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Source: Lordelyn del Rosario
415-476-2557
07 October 1998
NEW LASER TREATMENT REJUVENATES FACE, HEALS FASTER
A new laser treatment for facial resurfacing that heals faster than the traditional carbon dioxide laser treatment is now available at the UCSF Laser Center, part of the department of dermatology.
The new laser, the Sciton Erbium:YAG (Er:YAG), predominantly used for cosmetic purposes, removes wrinkles on the face, blotchy pigmentation, and the dull, saggy, doughy appearance that result from aging or sun damage. In addition, it can be used to remove acne scars and other conditions such as keratosis -- scaly, crusty, precancers on the face.
"This laser can rejuvenate the skin by five to ten years." said Christopher Zachary, MD, UCSF clinical professor of dermatology and co-director of Dermatologic Surgery and the Laser Center, part of UCSF Stanford Health Care. "The beauty of the Er:YAG is this can be achieved with very little thermal or heat damage to the skin, resulting in less redness and faster healing."
The traditional laser for facial rejuvenation, the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser has been used by UCSF for the past five years. The CO2 laser removes upper layers of the skin with a greater amount of heat damage, said Zachary. With the heat damage, there is more inflammation, which results in increased redness, increased healing time, and greater potential for scarring. Sometimes, he added, more heat damage is necessary to reduce wrinkles.
Compared to the CO2 laser, the Er:YAG is ten times better absorbed by water, making it a more efficient tool for resurfacing the skin. When skin is treated with the laser, the water in the skin absorbs the energy and the damaged skin immediately vaporizes. A layer of skin of precise thickness is removed.
Treatments for the face with the new Er:YAG take approximately an hour. When the Er:YAG is used to remove only the uppermost layers of the skin, it produces minimal thermal damage and new skin grows back within seven days or less. Skin treated by these types of "Laser Peel" lose their redness within one month. With the CO2 laser, it may take a day or two longer for new skin to grow back , but redness to the face usually lasts two to three months, said Zachary. One can also perform much deeper peels with the Er:YAG.
The new Sciton Er:YAG, in use for four months at UCSF offers advantages over the older model Er:YAG. Although the Er:YAG energy is more efficiently absorbed than the carbon dioxide laser, it is so superficial in its effect that it does not prevent bleeding. This limits the depth of the treatment. Therefore, the traditional Er:YAG laser is only useful for very superficial treatments, said Zachary. The new Sciton Er:YAG is a "dual mode" laser providing both the Er:YAG beam and also, if desired, a longer pulsed beam that will control bleeding, allowing treatment of more severe wrinkling and sun damage, he added.
UCSF, the first major medical center and university to install the Sciton Er:YAG laser system, has been using the earlier Er:YAG model for over a year. "We’ve been able to do procedures with this Er:YAG that have been difficult to do with the earlier Er:YAG laser." said Zachary. In addition to treating the face, a major advantage of Er:YAG lasers is that they can treat the neck and the backs of hands -areas not treated by the CO2 because the potential for scarring. The Er:YAG, added Zachary, does not replace the CO2 laser. Depending on the amount of damage that requires treatment, the CO2 laser may be a more appropriate treatment for facial rejuvenation.
The UCSF Laser Center and the Department of Dermatology have recently relocated to a new, modern facility at the UCSF/Mount Zion campus, 1701 Divisadero St., in San Francisco. The laser facility is dedicated to optimal patient care, and to research toward improved technology. The Laser Center provides many laser companies with the opportunity to test out new lasers. These are evaluated in a comprehensive manner. Following investigative studies, patients can then have immediate access to those treatments considered significantly better than traditional laser treatment.
Roy Grekin, MD, UCSF clinical professor of dermatology is co-director of Dermatologic Surgery and the Laser Center at UCSF.
