Acne scar : New combinations create powerful weapons in scar combat
John Jesitus has written New combinations create powerful weapons in scar combat; knowing basics and treatment options bolsters your chances in battle - Lasers, RF, topicals, and more article, writes "Over the past decade, lasers have proven to be potent weapons in the battle against scars. More recently, technologies that employ radio frequency have begun to attract attention. Add to this a host of newer topical treatments, many of which are used in conjunction with the systems previously mentioned, particularly for treating symptomatic (pruritic) scars, and cosmetic surgeons' armamentarium has never been more abundant.
"What's nice is that we have a lot of different options," said Tina S. Alster, M.D., "and mixing and matching some of these options make sense. But first you need to categorize scars appropriately."
Let's start with the fundamentals
It's hardly a groundbreaking notion. But it's one that bears repeating. "No matter how much has been published on [scar treatments]," Dr. Alster allowed, "a lot of people still don't know the basics." She is director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and clinical professor of dermatology at Georgetown University's Medical Center.
Scars generally fall into three categories--hypertropic, keloid, and atrophic. The first two categories have been shown to respond well to the 585-nm pulsed-dye laser (PDL). More specifically, this laser has achieved what Dr. Alster called "striking improvements" in areas including scar erythema and dysesthesia."
Dr. Ruiz-Esparza is a paid researcher for Thermage. Dr. Sadick serves on Syneron's advisory board.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Advanstar Communications, Inc.
"What's nice is that we have a lot of different options," said Tina S. Alster, M.D., "and mixing and matching some of these options make sense. But first you need to categorize scars appropriately."
Let's start with the fundamentals
It's hardly a groundbreaking notion. But it's one that bears repeating. "No matter how much has been published on [scar treatments]," Dr. Alster allowed, "a lot of people still don't know the basics." She is director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and clinical professor of dermatology at Georgetown University's Medical Center.
Scars generally fall into three categories--hypertropic, keloid, and atrophic. The first two categories have been shown to respond well to the 585-nm pulsed-dye laser (PDL). More specifically, this laser has achieved what Dr. Alster called "striking improvements" in areas including scar erythema and dysesthesia."
Dr. Ruiz-Esparza is a paid researcher for Thermage. Dr. Sadick serves on Syneron's advisory board.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Advanstar Communications, Inc.
