Laser Skin Treatment

Q & A

Q: Which patients are unsuitable for laser treatment

A: We are unable to provide treatment for pregnant and lactating mothers, patients with bleeding disorder, patients taking anti-coagulant medications and any patients who had recent filler treatment less than 6 months prior in the same area to be treated. Please check with the doctor when you come in for your consultation, and discuss any implications of your health condition to ensure laser treatment is suitable for you.

Q: Do I need to shave my hair before my laser hair removal session?

A: for Hair removal, the treatment will be more effective if you shave the target area the night before your appointment, this is to ensure all the laser energy will reach the hair follicle and not dissipated in the hair outside your skin, this will ensure you receive the maximum benefit from your treatment session. We do not recommend using hair removal cream or waxing prior to your laser sessions, as this will reduce the effectiveness of your treatment and you will end up requiring more sessions to reach the same treatment goal. You must wait for 1 month after your previous waxing/hair removal cream treatment before your laser hair removal session to ensure you get maximum benefit from your treatment.

Q: Can all skin types receive laser treatments?

A: All patients can receive laser treatments. Laser treatment tends to be faster for people with lighter skin tone, except for removal of blonde and red hair that is not as effective as darker coloured hair. Patients with darker skin also will require more gentle treatment sessions to protect their natural melanin, this means darker skin toned patients require more treatment sessions than patients with lighter skin tones.

Q: Does hair removal in the underarm damage sweat glands?

A: Hair follicles are not connected to sweat glands, as laser wavelength targets hair pigmentation inside hair follicles, the treatment is selective for the target and will not damage any surrounding tissues. We recommend to avoid using perfume and deodorant within 1 week of treatment to reduce irritation of the skin in the area.

Q: how can laser stimulate skin rejuvenation?

A: Laser stimulates regeneration of elastin and collagen in your skin and renews your skin to Improve skin elasticity and texture, this is particularly effective treatment for patients with dry aged skin. You will experience deep cleansing of your skin, diminished pores, brighter skin, reduced pigmentation. Normally a course of treatment requires 6 sessions of 2-4 weeks apart. We recommend to daily use of moisturizing face mask after your treatment for 7 days to complement your laser treatment. According to research in a clinical trial: After 3 to 6 treatments, 50 patients treated with the 532-nm KTP laser alone showed improvement of 70% to 80% in redness and pigmentation, 30% to 50% in skin tone/tightening, 30% to 40% in skin texture, and 20% to 30% in rhytids. Another 50 patients treated with the 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser alone showed improvement of 10% to 20% in redness, 0% to 10% in pigmentation, 10% to 30% in skin tone/tightening, 20% to 30% in skin texture, and 10% to 30% in rhytids. The third group of 50 patients treated with both KTP and Nd:YAG lasers showed improvement of 70% to 80% in redness and pigmentation, 40% to 60% in skin tone/tightening, 40% to 60% in skin texture, and 30% to 40% in rhytids. Skin biopsy specimens taken at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-month intervals demonstrated new collagen formation. (JAMA Dermatology PMID14568830)

Q: How does laser treat pigmentation?

A: Laser targets the pigments within your skin, blast them away while leaving the surrounding skin tissue undamaged. Laser pigmentation treatment can treat freckles, melasma, pigmented moles, birth mark, stretch mark. Each session will fade away some of the pigments, you will be required to attend monthly sessions until your pigment have sufficiently faded. You must avoid the sun before and after laser treatment for pigmentation to avoid new pigmentation forming.

Q: How does laser treat spider veins, rosacea, and red coloured birth marks?

A: Laser targets the red colouration in your red blood cells and destroy the veins by heating the veins achieving removal of the vein. You may require monthly sessions for the treatment area until discoloured area have diminished.

Q: How does Tattoo removal work?

A: We use 1064nm Nd:YAG and 532nm KTP lasers mainly to target pigmentations in the tattoo without damaging surrounding skin, depending on your skin tone and types of ink, treatment sessions required will vary from patient to patient. Treatment sessions can be every 1-2 weeks until tattoo fades sufficiently.

Q: What is Carbon laser peel?

A: Carbon laser peel is commonly called the Hollywood peel, as it is most popular non-invasive 1064nm Nd:YAG laser treatment with Hollywood stars to brighten their skin before an event. This treatment is very gentle and requires no downtime while producing long term results. The benefit of the treatment includes clearer complexion, reduce oil production, reduce pores, brighten skin, reduce pigmentation, tighten skin, stimulate collagen production, reduce acne, reduce redness and other irregular skin discolorations. This treatment is particularly recommended for patients with active acne.