Stress, the environment, and aging can dull your skin and strip you of your bright, youthful appearance. While a thorough at-home skin care routine is important to maintain the beauty of your skin, many people require routine treatments to achieve their best complexion possible. Chemical peels using lactic acid, glycolic acid or salicylic acid, offered by many spas and aestheticians can be a good starting point to help brighten your complexion and even your skin tone. However, years of sun and environmental damage to the skin combined with the effects of aging on the skin can require more advanced treatments performed by your doctor.
Laser treatments for the skin are a great way to obtain dramatic, long-lasting results without increasing downtime or risk. There are many types of laser treatments on the market and the differences can be confusing to patients, but in general, the lasers work on 3 broad categories- skin tone (brown and red spots), elasticity (fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin), and volume loss (collagen production, pore size, scarring). Many lasers have dual functions, and some have more downtime associated with them, but it is important for you and your physician to select the treatment that most suits your aesthetic goals, lifestyle and budget.
At Metrolina Eye Associates, Dr. Christine Annunziata, offers all 3 different classes of aesthetic laser treatments under the brand names BBLTM, SkinTyteTM, and HaloTM.
What are BBLTM Treatments?
BBLTM treatments use pulsed light and laser technology to target the upper layers of your skin. The skin cells absorb the energy according to specific settings determined by your physician. Depending on the wavelength of light selected, the light can target broken blood vessels, brown spots, and pores or acne. In the process of treating these areas, the energy absorption also stimulates collagen production, helping to restore volume and elasticity to the skin.
Treatments are performed in the office using a topical anesthetic, taking approximately one hour to complete. There is minimal downtime, and patients are permitted to resume their regular activities immediately following treatment. BBLTM treatments can be applied to the face, neck, chest, back, shoulders and hands with excellent results.
Benefits of BBLTM
* Smoothes Skin- BBLTM treatments stimulate collagen production to smooth wrinkles and restore lost volume to the face
*Reduces Redness- BBLTM treatments heat and eliminate the surface vessels that cause diffuse redness in the skin. BBL is a particularly good treatment for rosacea and can also help dry eye symptoms associated with ocular rosacea
*Removes Unwanted Pigmentation- The laser targets unwanted melanin cells that cause hyperpigmentation, brown spots and red spots
*Improves Acne- the heat from the laser reduces inflammation and kills acne-causing bacteria to improve current acne and prevent future breakouts.
Why Choose BBLTM over other treatments?
BBLTM is non-invasive and won’t result in visible scarring. The treatments are gentle, with very little downtime and can provide dramatic, long lasting results. Most patients only require 3-5 treatments to achieve clear, smooth, flawless skin.
If you are looking to improve the appearance of your skin or would like to talk to Dr. Annunziata about BBLTM treatments, schedule a consultation today. Contact Metrolina Eye Associates at 704.234.1930.
What about Sagging Skin? Is SkinTyteTM Right for Me?
Aging skin loses elasticity and this results in drooping or sagging that can worsen over time. In cases where the severity does not necessitate a full surgical facelift, laser treatments can provide a great non-invasive alternative to tighten the skin.
SkinTyteTM promotes skin tightening by heating the deeper collagen level of the skin. The laser energy stimulates natural healing and induces the body to create new collagen. The best candidates for this procedure have mild to moderate amounts of skin sagging. The procedure does not eliminate excess fat or improve contour, but will result in firmer, more youthful looking skin.
Non-invasive treatments like SkinTyteTM have a short recovery and minimal down time. The treatments are gentle and won’t result in visible scarring. It is an office based procedure using topical anesthetic and takes approximately 1 hour. The most common treatment areas are jaw line, neck, cheeks and under eyelid area. Most patients can return to their regular activities the same day and begin to see results within 1-2 weeks. SkinTyteTM and BBLTM are often performed in the same session for a complete rejuvenating experience.
If you are looking to improve the appearance of your skin or would like to talk to Dr. Annunziata about SkinTyteTM treatments, schedule a consultation today. Contact Metrolina Eye Associates at 704.234.1930.
What about deeper wrinkles, scarring or advanced texture problems? Is there anything stronger?
Yes! There are many advanced resurfacing lasers on the market but Dr. Annunziata chooses HaloTM, the first and only Hybrid Fractional Laser on the market. The laser combines previously separate technologies to provide advanced results with less downtime than other laser treatments. Treatments are able to be personalized to the individual and are both more gentle and more effective than previous generations of resurfacing lasers. HaloTM is safe for all skin types and colors and is most often used on the face, neck, chest and hands. It is a comfortable office procedure performed using topical anesthetic and takes about 1 hour to complete. Dramatic, long-lasting results are visible after only 1 treatment with noticeable improvement in skin texture, tone, and discoloration.
What exactly is HaloTM?
HaloTM combines an ablative laser treatment with non-ablative technology to minimize downtime and healing while still providing dramatic results. Ablative lasers use intense wavelengths of light to reach the deeper levels of the skin. Ablation also removes the surface layer of the skin to help treat deep scarring and improve severe wrinkling and creases. Because ablation removes the surface skin, downtime with purely ablative lasers can take weeks or even months to heal and see results. Non-ablative lasers improve the surface of the skin without requiring downtime. They use shorter wavelengths to provide a more gentle and more superficial treatment to the skin. While they are more gentle and require less downtime, they are also less transformative for more severe aging skin.
A HaloTM treatment combines both ablative and non-ablative technologies in a personalized and fully customized procedure that treats both surface and deeper levels of your skin. Two wavelengths of light are simultaneously released throughout the treatment to boost the deep layers of the skin and resurface the superficial layers of the skin. This treatment provides immediate and long-term benefits. By emitting heat to the deeper layer of the skin, collagen production is increased, leading to a stronger, firmer skin foundation. The surface laser then smoothes out imperfections to give you a healthy “HaloTM Glow.” This provides maximum results with minimal downtime and recovery.
If you are looking to improve the appearance of your skin or would like to talk to Dr. Annunziata about HaloTM treatments, schedule a consultation today. Contact Metrolina Eye Associates at 704.234.1930.