Living in the sunny high altitude of Utah, we all get lots of sun exposure on our skin. Whether we’re skiing at Snowbasin, hiking up Mt. Timpanogos, or playing 18 at Valley View the higher altitude here means more of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can get through to our skin. Our lack of humidity plays a role, as well.
We all want our facial skin to look young and firm. Unfortunately, the sun and the march of time don’t play fair. Our skin develops issues both on or near the surface and in the deeper dermis layer.
On the surface, we have pigmentation issues where the UV rays have triggered a melanin reaction to darken the skin, creating age spots, sun spots, or whatever your name for them is. Deeper, our skin creates less collagen every year as we age. Couple this with the sun’s UVA rays (they don’t burn, they penetrate more deeply), and our skin sags, droops, and flattens.
Many people aren’t interested in a surgical facelift to address these issues. They love our Cynosure Laser and its ability to rejuvenate their facial skin.
What is the Cynosure Laser?
At our Layton office, our patients love what the Cynosure Laser does for their facial skin. Unlike most laser treatments, which use a single wavelength of energy to either penetrate the skin fractionally or to target surface pigmentation, the Cynosure Laser features two different wavelengths: 532 nm and 1064 nm.
Why does this matter? The laser’s two wavelengths address different problems. The 532 nm wavelength doesn’t penetrate deeply. Instead, its energy is absorbed by melanin in pigmented areas and by the blood in telangiectasias. For age spots, the laser energy breaks up the melanin and the body removes it. For surface vein clusters, the blood absorbs the laser energy, which converts to heat. This irritates the vein walls, causing them to immediately close up. This instantly makes them much less visible, and the body then scavenges the vein and it will fully disappear in a few weeks.
The 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength expands treatment options by rejuvenating the skin from beneath. This energy penetrates the epidermis, entering the skin’s second layer, the dermis. The dermis layer is where the body creates collagen, the skin’s structural framework that supports the skin and keeps it firm. As we age our body produces one additional percentage point less collagen every year after our 20th birthday. By 50, we’re producing a third less collagen, and this allows our skin to sag, droop, and form creases and lines.
When the YAG component of the Cynosure directs this energy onto the treatment areas, the energy penetrates directly into the dermis. There the light energy converts to heat. When the body senses heat in the dermis, it assumes there has been a wound (although in reality there is no injury whatsoever) and it responds with a “wound-healing” mechanism. This involves the instant remodeling of existing collagen in the area. More important, it initiates production of new collagen to heal the perceived wound. This firms and thickens the skin, the tenets of skin rejuvenation.
Interested in rejuvenating that facial skin without surgery? Call Dr. Joseph at (385) 424-4567 and ask about our Cynosure Laser treatments.