Laser Acne Treatment – Pros And Cons
There can be no doubt that laser acne treatment has proven to be a very successful treatment option for many sufferers of chronic acne. Yet questions remain in many people’s minds about the safety and long-term effectiveness of the procedure. This article will attempt to give an overview of acne laser treatment, including a look at both its advantages and disadvantages, so that you will be better equipped to determine if it might be the right choice for you.
Acne laser treatment uses a laser resurfacing method similar to methods used in the past to treat scars, wrinkles and blemishes of various kinds. Applied now to the treatment of acne scars, laser acne treatments have become a more expensive option than the more standard methods of treatment such as chemical peels and dermabrasion.
One of the reasons why laser acne treatment is superior to other treatment methods is because with it the doctor can precisely target damaged skin while leaving untouched any healthy skin or tissue. Additionally, due to the non invasive nature of laser treatment for acne, problems like bleeding and/or skin infection, both of which are complications experienced with other procedures, can be eliminated.
Both chemical peels and dermabrasion have proven to result in more pain and discomfort than laser acne treatment, but this is ultimately dependent on how severely the skin was damaged to begin with and on the specific procedure used. If pain relievers and sedatives are used during the procedure, pain and discomfort are reduced even further, as well as the duration of the procedure itself, which can last up to 1 hour.
Any side effects accompanying laser acne treatments are usually minor and of short duration. These mild complications range from redness and swelling to a slight burning of the skin if a laser of sufficient energy is employed for the treatment.
The good news is that there are no major complications or side effects associated with acne laser treatment, and whatever discomfort there might be can usually be alleviated by proper use of the right aftercare skin products. Certainly there is no expectation of any long term effects once the process of recovery is finished.
Recovery from acne scar laser treatment lasts usually about 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the severity of the problem at the outset and which treatment you choose. During that time new skin and issue are forming that will take the place of your damaged skin. This is what helps to make the treatment so effective in the end.
By now you are probably thinking, “this sounds great, what’s the catch?” Well, as you might expect, laser acne treatment is not inexpensive. In fact, you should be prepared to pay anywhere from eight hundred to twenty five hundred dollars for the procedure. But for many acne sufferers, the results are well worth the investment