What Skin Problems Can ND Yag Laser Help?

No matter how much we take care to reduce the signs of ageing, stubborn brown spots can be a give-away. Some know these by different names — age spots, freckles, lentigines, or liver spots. There are a range of different types of pigmentation which vary in appearance, what depth in the skin they lie, and how responsive they are to treatment.

What is ND YAG Laser?
There are many lasers in the market. Nd:Yag laser is named after the laser medium, Neodymium: yytrium-alumunium-garnet. This laser was specifically designed to help with pigmentation and freckles.

How Does ND YAG Laser Work?
ND YAG Laser comes in 2 wavelengths, 1064 nm and 532 nm. It is a non-ablative laser, which means that there is no break in skin tissue continuity during the treatment. It is designed to target pigment cells. This specific wavelength is absorbed preferentially by pigments (melanin) and the resultant heat will cause generation and propagation of waves that cause damage to the cells containing pigment. These damaged cells will then be cleared from the site resulting in lightening of the pigmented site.

What are the Benefits of ND YAG Skin Treatment?
- Improve skin tone
- Reduce rosacea and thread facial vein
- Reduce facial wrinkles and fine lines
- Treat sun damage including age spots and brown pigmentation
- Firming and tightening the skin
- Stimulate new collagen and elastin tissue production

What is the ND YAG Laser Process?
The process for treating skin problems with ND YAG LASER is simple and quick with few days of downtime.The treatment is performed by a team of skilled, experienced doctors and nurses:
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STEP 1: Our experienced, professional, and certified Nurse or Nurse Practitioner will consult with you and confirm if you are suitable and would benefit from this procedure.
STEP 2: Your provider will use a numbing cream for 20-30 minutes right before the treatment to minimize any discomfort.
STEP 3: Our experienced, professional, and certified Nurse or Nurse Practitioner will use the ND YAG laser and the light pulses will be directed into the dermis for rejuvenation. The whole procedure will take about 45 minutes.
STEP 4: After the procedure, you may experience redness over the treated site which may last few hours. Most of the time, there is no swelling and most patients can return to work almost immediately.
STEP 5: Immediately post laser, you may or may not see lightening of the pigmentation. In fact, the pigmented spot may even darken for 1-2 weeks before getting lighter. However, the skin lightening and rejuvenation may be seen immediately post-laser.

What stands in the way of people treating imperfections like spider veins and rosacea, especially on the face, is the fear that the issue will be exacerbated. However, I’ve seen these lasers deliver dramatic results that patients didn’t think were possible.”— Gabe Lubin, Cartessa Aesthetics Founder & CEO

Aesthetic Dermatology
ND:YAG laser treatment improves the appearance of facial wrinkles
Publish date: February 19, 2018
By Ian Lacy

Fractionated, picosecond-domain neodymium:YAG laser therapy appears safe and effective at improving facial photodamage at all ages, wrote Eric F. Bernstein, MD, a laser surgeon in private practice in Ardmore, Pa., and his associates.

In the study, two fractionated lasers were each combined with a specially designed “holographic beam-splitting optic” to treat mild to moderate facial wrinkles in 24 patients aged 18-75 years with Fitzpatrick skin types I-VI; 14 patients received five monthly treatments with the 1,064 nm laser, while the other 10 patients received four monthly treatments with the 532 nm laser.

Blinded evaluators assessed images taken at baseline and at 12 weeks after treatment. The evaluators found improvements of greater than 20% in 56.9% of the evaluated images, with no statistically significant difference between the two wavelengths. Of those treated with the 1,064 nm laser, 12 of 14 patients were “satisfied” or “very satisfied”; of those treated with the 532 nm laser, 8 of the 10 were “satisfied” or “very satisfied,” Dr. Bernstein and his colleagues wrote in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

Patients experienced only mild to moderate discomfort during the laser treatment. Side effects were mild and were limited to erythema and edema in almost all patients; fewer than half the patients developed petechiae. Side effects generally resolved within a few days of treatment.

Dr. Bernstein and some of the other authors reported relationships with Syneron Candela, which provided funding for and loaned equipment used in the study.

Source: Bernstein EF et al. J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Nov 1;16(11):1077-82.