Substantial weight loss can be a huge accomplishment for individuals striving to improve their health, but this achievement can sometimes lead to adverse effects on the skin. Loose skin can develop wrinkles, which do not resolve themselves regardless of further exercise and toning. As a result, individuals are then posed with a new obstacle of finding how to contour their skin to fit their new body. In many cases, skin excisional surgery may be seen as the necessary modality to treat an excess of skin laxity and wrinkles. As an alternative to surgery, laser modalities present a non-invasive, risk-free alternative for the treatment of wrinkles, which not only saves money, but eliminates patient downtime as well.
Nd:YAG 1064nm lasers are proven to be one of the most effective laser modalities for generating new collagen in the papillary dermis, which results in the reduction of wrinkles. Such procedures can done be safely and effectively on any affected area of the body. Pam Bennett, RN, of the Skintastic Skin Spa has had highly successful results using the Aerolase Neo Nd:YAG 1064 laser.
Her latest success stems from a patient who had lost 86 lbs. over the course of a year from diet and exercise. Subsequent weight loss determined that a breast lift and tuck in her abdomen were necessary, but treatments for other anatomical areas remained in question. “We had been doing Neo treatments to the client’s face during her weight loss and she was surprised as just how much tightening she got from the treatments,” Ms Bennett said. In light of the amazing results that occurred on the prescribed area, the patient inquired if she could receive the same results on her arms and buttocks. Per the safety of the laser modality and efficacy of the previous treatments, Ms. Bennett planned out a new protocol for treatment.
“We did six treatments on the arms and ten treatments on the buttocks. The results we saw were pretty dramatic,” said Ms. Bennett. Each session consisted of four passes across the treatment site with a pulse duration of 0.65 milliseconds and a fluence of 28 j/cm2. The laser pulses were applied to a 3-inch wide by 6-inch long area at the bottom of each buttock. The laser treatment was well tolerated without any anesthesia or any form of skin cooling and the patient reported no treatment discomfort. No complications were observed and mild erythema was resolved within a few hours after treatment.
The effect of the laser treatments produced positive outcomes in terms of obvious reduction in wrinkles and an increase in skin tightening. The patient stated that she was highly satisfied with the results. This procedure, enabled by the novel Neo, allows for the treatment to be performed on all skin types without numbing, cooling, pain or discomfort.
