Since the dawn of the medical aesthetics era and the advent of lasers used for cosmetic enhancement and anti-aging procedures, patrons of skin care spas have long been seeking a way to deal with their toughest foe: wrinkles. Fine lines and wrinkles are a fact of life most nearly everyone as we enter our thirties and beyond. I often hear people say that one day there will be a laser that will fix everything. For wrinkles, that day has arrived.



The physiological phenomenon that is at the root of the problem has to do with collagen. Collagen is what makes skin soft, supple, and, in combination with its counterpart elastin, tight and elastic. Often our skin is at its healthiest during our mid-twenties. By healthiest, I mean that our collagen is at its greatest density. As the aging process begins to take its toll, our bodys natural production of collagen begins to slow and create a decrease in the overall density of collagen in the skin. The net result is a tendency to develop wrinkles along with skin that becomes more lax.

How can a laser help to reverse this process? After all, a laser is simply a very pure and controlled form of light. Is it possible that light alone could somehow reduce wrinkles? The answer lies in the simple byproduct of light, which is heat. Research and development efforts have led to a new brand of laser technology that produces a specific kind of light that is very well absorbed by water. Collagen happens to consist of a large percentage of water. This specific form of light energy targets the water in the collagen in order to heat the water in a very controlled way.

This heat is applied in a specific manner in order to damage the collagen fibers. Enough light energy is introduced to the tissue to create this damage without actually destroying the collagen. The net result is that the body recognizes that these structures are injured, and it works to repair the area by increasing the production of new natural collagen. This will in turn increase the overall collagen density.

The creation of new collagen will fill in those fine lines and wrinkles, and help to return the suppleness and elasticity of the skin. As technologies have improved in recent years, there are now laser systems that claim to produce a twenty-five to forty times increase in the collagen density in the skin after a series of four to six treatments. All of this can be accomplished without pain, surgery, anesthesia, side effects or recovery time.

Until this point, topical products and other forms of laser or light energy have been used to pursue these effects, but have produced only minimal results. Injectable products such as collagen or synthetic fillers have also been utilized to help resolve specific problem areas. These remedies are only temporary, and require repeat visits to your cosmetic medical care provider.

Laser collagen synthesis services are not yet very widely available, but the incredible market demand will surely provide for an increased number of providers in the coming years. For more information, contact your local medical spa or cosmetic medical professional.