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ASK ALLURE
Q :A friend recently told me about a process called photo rejuvenation as a treatment to reduce fine lines and sun spots. Does it actually work? –Katie, via email WEXLER’S ANSWER: photo rejuvenation is a fairly new technology that dermatologists can use to treat aging skin- including discoloration, fine lines, and sagging. Intense pulses of multiple-wavelength light are flashed across the face and into the skin, without any heat or burning sensations. The penetration of the light causes the release of precursors of collagen that skin cells then turn into new collagen, tighting and firming the skin. The treatment also heals abnormal and broken blood vessels, as well as discoloration. The biggest advantage to photo-rejuvenation treatments as opposed to laser resurfacing, is that there is no downtime after the procedure (which lasts 20 to 30 minutes). You may experience mild redness, but nothing that will cause you to cancel your dinner plans. It usually takes three to five treatments to see improvement in the skin – although the more damage you have to begin with, the longer it will take. I suggest you start early, when you first see symptoms. There’s no reason to fix something that isn’t broken, but you do want to address the problem before it gets serious. Laser Power Lots of dermatologists are still aiming a hot, high-powered laser at the skin to burn off its uppermost sun-damaged layer-a treatment that can leave patients’ skin raw and oozing for weeks and pink and sensitive for months. People who go to tanning salons are up to 2.5 times more likely to get skin cancer. But many dermatologist are switching to a less intense sort of rejuvenating light- Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, which is technically not a laser but a bright flash of broad-spectrum light that destroys abnormally pigmented cells and stimulates collagen production in the skin. Instead of a single treatment, IPL is usually administered in multiple sessions. Patrick Bitter Jr., a dermatologist in Los Gatos, California, who specializes in IPL treatments, says that he takes five appointments to rejuvenate entire areas, such as face, neck, chest, or hands. ” It produces consistent improvement in patients,” he says “ without the downtime and complications of lasers.” In a study conducted by Bitter and published in Dermatologic Survey, 88 percent of 49 patients who received four IPL treatments for sun-damaged skin reported that they were satisfied with the results. - Allure/June 2002 |
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