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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023
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Laser Can Cause Skin Thinning - Why It Is A Myth!

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Dr. Kanu VermaDermatologist • 22 Years Exp.MBBS, MD - Dermatology
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Laser treatment is used for a variety of medical and cosmetic purposes. There are a number of hair and skin treatment methods that are conducted with the help of lasers. Most of the skin treatments using laser technology, are laser resurfacing for younger looking skin, employ light and sporadic bursts of beams. These beams are trained onto the skin of the patient to be absorbed by the chromophores, which contain water and other substances of the skin. This chromophore then turns this light energy into heat energy to destroy thin layers for the skin to heal and look younger. Many people have a misconception that this process may cause the skin to become extremely thin and fragile.

Yet, this is not true. Let us find out about the various kinds of laser methods and why they do not make the skin thin.

  1. Fractional laser skin resurfacing: This treatment method makes use of laser pulses in order to treat microscopic columns of the affected skin, which does not leave any visible scarring and bleeding. This kind of laser works only on the surface of the skin and does not cause any harm to the skin composition. In fact, it improves the skin quality by treating the skin which is damaged.
  2. Plasma skin resurfacing: In this laser treatment, the doctors will make use of lasers that let out plasma energy which destroys the lower layers of the skin. In this method, the top layers of the skin will not really be affected. The top layer forms a protective covering over the lowers layer as the latter heals. This ensures that the lasers do not cause any kind of thinning of the skin in the long run, as they penetrate just deep enough to fix the damage of the lower skin layer, without destroying the top layer of the skin.
  3. Infrared skin resurfacing: This kind of treatment involves the use of heat invoking laser beams that treat the deep layers of the skin. These kinds of laser beams do not affect the actual composition of the skin and its cells. This helps in retaining the quality of the skin without making it thin.
  4. Superficial erbium: Mild laser beams are employed in this form of treatment in order to smoothen the oncoming wrinkles. This kind of treatment also helps in treating other kinds of skin problems. These beams help in smoothening and tightening the skin without making it thin.
  5. Effect on skin: These kinds of lasers do not cause the skin to become thin because the pulses of energy and heat are merely passed over the skin instead of piercing through and changing the skin composition. Also, the skin is usually wiped with water between the laser pulses, which makes this a safe option. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
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