As technology has advanced, laser and IPL treatments are becoming more versatile and suitable for treating problems throughout the body.
This development is well suited to meet the growing customer demand for treatment of non-facial areas.
“I think people are starting to look at the health of their skin as a whole and not just focus on their face,” she says. Kerry Belbaclinic director at Laser Skin Solutions in Bournemouth and a member of its executive board British Medical Laser Association.
He adds, “If there’s something that patients or clients want to improve, there’s almost a technology now that can help.”
This demand came from growing customer awareness of both skin science and technology that can make damage less visible.
Neelam Holmesits owner Dermaspa in Milton Keynes and brand ambassador for the aesthetic device manufacturer Jump says, “In particular clients are much more aware of the effect of aging and, more importantly, the risks of sun damage and this is probably the most commonly addressed concern with lasers.
“IPL also helps reduce sun damage and has the added benefit of rejuvenating the skin. Therefore, it has become more popular.”
While laser and IPL can now be used to treat a range of concerns from head to toe, we took a deep dive into three of the most popular areas.
Skin rejuvenation treatments for hands
Hands are one of the first places on the body to show signs of aging because they are exposed to the elements every day, but they are often neglected when it comes to regular SPF application and protective skin care.
This makes them a popular choice for skin rejuvenation treatments.
“Hand treatments are gaining popularity as people recognize that the hands can reveal age and anti-aging efforts extend beyond the face,” comments Joanne Leahy, head of education at the device maker. 3D Aesthetics.
It’s likely that most people will see some signs of damage on their hands, but when it comes to who is looking to fix it, Belba says, “Clients seeking hand rejuvenation tend to be more mature, and while facial skin rejuvenation is popular with both men and women, hand rejuvenation is primarily a treatment sought after by women.”
Laser and IPL treatments can address a range of hand concerns including pigmentation, sun spots, skin loosening and general skin rejuvenation.
Leahy explains that laser treatments can, too they promote collagen production, reducing fine lines and wrinkles while improving skin texture and elasticity.
Both laser and IPL treatments work through selective photothermolysis, using light to target specific components of the skin.
Leahy adds, “In lasers, a focused beam emits a single or triple wavelength while IPL uses a broad spectrum of light. Targeted light is absorbed by chromophores in the skin, causing controlled damage.
“Certain laser wavelengths will be attracted to different chromophores in the skin, offering different benefits and different results.
“While lasers offer high precision, IPL is versatile but can be less precise due to its wider spectrum. Choosing between the two depends on specific skin concerns, individual skin types, and treatment goals.”
When it comes to choosing a device to tackle hand problems, Belba advises: “Medical grade IPLs that work at wavelengths around 585nm are great at removing sunspots. For paler sunspots, a ruby laser (694nm) will have better results.
“While a KTP laser (532 nm) can also effectively remove sunspots, due to the high absorption of blood (as well as melanin), this laser can cause unnecessary bruising to the area.”
As with any laser or IPL treatment, there are various contraindications – so a full medical history should be taken and a patch test performed.
Leahy explains, “There are some contraindications that therapists should be aware of, including photosensitivity from medications, certain health conditions, pregnancy, history of skin cancer, keloid tendencies, use of photosensitizing topicals, and recent sun exposure.”
Belba adds, “Tanned skin is a complete contraindication for laser treatment. This is because the laser light is absorbed by melanin – the pigment in our skin cells. When treating sunspots, we want to selectively heat the melanin in the sunspot while protecting the skin.
“If your skin is tanned, the laser light will heat both the sunspot and the tissue, potentially creating a burn.”
In addition, practitioners must be careful when treating thin skin in elderly clients, especially when the bones in the hand are prominent due to volume loss in the hands.
When carrying out any laser or IPL treatment, experts recommend that practitioners hold at least a level 4 laser certificate, registered with Ofqual. as a Core of Knowledge certificate and manufacturer training.
Belba says this level of training and qualifications is important for everyone – whether they’re a beauty therapist or a doctor.
“Being in the medical profession doesn’t automatically make you a laser expert,” he says. “It’s laser training and qualifications that count.”
Skin rejuvenation treatments for the neck and décolleté
The skin on the neck and décolleté is particularly sensitive and prone to sagging, pigmentation, broken capillaries and wrinkles, making it an increasingly common area for skin rejuvenation treatments.
“At my clinic, we tend to see mostly female clients in their late 30s and early 40s and older,” says Belba.
“Necks tend to be almost as popular as faces, but clients are starting to think about the décolleté area as well.”
When treating broken capillaries and blood vessels, Belba says, “Laser/IPL light is absorbed by the blood clotting vessels, which is then removed from the body by a process called phagocytosis. White blood cells engulf the dried blood and transport the particles through the lymphatic system.’
If the goal is to improve skin texture, fractional epidermal removal works by creating controlled thermal damage to the skin, triggering a wound healing response in the body.
While trying to repair the damage, the fibroblasts in the dermis produce collagen while the top layers of the epidermis are shed, helping the skin appear firmer and smoother.
Depending on the color of the veins, Belba says lasers like Nd:YAG and IPL that work around the 585 nm mark work well for reversing sun damage. “For skin texture and roughness, fractional skin resurfacing works well with Erbium YAG fractional ablative lasers operating at 2940nm. CO2 lasers can also be used for this area.
“While the pulsed dye laser is used for vascular treatments, it is not generally recommended for this area because of the significant bruising it can cause, which will take a long time to heal.”
Belba adds that practitioners need to be careful when treating this area as the skin can be thin on older clients and it’s an area that can be prone to hypertrophic or keloid scarring.
Holmes also encourages caution: “I find IPL with a powerful cooling system is best and safest for this area because it’s so fragile that it’s very easy to burn and blister the skin.
Treatments for stretch marks and C-section scars
Some clients may be aware of stretch marks that come from the rapid growth of the belly during pregnancy, and our experts tell us that they often see clients seeking treatment for this.
With stretch marks, skin texture can be improved and redness reduced. Holmes says, “Unfortunately, stretch marks are actually scar tissue where the skin tissues have separated and torn, so it’s impossible to return the skin to its original state, but the appearance can be greatly improved.
“The sooner the client is treated after stretch marks appear, the easier it is to treat.”
C-section scars can also be treated with lasers to minimize and flatten the scars, although Belba believes that treating this area is not as popular as it could be.
“My feeling is that this is probably because people may not know that laser treatment could be beneficial,” he says.
As with stretch marks, C-section scars present challenges for laser professionals.
“They are really difficult to treat because the incision is made in all layers of tissue, including fat and muscle, so a multifaceted approach is required to treat the problem in all those layers,” explains Holmes.
“For example, the superficial scar may be white and shiny, while in the middle the tissue could have hardened and contracted from the union, causing shrinkage and an uneven surface, and there could be an indentation in the fatty tissue.”
The treatment works by deliberately destroying the scar in a controlled, safe way to induce enhanced collagen repair and production. “By creating that trauma, we can soften and remodel the scar tissue,” says Holmes.
Belba expands on this, explaining: “The laser light heats the water content within the epidermis to around 100ºC, causing ablation in the skin.
“Some lasers work by causing complete ablation (removal) of the top layers of the skin, while others remove the skin in fractions, treating about 20% of the skin at a time.
“Fractional ablation lasers have less downtime and risk, but will require more treatments.”
Belba recommends fractional skin resurfacing using an Erbium YAG laser in addition to fractional CO2 lasers. “IPL can work well to reduce the vascularity (redness) present in some stretch marks,” she adds.
The usual contraindications for laser and IPL treatment apply here, and Holmes adds that doctors also need to consider post-pregnancy hormones, which can increase the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
C-section scars must heal before treatment begins, but as with all scars, results are best if laser treatment is performed within the first six months of surgery, and stretch marks also tend to respond best when they form recently.
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