Expert Spotlight

Dr Peter Muzikants
Medical Director

Laser treatments for the face

Laser treatments are used widely to combat the signs of ageing in the face, including wrinkles, lines, broken blood vessels and redness.

“There are many different types of lasers, each with its own specific effect on the skin,” said Dr Peter Muzikants.

In cosmetic treatment, lasers are used to emit light with a specific wavelength to the skin to create a certain reaction.

They work by having:

• A thermal (heating) effect

When a laser beam reaches its target, light is converted into heat. Objects in certain colours preferentially absorb specific wavelengths and this principle is used to treat broken blood vessels.

“A red blood vessel predominantly absorbs green or yellow light,” said Dr Muzikants. “The blood vessel absorbs the light and is ‘burnt’ with very little effect on surrounding tissue.”

• A biostimulation effect

Laser treatments also have non-thermal effects, which are not fully understood.
Various chemicals are released in the tissue that can stimulate the skin’s repair mechanism and increase the production of collagen. Collagen is a key fibrous protein in the skin's connective tissue that helps give the skin its texture.

Both these effects are thought to play a part in laser ‘resurfacing’. The laser’s thermal effect removes the superficial layer of old facial skin, along with wrinkles and lines. The biostimulation effect, which stimulates the production of collagen, causes new, more youthful skin over a few months.  

Types of laser treatments

Laser treatment can be broadly categorised according to the downtime required.

“Laser treatments with very little downtime often have less reliable results. They rely more on biostimulation rather than a thermal effect,” Dr Muzikants said.

Other laser treatments are more ‘aggressive’ and rely more on the thermal effect. While the results are faster and more reliable, these treatments require more downtime, which may mean that patients have to take a few days off work.
Often, the decision on which treatment to use rests on whether a patient prefers a series of low-energy laser treatments that do not require much downtime or a quicker result that would require more downtime.

What are the risks?

As with any medical procedure, there are potential side effects with laser treatments. These risks include scarring, pigment loss, a temporary increase in pigmentation and prolonged redness. Low-energy laser treatments usually involve a minimal level of discomfort or sensation while local anaesthetics are required for high-energy treatments. However, Dr Muzikants commented that the incidence of side effects was very low because of the improvement in technique and equipment technology.