Louisville, KY Laser Tattoo Removal.
Not all skin types are candidates for laser tattoo removal. Darker complected patients may not be good candidates because the laser can bleach the skin. If you are considering laser tattoo removal please click this link and complete the Fitzpatrick Scale evaluation.
If you are skin type I-IV you are likely to be a good candidate for Louisville Tattoo Laser treatments.
Lee Corbett, MD
Acne scarring is one of the toughest skin problems out there.
Louisville facelifts will not help.
The skin has to be resurfaced and the best technique is a CO-2 laser. The CO-2 laser is the “grand daddy” of all resurfacing lasers. A number of newer less powerful non-ablative lasers have hit the market since the CO-2 was invented, but none are capable of fully treating acne scarring. In fact, some patients will require repeat treatments even after a CO-2 laser session.
This type of treatment is typically done in the OR. The procedure takes about 45 minutes and anesthesia is required. After surgery you will need about 7-10 days of fairly vigilant care for your skin while everything heals.
Lee Corbett, MD
Lasers for Hair Removal hit the scene about 10 or 11 years ago. As you might expect, hair removal has become one of the most popular MediSpa procedures done in the U.S.
Here’s how they work.
When fired, a laser will emit a beam of light of a specific wave length. Different wavelengths of light are preferentially absorbed by different colors. For instance, things that are red absorb light at a 532 nm wavelength. The hair laser family emits a wavelength of light that is absorbed by brown.
In the shaft of a hair, there are cells call melanocytes. Melanocytes produce pigment and make our hair, and skin, brown. Blondes have fewer melanocytes and people with black hair have the most in their hair.
The way the laser works is that when fired, the light beam goes into the skin, and because of its’ wavelength, it is absorbed preferentially by the melanocytes in the hair. The melanocytes absorb all of the heat energy from the light, and they get so hot that they cause that hair to die.
Now the problem is that if your skin is very dark, the melaocytes in the skin will also absorb the laser light, and this can bleach your skin. Think Michael Jackson. The ideal candidate for laser hair removal is the young version of Elizabeth Taylor…very dark hair and very light skin.
Some newer hair lasers claim to be able to treat all skin colors but I cannot speak to the certainty of this claim.
Lee Corbett, MD
www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com
502.721.0330
All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Laser Hair Removal expert, Dr. Lee Corbett.
This is a pretty common question I hear in my office. Women will come in with come concerns about their facial aging and want to know their options.
After eleven years of doing Face Lifts in Louisville, I have come to realize that there are a lot of women who want to look as good as they can, without surgery. In response, I have come up with a treatment plan that you through your options from least to most.
The ‘least’ end of the spectrum is better skin care products. I have a blog on prescription strength skin care products and I recommend you take a look at it. In brief, whatever you are buying at the cosmetic counters can’t compare to the skin care you can get from your plastic surgeon. Why? Because, by law, we can sell you products that are much stronger and thus much more effective. And, some component, like Retin-A, aren’t available without a presciption. So step 1 is to start on some good skin care.
After skin care, you are looking at deeper chemical peels and lasers. Though the methods by which they work are different, they have a common endpoint. That being that they wound your skin and when it heals it is better than it was before. Now these treatments carry a bit more downside on the recovery arena, particularly with the lasers. I deep peel or laser treatment can put you out of commission for 3 to 5 days.
If you have tried all of the above, and still aren’t seeing the improvement you would like, fillers and botox are options. Fillers and botox are office treatments that are quick, easy, and very effective. They are not permanent options but the cost has gotten low enough that many can afford to re-treat when necessary.
Last but not least is surgery. On the face we offer brow lifts, face lifts, eyelid tucks (blepharoplasty), and rhinoplasty (nose reshaping). For some, surgery is just never going to be an option, and that’s fine. But, there are a lot of possibilities and significant improvements are achievable. Of course the cost and downtime are greater, but the flip side is you do get what you pay for.
You can’t have a mini procedure, with a mini cost and a mini recovery and expect a maximum result. Sounds good but like most things in life, it doesn’t work that way…except for botox. That stuff is magic!
Lee Corbett, MD
www. CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com
502.721.0330
All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Louisville Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.
Removing a tattoo can be accomplished using direct excision or by laser. In most instances, the tattoo is too large to be “cut out” or in a place where a scar would be unacceptable and laser is the only logical alternative.
The laser works by breaking the tattoo ink into microscopic particles. The way it is accomplished is as follows. The laser is set to emit a wavelength of light specific for the color we are treating. A 2 mm circular beam of laser light is then used to trace over the tattoo. Treatments are done in an office setting and usually take 10 to 15 minutes. There is no downtime. As for recovery, the treated area may scab or blister so it will require some care, on about the same level as a skinned knee.
With any treatment 8-12% of the tattoo pigment is broken up. This means that for a professionally done tattoo, it will take between 8 to 12 treatments to get rid of it. Treatments are usually spaced at least 1 month apart to allow the skin to heal and avoid a scar. As we near the end of the treatment, longer intervals will elapse so as we can appreciate the full benefit of the previous treatment before we re-treat.
Amateur tattoos are much easier to treat owing to inferior pigments and more shallow placement. 3 to 5 treatments are enough for most amateur tattoos.
Problems associated with the laser use are primarily pigmentary changes of the skin. “Ghosting”, or a lightening of the lasered skin, can result, especially for those who tan easily. This typically resolves over time but can last 1 to 2 years. Those of Asian, Middle Eastern, or African American descent are not treated for fear of severe skin bleaching.
https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/
4121 Dutchmans Lane, Suite 305
Louisville, KY 40207
All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville, Kentucky plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, laser treatments, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.
