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Acne laser treatments
Questions to ask during a consultation
Nicole Dial,
President of Noixia, a skin research firm that develops severe
acne scarring treatments, says that most people have a
wide range of options for making cosmetic improvements to
their skin. So, Dial recommends that, "As you shop around for
a
laser treatments, be certain to ask these eight questions
to make your laser experience affordable, healthy and
positive."
What are the costs?
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Although you are not looking for the cheapest service
because that could prove unwise, you need to ensure that
you can afford a complete series of
laser treatments. Typical costs range from $150-$250
per treatment depending on the type of laser used,
session time, and the size of the treated area. In some
cases, you make require only one laser session to treat
acne scars.
How many treatments will you need
to get the results you want?
In most documented reviews of
lasers treatments, patients needed 5-10 laser
sessions before noting a marketed improvement in their
skin. |
 How far apart will the treatments need to be?
With clinical trials for the Nd:YAG and
Fraxel
lasers, the time between treatments could vary
between every three days to once a week. Is there any downtime?
Reasons for downtime could include swelling and redness.
Blue light therapy and
nonablative lasers like Nd:YAG typically have little
or no downtime. Since the Fraxel laser makes microscopic
wounds on the skin, the recovery period could last five
to seven days. Also, inquire if your doctor will need to
use an
anesthetic during the laser session. If so, you may
need to make arrangements to have someone pick you up
after the treatment because of possible anesthesia
induced drowsiness and/or weakness. Alternatively,
you can move to a
plastic surgery recovery center.
What type of improvements can you
expect?
Ask to view some before and after pictures of the laser
service you are considering. Make certain that these
procedures were performed by your candidate doctor and
are not clinical images supplied by the laser
manufacture. Providing laser surgeries, especially with
the
Fraxel laser requires much adeptness. Chances of
post-treatment scarring soar with incompetent
administration of the Fraxel laser. (Related:
Best laser)
What are the potential side effects?
Typical post-laser side effects could include
hyper-pigmentation, swelling and redness. (Related:
Superficial ablative resurfacing)
What type of post-treatment skincare regime will you need
to follow?
Must you avoid direct sunlight for an extended period? Do you
need to limit
makeup usage?
Is there a more affordable and safe alternative including
chemical peels?
Chemical peel alternatives and compliments to laser
surgery include deep
phenol-based peels or a series of
alpha hydroxy peels. Prices for peels can range from
$150-$1500 depending on the depth of the peel applied.
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