David Green, M.D., P.A.
4800 Montgomery Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
Tel: 301 907-7250
Fax: 301 907-7234
email: skincare@laserderm.net
© 1999-2002, D. Green, MD
Last Updated: June 20, 2002
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Within the past decade, the field of dermatology has seen the increased use of lasers to perform a wide variety of cosmetic procedures including: removal of unwanted hair, elimination of benign vascular and pigmented lesions, removal of unwanted tattoos, and facial skin resurfacing. Dr. Green has extensive experience with lasers and has lectured both nationally and internationally on this subject.
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Laser Hair Removal
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One of the newest and most popular uses for lasers in dermatology is for hair removal. Lasers have distinct advantages compared to conventional hair removal techniques, such as, waxing, plucking, and shaving, and have been successfully used to remove unwanted body hair for the past few years.
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Although there are many hair removal lasers and light source devices, these are not all equally effective. Dr. Green uses the LightSheer™ laser for hair removal. It is one of only two hair removal lasers that are approved by the FDA for permanent hair reduction. In addition, the LightSheer™ has advantages over all other hair removal lasers because of its profile for safety and efficacy. It can treat a wide range of skin complexions from fair complected to those who are more darkly pigmented. This is not possible with most hair removal lasers.
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Laser Treatment of Vascular Lesions
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Vascular lesions are usually due to the abnormal widening of small blood vessels, known as capillaries. Dilated Capillaries (often called broken capillaries, broken veins or broken blood vessels) are commonly recognized on the cheeks, nose, and legs as threadlike red or pink lines that are smaller than spider veins. Laser is the safest and most effective technique to remove dilated capillaries. In addition, other commonly occurring vascular lesions can also be treated with the laser, including cherry hemangiomas, spider angiomas, rosacea, and sun damage. Less common conditions can also be treated, including port wine stains.
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Laser Treatment of Pigmented Lesions and Age Spots
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A wide variety of pigmented (brown) spots on the skin have been successfully treated with lasers. These include birthmarks as well as acquired lesions, many of which are actually the result of long term sun exposure (solar lentigo). Dr. Green uses the VersaPulse™ laser , considered one of the most advanced and effective of the FDA approved vcascular and pigmented lesion lasers. The VersaPulse™ laser removes many of these patches more safely and effectively than many previous treatments.
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Laser Tattoo Removal
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The introduction of lasers for tattoo removal has been significant because all previous methods have been associated with significant scarring. Lasers are usually able to remove tattoos with minimal, if any, scarring.
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Tattoo removal is accomplished with specialized lasers that attempt to remove the pigment without damaging any of the overlying skin. Because laser light is color specific, each laser only treats one color. Therefore, a multi-colored tattoo may require as many different lasers as there are ink colors within the tattoo. Very brief pulses of light, lasting billionths of a second, are used. Dr. Green uses the VersaPulse™ to remove most tattoos. It provides different wavelengths of laser light enabling treatment of multi-colored tattoos. The light produced by this laser includes visible and infrared light wavelengths. These wavelengths of light are considered safe, and are not associated with skin cancer and other undesirable changes associated with some forms of light, such as ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation.
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Laser Skin Resurfacing
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Resurfacing has been used for decades to improve facial skin texture and color. Treatment options include: lotions and creams, microdermabrasion, and chemical solutions. Within the past decade, lasers have been used as an additional method to provide resurfacing.
Dr. Green has been performing facial resurfacing for more than 15 years. He uses the UltraPulse™ laser as one of the several available treatment options - depending upon the individual patient's needs and goals - to achieve optimum facial rejuvenation.
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