In the beauty world, around now, fighting acne is often a costly victory. This fight can cause serious damage to the skin, leaving it pitted and discolored. And those scars are even scarier than their acne-prone predecessors; in fact, nothing can completely erase them. Our best options so far are fractional lasers, fillers, and—for the deepest dents—surgery.
Enter the picosecond laser, the latest weapon in a dermatologist’s acne scar arsenal. It delivers energy to the skin in a trillionth of a second — that’s a thousand times faster than nanosecond lasers like Q-switching — which is why it was originally designed to remove tattoos and benign age spots. This fast-firing ability “is very helpful in breaking down the tiny ink particles that make up the tattoo.” The efficacy of picosecond laser on acne scars.
Seventeen subjects each received six treatments, four to eight weeks apart. One month after the last shock, the unwitting assessors—unbiased dermatologists called to judge the results—saw a 25% to 75% improvement in the appearance of the subjects’ scars. Three-dimensional images taken at the three-month follow-up showed a reduction in scar volume of about 27%. The biopsy also showed new collagen growth and healthier elastic fibers three months later.
Speed aside, what sets the duped picosecond laser apart from other lasers is the way it stimulates collagen production. We believe it causes vibrational changes at the skin’s surface, which then send a signal down to the dermis, which triggers changes in cell behavior that wouldn’t be possible without energy-altering lenses. So instead of using heat to get fibroblasts to work—the traditional way to boost collagen growth—the picosecond laser stimulates cellular communication. It lets these cells talk, encouraging each other to make more collagen and repair worn elastic fibers. True to its pigment-blasting roots, it also fades post-acne stains that can last for months.
What causes adult acne and how can I get rid of it?
What’s more, picosecond lasers are extremely safe even on the darkest skins, with minimal downtime and discomfort – since no numbing cream is required, it’s really the only truly effective acne-free treatment for acne scars. Shut down the laser, noting that other lasers for scarring typically require “at least five to six sessions, each with at least a week of healing time.”
Post time: Jun-10-2022