a series of peels may be necessary.

So, although Dyschromia is mentally traumatic, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Photo: stemcellreference.com

up-arrow-1