Is Laser Acne Treatment For You?
Is Laser Acne Treatment For You?
If you have bouts of acne each month, you have probably searched for a cure. Perhaps you have tried every over the counter cleanser, cream and ointment that money can buy. Maybe you seen your doctor and you have used medications prescribed to treat acne. You might have even tried altering your diet and taking oral supplements to clear your skin. If none of these treatment options have worked, you may want to look into laser acne treatment.
What Is Laser Acne Treatment?
Laser acne treatment is an outpatient procedure performed by many plastic surgeons. It is done using lasers to quickly remove the top layer of skin from your face and then gently warm the next layer. This causes your skin to produce new amounts of collagen which make your skin look younger, healthier and generally refreshed. It also reduces the appearance of acne blemishes and helps to alleviate old acne scars.
Laser Acne Treatment is usually performed after you have been given a local anesthetic and many doctors also offer patients a sedative to keep them calm during the procedure. Because an anesthetic is given, you won't feel any pain during the procedure, but your face will feel like it is sunburned for a few days following your laser acne treatment.
Are There Risks Involved With Laser Acne Treatment?
Laser acne treatment does come with a few risks. Sometimes the lasers can leave small scars. Doctors have worked diligently to lessen this risk by using smaller lasers, but occasionally small amounts of scarring can occur. Laser acne treatments can also leave patchy, brown spots on your skin, not unlike age spots caused by exposure to the sun. Not everyone who has laser acne treatments develops these spots, but the risk, though slight, is there.
If you have herpes, discuss this with your doctor before you have any laser treatments on your face. Exposure to the laser can cause a herpes infection to surface on your skin, so your doctor will battle this by prescribing a strong antibiotic to be taken before you undergo the procedure.
While not a risk, one also should consider the cost of laser acne treatment, before making a decision to undergo the procedure. Even though it is an outpatient procedure it is done at the office of a plastic surgeon and can be quite costly. Insurance usually doesn't cover elective procedures, so carefully weigh the risks and outcome before you decide if you can realistically budget the money for laser acne treatment.