1Sep

Chemical peels, also known as chemo-exfoliation, have proliferated in popularity over the last number of years. With good reason too! Evidence has shown time and again that these peels ultimately result in an improved skin appearance.

This is how it works

Using caustic agents, the peels allow for rapid, predictable and uniform thickness of chemo-ablation to a desired skin depth. When used for the appropriate indication and with proper technique, chemical peels have demonstrated excellent clinical efficacy over and over. That’s why chemical peels remain an indispensable, cost-effective tool in Lasermed’s aesthetic toolbox.

Dark skins

The good news is that dermatologists have given approval on superficial chemical peels on people with dark skin. Very few participants with dark skin experienced side effects. The most common being crusting, dark spots and reddening. But the side-effects lasted only four-and-a-half weeks on average. People with the darkest skin tones were most likely to experience side-effects and complications. However, side-effects were least likely to occur in winter, due to limited sun exposure.

Treatments

Chemical peels are used to treat acne, enlarged pores, premature ageing, scarring, redness, plus dark or light spots on the skin.

There are three types of peels. Superficial peels penetrate the epidermis only, medium-depth peels affect the entire epidermis and papillary dermis, while deep peels allow for controlled tissue injury to the midreticular dermis.

We use both Skin Tech and NeoStrata chemical peels in our stable. The associated downtime, healing rate, and potential for side effects are proportionate to the peel depth. With superficial peels there’s no downtime. Also, because superficial peels are so gentle, up to five sessions with 2- 5-week intervals may be necessary to see the desired results.

Medium-depth peels generally take 7–14 days to heal. But the associated swelling only lasts for 48 hours.

On the other hand, deep peels may require downtime of 14–21 days. But very rarely do dermatologists recommend a deep peel.

At the end of the day, all peels show truly great results in improving skin tone and texture.

18Aug

Look younger and fresher with Lasermed’s latest combo treatment. This successful treatment will help reclaim your skin’s youthful look, texture and tone.

Youthful and glowing skin are the most requested asks from patients around the world. As we age, our skin changes. It loses its smoothness, and unwanted pigmentation and small vessels can appear. Over time, sun exposure can accelerate signs of ageing.

Rejuvenate

Now, with the new Light & Bright treatment, you can rejuvenate your skin by: rejuvenating

sun-damaged skin; reducing redness; lightening age spots, freckles and dark spots; and improving skin texture.

The non-ablative Light & Bright treatment delivers a combination of technologies to address surface level irregularities, as well as the dermis of the skin.

How it works

Frax 1550 rejuvenates the skin by delivering small, controlled bursts of energy only to the area being treated to reduce textural irregularities. The heat stimulates both the dermis as well as collagen production. And the Ellipse IPL™ technology refreshes the skin by using similar small, controlled bursts of light. These directly target blood vessels or melanin within your skin, reducing the colouring of age spots, freckles, redness and overall sun damage.

Ideally, the Light & Bright treatment consists of a course of three sessions. Your Lasermed healthcare provider will discuss how many sessions you may need.

Post-treatment

You may notice sloughing off of some skin or darkening of some pigmented spots for a few days after treatment. But after that, you will find your skin looks smoother, fresher and glowing.

100% of patients saw a lightening in pigmentation; 82% of patients felt their wrinkles were softened; and 100% of patients saw a reduction in vascular appearance.

So, time to look younger and fresher with the Light & Bright treatment.

13Aug

Hypertrophic and keloid scars are treated quite successfully at Lasermed. Depending on the scar and the dermatologist’s assessment, we may use the Vascular Laser or Fractional Resurfacing Laser.

Hypertrophic scars

Hypertrophic scars are scars with too much growth. This leads to thick, raised lesions on the skin. Sometimes there may be a collagen overproduction. And generally, they occur in all racial groups.

Hypertrophic scars are more common in areas of the body where the skin is taut, such as your back, chest, shoulders, upper arms, elbows and other joints. However, hypertrophic scars can occur anywhere on your skin where you’ve had a skin injury or wound.

Keloids

Keloids on the other hand, are raised, reddish nodules that develop at the site of an injury. After a wound has occurred, both skin cells and connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) begin multiplying to repair the damage. With keloids, the fibroblasts continue to multiply even after the wound is filled in. Thus keloids project above the skin surface, forming large mounds of scar tissue. They’re most likely to appear on the upper chest, shoulders and upper back. Symptoms include pigmentation, itchiness, redness, unusual sensations and pain.

Luckily keloids are mainly a cosmetic nuisance and never become malignant. Unfortunately, they’re notoriously difficult to treat, with recurrences commonly seen. People who have a family history of keloids have a higher rate of recurrence after treatment.

Treatments

Knowing the reasoning behind the differences of hypertrophic and keloid scars is crucial to the scar treatment process. Most scar products and treatments are done to reverse the process that resulted in the scarring. So if you have a hypertrophic scar, the treatment would aim to reduce collagen production and possibly kill excess skin cells.

The goals of hypertrophic scar treatment are to flatten, soften, reduce the size, lighten the colour and ease any existing pain and itch of your scar.

Long-pulsed Nd:YAG lasers or pulsed dye lasers are commonly used to treat hypertrophic scars and keloids. Lasers often target blood vessels in the scar to prevent scar growth. They also can lighten the red or pink colour, as well as reducing pain, itchiness and hardness.

A fractionated laser may be used to put microscopic holes in the scar to soften it and tell it to remodel. This is particularly good for scars that may limit range of motion over joints or haven’t responded to other methods.

Photo: myatlantichealthsolutions.com

31Jul

Indeed, excessive sun exposure is simply not worth it. You can bask in the warmth of summer, but will forever regret exposing your skin to the UV light without sunscreen.

Sunscreen blocks and absorbs UV rays by combining physical and chemical particles. Physical particles, for example zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, reflect UV radiation from the skin. At the same time, chemical ingredients in sunscreen react with radiation before it penetrates the skin, absorbing the rays and releasing the energy as heat.

UVA and UVB

As is well known by now, blocking and absorbing UV radiation is especially important to combat both UVB and UVA rays. UVB radiation is the main cause of sunburn and skin cancer. But UVA rays penetrate more deeply into the skin and recent research has confirmed that these rays also play a significant role in skin cancer development.

Broad-spectrum sunscreens provide clear information on product labels about protection against both UVB and UVA. And do consider SPF too. This refers to how much longer it takes for UVB rays to redden the skin with sunscreen compared to without sunscreen. So an SPF of 50 (which is what we recommend) means it will take 50 times longer for skin to burn while using the product than without the product.

Safe time outside

Consequently, with your sunscreen protection in place you can enjoy some time in the sun (until 10h00 and after 16h00) without worrying about excessive sun exposure. But outdoor activity enthusiasts should definitely use a water-resistant sunscreen. Alas, no sunscreen is completely waterproof. Those labelled water-resistant are tested to be effective for up to 40 minutes of swimming. Meanwhile, very water-resistant sunscreens stay effective for up to 80 minutes in the water. Stick to those time guidelines to protect your skin from excessive sun exposure.

Indeed, sunscreen should be applied every day come rain or shine – about 30 minutes before greeting the rays. Reapply every two hours and immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.

Beware though, even when it’s cloudy, up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV radiation reaches the earth. Going unprotected on an overcast day can lead to skin damage.

Check-ups

And don’t forget to schedule annual check-ups each and every year with your dermatologist. The earlier possible skin cancer is caught, the better the outcome.

8Jul

Many a sufferer will be pleased to know that Lasermed provides effective treatments for spider angiomas.

These pesky lesions usually appear on the neck, upper trunk, ear, legs, forearms, face (below the eyes and over cheekbones), on the back of hands and the fingers. Actually, you may observe single or multiple lesions measuring between 1 – 10 mm.

What it looks like

Of note is that a spider angioma appears as a cluster of small dilated blood vessels close to skin’s surface. Indeed, it earned the name because it looks like a spider’s web with a central spot. Dermatologists also call this type of telangiectasis spider naevus, nevus araneus and vascular spider .

Likely causes are hormonal fluctuations, underlying medical conditions such as hepatic diseases, excessive sun exposure and severe injuries. In some cases, this condition also appears during pregnancy because of high estrogen levels. The intake of oral contraceptives is also a probable cause.  As a matter of fact, it presents in around 10–15% of healthy adults and young children.

Seek medical help

Although it’s usually a benign condition, it may sometimes cause pain and discomfort. That’s why it’s important to seek medical help.

If left unattended, you may experience aching or burning around the lesion – especially if it’s on the leg. Sometimes the condition may also cause bleeding. Which is why it’s best to undergo suitable treatments.

Treatments

According to Lasermed’s Alta van der Merwe, they use both Intense Pulse Laser (IPL), as well as the Vascular Laser as treatments for spider angiomas. A single treatment takes less than five minutes. “But do consult a dermatologist for proper diagnosis. And then, we look forward to treating you,” she said.

2Jul

We now offer the award-winning Dermalux LED treatments. The latter delivers safe and effective results for many skin concerns – minus the pain or downtime.

The world over, it’s hailed as the perfect complexion boost. By energises skin cells instantly, Dermalux LED treatments thus revitalise dull and tired complexions.

As is usually the case, we recommend a course of treatments to enjoy long-lasting results.

How it works

Dermalux LED treatments work by stimulating the skin’s natural rejuvenation and repair processes. In addition to promoting healthy-looking skin, it also accelerates cell renewal and resolves many skin concerns.

The benefit of light

LED Phototherapy is based on the principle that living cells absorb and are influenced by light. The treatment is recognised for its regenerating and anti-inflammatory properties.

These days we often associate light exposure with skin ageing. However, light also has many positive influences on the body. It helps us produce vitamin D and provides energy and serotonin. This means it can also accelerate our skin’s natural repair processes.

The differences between the positive and negative effects of light are the amount and parts of the light spectrum to which we’re exposed. Ongoing exposure to UV is extremely damaging. But, the clinical proof is that controlled levels of Red, Blue and Near Infrared light are beneficial.

What’s involved

The Dermalux LED treatment exposes the skin to low levels of this beneficial light energy from the visible and infrared part of the light spectrum. This energises cellular functions to stimulate various cellular processes. And naturally, energised skin cells function better and regenerate faster. This in turn leads to younger, healthy and radiant skin.

Dermalux LED Phototherapy effects are a natural response similar to that of plant photo-synthesis. This process is called photobiomodulation.

The key parameter is the precise wavelength or nanometre (nm). Because this determines the target for the light and also the skin penetration depth. The second important parameter is the output power or photon intensity.

Book your appointment now.