Wrinkle reduction and skin tightening can be achieved through three different technologies in our office.
1. SkinTyte with intense pulsed infrared light, no down time.
2. Laser Skin Resurfacing for wrinkle reduction and skin tightening and improving variations in skin colour, requires some down time with impressive results. Profraction Laser for skin tightening and reducing deeper wrinkles and scarring.
3.
Ultrasonic Face Lifting (Advanced NEW Technology) for skin lifting and tightening deeper skin levels, no down time or surface effects.
1. Intense Pulsed Infrared Light (SkinTyte™)
SkinTyte™ utilizes infrared energy to deeply penetrate the soft tissues while protecting the entire treated area with contact cooling. The targeted heating causes soft tissue coagulation, that tightens the tissue as it heals, stimulating collagen formation and remodelling. This process initiates the body’s natural healing process and a new foundation of fresh collagen is created, resulting in a firmer, more youthful skin appearance. The full effect of skin firming treatments can be seen over several subsequent months. Treatment can be provided quickly, with no downtime.
How does SkinTyte work?
The procedure utilizes infrared energy to deeply heat dermal collagen. This process promotes partial tissue injury and contraction of collagen. This injury initiates the body’s natural healing processes, which creates a renewed collagen foundation leading to increased skin firmness. Powerful cooling maintains the outer surface of your skin at a cool temperature before, during, and after each pulse to protect your surface skin.
What is the treatment like?
The infrared light energy is delivered in a sequence of rapid, gentle pulses. There is no need for a topical anaesthetic. A series of pulses will be repeated over the treatment area to ensure best results. Treatment of the face and neck can typically be treated within 30 minutes.
What should I expect after treatment?
You may experience some mild redness in the treated area immediately afterwards and this should return to normal within minutes. There is no downtime, so you can resume regular activities immediately following treatment. You can also apply makeup and sunscreen after each session.
What are the results?
SkinTyte procedure results will vary from patient to patient. This procedure is recommended for patients who desire gentle but noticeable skin improvement without having to undergo laser resurfacing or surgery. Full results often take up to four months as the collagen foundation of your skin is rebuilt and strengthened.
What areas can be treated?
Popular areas include the face, neck, abdomen and arms.
What aftercare do I need?
No special aftercare is required. However, you should always protect your skin from direct sun exposure and use a good sunscreen.
2. Laser Resurfacing
As we age, the effects of sun damage and environmental pollutants take their toll on our skin, causing it to wrinkle, develop sunspots and look tired. A laser skin resurfacing procedure can reverse these effects and restore a healthy look and feel to our skin. The Sciton™ Erbium YAG laser delivers energy at 2940 nm wavelength through the computer controlled device and automatically scans the area of skin being treated. The laser light targets the water in your skin. The depth of the resurfacing treatment can be precisely controlled for light or deeper peels, depending on the desired results and downtime.
There are two approaches to resurfacing; full field, and fractional.
Full field resurfacing involves treating the entire surface area of the skin. The laser beam is scanned across the treatment area and precisely removes a layer of skin determined by Dr. Cole. The body will naturally replace the old, damaged skin that was removed, with a fresh, new, healthy layer. Treatments can range from shallow to deep. A shallow resurfacing is effective for eliminating fine lines, sunspots and tired-looking skin. A deeper treatment is often used to improve skin tone, texture, and to reduce deep wrinkles, even in difficult areas like upper lip lines and crow’s feet.
ProFractional laser resurfacing uses the laser energy to deeply remove thousands of tiny pinpoint columns of skin, leaving the surrounding tissue intact. The skin’s wound healing response creates new collagen at a deeper level, which adds firmness and resilience to the skin. Much like aerating your lawn, this approach allows the laser to penetrate very deeply for effective collagen remodelling, while the surrounding intact tissues promote rapid healing. ProFractional™ and Fraxel™ laser treatments have been marketed aggressively in recent years as a single treatment options for laser resurfacing, because it only requires 2-3 days of down time due to the rapid healing. In Dr. Cole’s opinion, much better results are achieved when this ProFractional technology is combined with the full field resurfacing. Only a couple extra days of down time are required (3-5 in total for most people) for a much more effective and noticeable improvement.
Treating skin with combined ProFractional and full field resurfacing, especially at medium depths or greater, stimulates the growth of new collagen, which improves the skin’s thickness, tightness, and resilience. The skin’s surface will re-grow with fresh, healthy cells, which will give your skin a more uniform colour, texture, and feel, for a more youthful, rejuvenated appearance.
What conditions can be treated with the resurfacing laser?
mild to deep wrinkles,
wrinkles in difficult to treat areas like around the mouth and eyes
sun damage and brown/age spots
actinic keratosis
poor skin tone and texture
redness and pigment irregularities
What areas of the body can be treated?
Any areas of the body can be treated, though the most commonly treated areas are the face and neck.
How many treatments will I need?
Lighter peels are easy and require minimal down time. The effects are also less dramatic, but can be repeated more often for a cumulative ongoing improvement with each session. Deeper laser peels often achieve the desired results more quickly, so they are often well worth the 3-5 days of down time required. This way, excellent results are typically achieved after one treatment.
What will happen during the procedure?
1 hour prior to your procedure, a topical anaesthetic cream will be applied, and 30 minutes later be reapplied to assure your comfort during the treatment. Your skin will be cleansed just prior to treatment, and your eyes will be protected with safety shields. The laser hand piece will be positioned over the skin as the computer-guided scanner systematically moves the laser beam around the treatment area. Depending on the size of the area being treated, the procedure usually lasts 15 to 45 minutes.
Will it be uncomfortable?
The comfort level of laser resurfacing varies from patient to patient and depends largely on the depth of treatment. For shallow to medium depth treatments, the procedure is well tolerated with the use of a topical anaesthetic which we apply in the office 1 hour before you begin your treatment. The laser makes a sharp snapping sound during the treatment as vaporized skin cells are removed from the surface of your skin.
What should I expect immediately after the treatment?
One of the primary advantages of shallow laser peel is that it causes little pain because it does not penetrate very far into the skin. At its most shallow settings, most people can tolerate treatment with no anaesthetic cream at all. At deeper settings, a topical numbing cream is used. Immediately following the procedure you may experience redness and a sensation resembling sunburn which may last 12 to 24 hours. Swelling may also occur in the treated areas. We will advise you on specific after-treatment care instructions, which will include an analgesic and application of an Aquaphor coating similar to Vaseline, to keep the skin moist for several days after your treatment.
How long will it take to recover?
Complete healing will depend largely on the depth of treatment. Healing times for shallow treatments are typically 2-4 days before patients resume normal activities. Medium treatments require 3-5 days, and for deeper treatments, 5-7 days may be needed. Male patients will not want to shave for 3-5 days after their treatment.
What aftercare do I need?
You may be given skin care products and instructions on how to use them. Your skin will be sensitive to ultra-violet light after the procedure, so you must avoid direct sun exposure until fully healed. It is recommended that you always use some level of protection to avoid further sun damage to your skin.
When should I expect results?
The top layer of your skin will re-grow and can be covered with makeup in about 4-7 days, at which time you will see noticeable improvements in your skin’s texture, tone and wrinkle appearance. The deeper laser treatments also stimulate the growth of new collagen over the next 4 to 6 months. During this time, the skin may show increasing improvements in tightness, tone, colour, and resilience.
