Laser Treatments Most Effective For Wrinkles
Researchers reported on Monday that the use of laser treatments is a more reliable way to eliminate wrinkles than many newer procedures.
While they noted some side-effects, such as lightening or darkening of the skin, they were usually temporary, said Dr. Daniel Ward and Dr. Shan Baker of the University of Michigan.
"Use of the laser allows precise treatment, giving the surgeon more control over the resurfacing procedure than is possible with other techniques such as chemical peels and dermabrasion," they wrote in the journal Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
Carbon dioxide lasers work by vaporizing water molecules inside and outside of cells, damaging the surrounding tissue. Skin cells respond by producing collagen, which in turn fills in wrinkles.
Doctors had been hoping for an alternative to the laser treatment method, due to the fact that it can cause uneven skin colors and even outbreaks of herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores and skin blistering.
Ward and Baker studied 42 women and five men with an average age of 52 who had laser resurfacing of the entire face between 1996 and 2004.
Most had complications but 45 percent had none. Most of the complications were acne or milia — the appearance of small, white bumps, most of which disappeared when treated.
One patient experienced a herpes outbreak and another developed sagging eyelids.
"The efficacy of treating facial rhytids (wrinkles) with the carbon dioxide laser is well established, and the short- and long-term utility of the carbon dioxide laser in treating solar facial aging has previously been documented," they wrote.
"In terms of results, carbon dioxide laser resurfacing remains the gold standard," dermatologist Dr. Paul Carnoil, of Summit, New Jersey, wrote in a commentary.
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