Beyond the feel-good factor

28 Aug, 2006

TREATMENT of vascular lesion, sun damaged skin, hair removal and acne treatment are some of the areas where laser gets a chance to show wonders. It is now an in-thing in the United States and Europe and slowly coming to Pakistan. In India it has already taken central stage in glamour market.
The use of the technology is not restricted to women who are commonly believed to be miser but high roller when it comes to the application of technology that makes them look young and attractive. Men are equally attracted toward this technology.
Both men and women commonly use laser treatment for removal of body hair and getting a facelift. The body parts that usually remain uncovered and exposed to sun develop skin problems, which are irritating for two reasons: sunburned patches look bas and remain vulnerable to skin diseases. It is always advisable to get it treated and save the skin.
Talking about skin care is engaging and enlivening. At one stage of life one suffers from skin problem of one kind or the other and if nothing else happens at least excessive itching begin to take place. Itching is mostly accompanied by dry skin from where dandruff like stuff comes out. It is annoying for both; to whom it happens and to the one who looks at it. In fact laser treatment seems to be the right answer for all questions relating to skin problems. It makes you look good and gives a feeling of notability.
Dr Syed Rizvi, M.D. is an old Habibian and Dow Medical College graduate. He is a Board Certified Internist. He was trained at a Yale programme at the Bridgeport CT. He is in practice since 1992 in Atlanta, USA. He has won various awards, among which is the Resident Research Award during his residency training. He is committed to making his parents comfortable with the procedures that are being used.
He believes in an educated patient before and after treatments. In his opinion in laser treatment satisfaction is usually guaranteed in all procedures. Recently he was in Karachi on a professional trip. He briefly talked about the technology and its use.
He said he specialise in laser hair removal and skin care. It is not the job of a beautician but that of a trained physician who could examine his patients and diagnose the problem before applying a procedure. "We specialise in laser hair removal and skin care. We also feature microdermabrasion and lunch-hour photo-facials. Hearing it all is simple but all procedures are done under the supervision of Board Certified Physician by a licensed aesthetician."
Benefits of hair removal for men and women are many: ingrown hair is treated and prevented, facial hair is removed, all body parts can be treated, no more shaving, and razor bumps are eliminated.
How does laser hair removal works? Laser works by destroying the blood flow at the base of your hair follicle. When this blood flow is gone, the follicle and its active parts will shrivel and die.
He said if you stop watching a plant today, it will not die the next day. A hair follicle that loses its blood supply will also take time to shrivel and die. You will lose your hair in 2-3 weeks and after your treatment.
The average person needs six treatments. How many treatment a patient would need depend on his/her growth cycles and how hair-free he/she wish to be because a hair follicle can only be destroyed in an 'active growth' cycle. The treatment is timed to destroy the most hair follicles with each unit. Usually treatments will be four to eight weeks apart.
Laser treatment for hair removal is a safer, faster and more effective procedure to eliminate unwanted hair than electrolysis, waxing or tweezing.
Dr Rizvi says, with electrolysis it takes two-seconds to remove one hair follicle verses hundreds of follicles per pulse of laser light. In addition, the surrounding tissue is unaffected and there is little or no irritation to the skin as with other hair removal methods.
He says that there are four phases in a follicle growth cycle: early growth, active growth, regeneration, and resting. A follicle in an active growth phase contains engorged blood flow and will be affected on your treatment day. A resting follicle has less blood supply and will not be affected by treatment. This is true for all forms of permanent hair removal.
The treatment is specifically designed to treat ageing or sun-damaged skin, vascular lesions, slightly raised, red lesions, spider veins, acne inflammation and telangiectasia.
Referring to lunch hour face-lift Dr Rizvi said that this very safe and non-invasive procedure is "laser collagen remodelling". (Collagen is connective protein: a fibrous protein found in skin, bone cartilage, tendon, and other connective tissue that yields gelatin when boiled.) Collagen is the backbone or structure of the skin. As we age, our collagen bands relax, causing our skin to sag and develop lines and wrinkles. The procedure gently heats and tightens the skin, resulting in facial toning; this treatment lasts only 45 minutes and can be performed during your lunch hour.
He said a frequently asked question would laser work to remove unsightly veins in my legs, the answer is yes. Laser in one of the most effective treatment for vein removal and is the best choice when treating small veins. Laser therapy is non-invasive, unlike scelerotherapy that is painful, invasive and may cause cramping, irritation and discoloration. Due to the use of a cooling device and gel, there is minimal discomfort with this treatment.

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