IPL is a treatment that applies gentle broad spectrum light to the skin in order to correct superficial problems, including:

• Port wine stains
• Broken capillaries
• Rosacea
• Fine wrinkles
• Age spots
• Uneven pigmentation

A recent study compared IPL treatments to non-ablative Q-switched laser treatments for skin rejuvenation in Asian patients and found that the IPL treatment was as effective as the non-ablative laser for improving several skin problems.

The study had twelve female patients who received five sessions of treatments, every two weeks. IPL was applied to the left side of the face and the non-ablative laser to the right.

Significant skin rejuvenation was shown for all the assessments. Similar efficiency from both procedures was observed for improvement of the following:

• Skin texture
• Pore size
• Sebum secretion (a cause of acne)

While IPL was more efficient than the laser for lightening the skin tone after the first treatment, there was no further improvement after three treatments. On the other hand, the laser gradually lightened the skin tone and was ultimately more efficient than the IPL after five treatments.

The study, published in Dermatology Surgery journal, highlights that there are many techniques that plastic surgeons can use to improve various skin conditions. Your doctor can help you choose the best procedure to meet your needs.

According to 2009 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, IPL was performed about 429,700 times last year and laser skin resurfacing with a non-ablative laser was performed about 323,900 times.

Dr. Leff offers several non-surgical skin rejuvenation procedures, including IPL with the Lumenis laser and fractional laser resurfacing.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons just released their 2009 statistics.  In collaboration with Seattle-based company RealSelf.com, the society says that plastic surgery is up 69 percent for the decade and “consumer interest continues to rise.”

Given the economic situation and the fact that elective surgery is typically considered a luxury purchase, these are strongly positive statements by both parties.

Minimally invasive procedures appear to be the driving force behind the 10-year trend.  Procedures like Botox, Injectable Fillers, and Laser Skin Resurfacing have increased 99 percent since the year 2000.  People have many reasons to visit their plastic surgeon these days.  One of the biggest reasons is skin renewal.  “Skin is in,” says ASPS President Michael McGuire.

Read more from the ASPS on PlasticSurgery.org and check out the RealSelf blog for more information on this story.

a) Distract tigers
b) Treat sun damage
c) Remove unwanted hair
d) Project giant image of Britney Spears into the stratosphere
e) All of the above

Listen to the whole story on NPR to find out.

I know – it sneaks up on you.  You wake up one morning, look in the mirror and realize that your peaches-and-cream-complexion morphed into something like the peach itself, complete with a fine covering of fuzzy hair.

You might begin to notice excess hair on other women’s faces too, especially as they get older.  Just another minor indignity of aging, right?  The hair on your head and brows thins and in return you get more … facial hair.

So what’s the best way to remove this stuff?

• Shaving only works for a day or so at a time before you have to do it again.  If you shave the hair on your legs, underarms, and face then you’ll probably spend lots of time shaving.
• Cream hair removal products from the drugstore are also temporary and tend to have an unpleasant smell.
• Some dye their facial hair, but the color seldom looks natural and it grows out and has to be colored again and again.
• Electrolysis is a one-hair-at-a-time removal and it’s a time consuming, somewhat painful process.
• Waxing works.  Hairs can be removed from under the skin surface, giving you weeks of bare skin before it must be repeated.

Laser Hair Removal

With advanced laser hair removal systems, we can now treat lighter hair, such as the strays that show up on our checks, necks and chins or around our eyes.  Several laser treatments are necessary to account for the varying growth cycles of facial hair, but once the treatments are over you will have smooth skin once again, and time to spare.

Laser hair removal is relatively comfortable with topical anesthetic that can be applied beforehand.  It can sting a bit, but the tradeoff for a short time spent in mild discomfort is certainly offset by the convenience of not having to shave and the beauty of soft, smooth skin.

Many say the best part is saving that 75 or 100 hours of your time by not having to shave.   Not to mention saving money on shaving gel, razor blades and soothing lotions.  It’s far better to have the peach fuzz off your face and leave it to the actual peaches where they belong.

You could choose to keep shaving, plucking, using the different types of electronic tweezers, waxing, using creams, or electrolysis.  But these methods are basically temporary. The ideal method is laser hair removal.  It’s safe and permanent, and won’t feel any worse than a rubber band snapping against the skin.

Lasers send a low-energy beam through the skin. The dark pigment (melanin) present in the shaft of the hair follicles absorbs the laser beam. Initial hair reduction is seen immediately after treatment. Permanent results require repeated treatments because of the hair growth cycles.
There are different types of lasers that can be used to remove unwanted hair.  The first lasers approved for hair reduction by FDA were the ruby, alexandrite and diode lasers. But these could only be used on select individuals – not those with tans or ethnic skin.

The newest lasers have longer wavelengths and therefore, the ability to treat darker skin types, including African-American skin, Asian skin, and those with a tan.  One of the biggest benefits is the convenience; immediately following your hair removal treatment you can return to work, school or any of your regular activities.  Contact Overlake Plastic Surgeons for more information.

Unlike most other Intense Light Therapy systems (ILT), the ActiveFX system allows the physician to tailor treatments to each patients needs. Contact Overlake Plastic Surgeons for your ActiveFX laser consultation today at (425) 454-5133.

The following video shows the ActiveFX laser in action.

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