Laser Procedures

Lasers Available at Brownstone Dermatology:

Dr. Cassel speaks nationally on laser physics and laser technology. She presents information to her colleagues and is often consulted for difficult cases. She may have a dermatologist who is interested in learning her techniques following her during your visit. If you are uncomfortable with another physician being present, please let us know and they will not be in the room for your consultation and/or treatment. We take every measure to ensure our patients are comfortable.

Pearl:

Designed to have the impact of a resurfacing laser with less downtime than previously demonstrated by these lasers, the pearl reduces wrinkles, uneven skin texture, brown spots and solar damage. During treatment the laser treats the top surface of the skin with light and removes this layer in a very precise fashion. It simultaneously coagulates the skin so that post operative bleeding and oozing does not occur. During treatment the dermal collagen is heated and stimulated to contract and fibroblasts are stimulated to produce more collagen.

Patients have 3-4 days of social downtime. During this time, the patient must keep a thin layer of Vaseline on the face in order to quicken healing time. On the 4th day, the treated skin peels off in a thin layer, revealing healthy new skin underneath. Results are immediate with less brown coloration, but also increase over the next 6-12 weeks with collagen remodeling.

Most patients only require 1-2 treatments for efficacy. Compared to other fractionated devices, the Pearl is much fewer treatments and due to this factor, is much more affordable for the patient.

Hair Removal Lasers:

Hair removal lasers utilize the dark color of the hair to heat the melanin in the hair and hair bulb and cause permanent damage to the follicle. They are only effective for dark hair. Imagine the sun hitting the sidewalk and asphalt. The asphalt is very hot, and the sidewalk is not very warm. Lasers similarly use light. Many places offer laser hair removal, but many of these places are not staffed with a physician on-site and do not have medical staff performing the procedure. Many facilities only have one hair removal device.

Our office is equipped with the technology to treat all types of pigmentation safely. As you can imagine, darker skin types have more risk due to the skin’s pigment being a target for light-based devices or superficial lasers. We offer treatment at 770 nm for lighter-skinned patients, but this is inappropriate for darker skin types, so we also offer the 1064 NdYAG for hair removal, which has deeper penetration and simultaneous skin cooling with a gold-tipped cooling device. We do not utilize a cryogen-cooled device which sprays coolant on the skin—this has a risk of lightening darker skin and causing melanin damage.

We have the 770 Prowave by Cutera®, which treats a large area of skin at a time—1x3cm, which works well for back hair or leg hair. We use the 1064 NdYAG for the upper lip, cheeks, nipples, and in darker-skinned patients. Safety is our number one concern, and we will choose the appropriate laser for your skin type. The settings are all set at each appointment by the physician to ensure the absolute safety of the treatments.

Vascular Laser Treatments:

The 1064 nm long-pulsed Nd: YAG laser is used to treat unwanted blood vessels on the face or legs. It works to heat the hemoglobin in the vessels, causing damage to the inner lining of the blood vessel. We utilize the Cutera® CoolGlide Excel vascular laser—this is an excellent laser that provides skin contact cooling while being treated to help diminish any discomfort. It is well tolerated, and the results are fantastic.

Lasergenesis:

This treatment utilizes the NdYAG at fractions of a millisecond, for rapid pulses which heat collagen as well as hemoglobin in the small vessels of the face. This works well for patients with large pores and diffuse red patches on the face, making it perfect for rosacea. This is our most popular treatment and has almost no discomfort. Patients can be treated and return to work with only a pink appearance to the skin.

Intense Pulsed Light (Solargenesis):

The intense pulsed light treatment is used for dark spots on the face, arms, chest, and neck. It utilizes a spectrum of light to heat and target the melanin in age spots and freckles. Immediately post-treatment, the dark spots appear darker, and in a few days, they peel off, revealing lighter or no spots. Patients can return to work immediately post-treatment with only a little amount of erythema. It is very well tolerated. This typically requires 2-4 treatments for maximum efficacy. It is recommended that you apply sunscreen over the treated areas to prevent dark spots from reforming or new spots from forming.