Palomar Starlux 2940: Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing

By Calvin Jai

Plastic surgeons, cosmetic dermatologists, medical spas and patients will be hearing an increasing amount about fractional skin resurfacing technologies like ActiveFX, DeepFX, Starlux 1540, Starlux 2940, and Fraxel Repair.

A small bit of history surrounding fractional laser treatments and C02 laser ablation treatments provide a place to start when looking at what's here in cosmetic medicine regarding fractional treatments, and what's coming next.

Cosmetic Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing's History

Fraxel was the first on the scene with a non-ablative fractional laser for the cosmetic medical market. Fraxel has been upgraded and has been improved on by a number of other competing fractional laser skin resurfacing technologies including the Lumenis DeepFX and ActiveFX, and Palomar Medicals Starlux 1540, and Starlux 2940.

Laser skin rejuvenation is a rapidly advancing field that intersects cosmetic dermatology and traditional plastic surgery. Rapid advancements and new breakthroughs in technology are occurring frequently and will continue. The benefit for patients is an increase in the effectiveness of fractional laser treatments and less down time or potential side effects.

Fractional laser technologies new cosmetic applications are expanding into related areas like skin tightening treatments, where fractional treatments compete with radio frequency (RF) treatments like Thermage, and will eventually move into fat and cellulite treatments and removal.

Old, full face CO2 laser resurfacing treatments to treat wrinkles using the Ultra pulse CO2 laser, now compare poorly when faced with new fractional laser technologies. CO2 laser resurfacing created a very traumatic "burn wound" that literally vaporized the top layers of the dermis and took many months of recovery in addition to the need for general anesthesia. The additional problem of the skin turning white with hypo pigmentation as the pigment cells were destroyed fair poorly as well. Because of the risk of negative side effects, few patients choose this procedure.

The Newest Fractional Skin Resurfacing & Rejuvenation Technologies

Now, cosmetic Fractional Skin Rejuvenation or Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing has evolved and eliminated many of the previous technologies shortcomings. The new erbium lasers are 'fractionated' into tiny micro-lasers, treating only a small portion of the skin (think tiny pin pricks) and leaving surrounding skin completely intact, greatly improving healing times.

The 'fractionated' treatment areas called micro-treatment zones, cause enough injury to the skin to trigger new collagen production and is used to replace collagen damaged by aging and sun exposure. The new collagen that is produced 'fills in' or 'plumps up' the underlying tissue and smoothes out skin wrinkles. The untreated skin between the micro treatment zones speeds the healing process to a mere 3-4 days and leaves most of the pigment cells intact, preventing hypo pigmentation.

Starlux 1540: Palomars New Fractional Non-Ablative Laser Resurfacing Technology

The Fraxel and Starlux1540 are non ablative lasers (ablate means to "surgically remove) which means that the skin is not removed by the laser, rather the laser beam instantly heats the skin, causing inflammation and new collagen growth.

With these new treatments, skin laxity and wrinkle smoothing results are less dramatic than with ablative lasers, but the benefit of reduced recovery time and reduced side effects mean that non ablative laser treatments are often the first choice.

Starlux 2940: Fractional Ablative Laser Resurfacings Future

New fractional ablative lasers have recently been developed that provide the benefits of fractional treatments (less down time and reduced complications) with ablative skin resurfacings benefits (better wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation) offering the best of both worlds.

These Starlux 2940 fractional ablative lasers remove tissue in the micro treatment zone instead of just heating the dermis like the old Fraxel or Starlux 1540.

The benefit of this new fractional laser ablation is that a greater amount of wrinkled and sun damaged skin can be removed than with the older laser technologies, and a better medical result is achieved. There is some minor increase in recovery time with redness for around 5-6 days. Still, the Starlux fractional ablative lasers require much less recovery time than the old non fractional erbium and CO2 ablative lasers which actually burned off the top layers of the patients dermis.

Competing Fractional Laser Technologies

Reliant: CO2 fractional laser called Repair

Lumenis: CO2 fractional ablative lasers; ActiveFX & DeepFx

Palomar: Starlux 2940 - Erbium fractional ablative skin resurfacing laser.

About the Author:

Medical Spa MD is a cosmetic medical community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, and Aesthetic Physicians with more than 3,500 physician members world wide. Medical Spa MD offers wholesale Botox online and provides information on non-surgical cosmetic medical technologies and treatments.

Protecting Your Medical Spa Online

By Kylie J. Peterson

Is click fraud costing your skin clinic? If you're one of the tens of thousands of cosmetic medical practices, medical spas and laser clinics advertising online with Google Adwords, it's likely that at least some of the money you're paying every month is sucked out of your marketing fund by click fraud.

The practice of "click fraud" began in the early days of the Internet with software programs that automatically surfed Web sites to increase traffic. This led companies to develop policing technologies touted as antidotes to the problem. (Some marketing executives estimate that up to 20%t of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on nonexistent consumers.)

You can be sure that it's already happening to your skin clinic, med spa or laser clinic? Here's a quote from Michael Caruso, CEO of click fraud services vendor ClickFacts in an interview:

In particularly fraud prone verticals such as finance, class action lawsuits and medical, we see click fraud rates in the 30%-45% range. These are all categories that see high keyword pricing in the auction model. That makes them particularly tasty for click fraud artists. "If you can make more money from the dark side than the light side of search, there are plenty of people who will take advantage. Plus, it's not even technically illegal yet."

There are two ways that your laser clinics and med spas marketing budget is losing to click fraud:

First: competitors who see your ad simply click on it, draining your advertising dollars. Second; click fraudsters set up 'affiliate' sites are set up that run your ads where they are clicked on by bots or employees. These sites are the most damaging since you're paying for every click without any return. Click fraud around skin clinics, med spas or laser clinics can be very lucrative since dermatology or plastic surgery clinics are becoming such a competitive market and the payment per click can be as high as $4-5.

Unfortunately, to keep your medical spas budget safe you have very few tools. (Google just gave advertisers $90 million to compensate for click fraud as the result of a class action suit but you can bet they're not that Google's not interested in your individual account. Especially since they're making money from click fraud when your ads are clicked on.)

Start by limiting your exposure to click fraud. If your dermatology or plastic surgery clinic is still running an Adwords or Yahoo campaign, they allow you to limit the maximum amount you spend in a day. Take advantage of this feature by limiting your maximum cost to what you can afford to spend. You can also look for the tracks of click fraud by examining the reports you might have available to you. Multiple clicks coming from the same IP address are a sure sign of fraud.

Malaysia has become such a haven for click fraud 'sweat-shops' that clicks generated there are completely discounted and Malaysian accounts for Adwords or Overture are not granted.

If you're going to run search ads, try to protect your skin clinic, med spa or laser clinic. You can be sure that you're the only one trying to.

About the Author:

Medical Spa RX is a physician community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, and Physicians with more than 4,000 physician members. Medical Spa MD offers used IPL & cosmetic laser classified ads and provides patient and physician information on non-surgical cosmetic medicine.

Do You Know The Signs Of Skin Cancer

By Kathy Forcey

Awareness of the five signs of skin cancer and the appearance it's going to take will help you a great deal in considering if you need to consult your doctor.Whenever you find out something unusual happening to your skin you should always consult your doctor.By the letters of the alphabet the signs of cancer can be broken down.

When examining your skin, remember that the letter "A" stands for asymmetrical growth patterns. Cancers will grow in patterns that are irregular or unevenly shaped. Monitor your skin regularly to check for any new growths with unusual shape patterns.

"B" is for the border of any new growths. As cancerous growths have borders that tend to be indistinguishable, be sure to monitor your skin for any suspicious growths.

"C" stands for color, in that you should monitor the color of any new growths on your skin. This can be one of the five signs of skin cancer, watch our for and beware of red, brown, black, blue, or translucent growths.

It is important to remember that the letter D is for the diameter of the growth. A growth with a diameter of more than a quarter of an inch should always be looked at by a medical professional. Growths that are of this size or larger have a greater chance of being or becoming cancerous.

The letter E refers to the elevation of the growth. Skin cancer growths are usually elevated above the skin and will have a surface that is uneven. Watch for this and all of the other five signs of skin cancer to keep your skin monitored at all times.

You are your own best defense in the fight against cancer. Pay attention to your own body and your own health and you will be doing a great deal to keep yourself healthy. If you notice any of these five signs of skin cancer you should consult your doctor immediately. Only a medical professional can tell you for sure if you have a skin cancer growth on your skin. Any unusual skin growth will need to be evaluated and tested to determine if you are in the beginning stages of skin cancer. Remember, the success rate for curing or completely eradicating skin cancer in the early stages is very high.

About the Author:

Would you recognize the Signs Of Skin Cancer ? Whilst everyone will not give much thought to the mole they have had since being a child when it seems a bit bigger they should. This can be one of the Signs Of Skin Cancer.

Would You Recognize The Signs Of Skin Cancer?

By Kathy Forcey

By knowing the five signs of skin cancer and what skin cancer looks like on an affected person, you would be able to determine whether or not you should check with a doctor. However, always err on the side of caution and see a doctor if you notice something unusual on your skin as it could be an early warning sign of skin cancer. The signs of cancer can be divided into the letters of the alphabet.

When examining your skin, remember that the letter "A" stands for asymmetrical growth patterns. Cancers will grow in patterns that are irregular or unevenly shaped. Monitor your skin regularly to check for any new growths with unusual shape patterns.

From letter B, we need to think about the border of growth.The border of skin cancer cannot be distinguished easily.Lookout for this in any such growth which has appeared on your skin.

C is is the letter for color and tells you that you should watch the color of any new growth on your skin. Skin cancer colors can be brown, black, tan, translucent, blue or red. If you notice a growth in these colors it could be one of the five signs of cancer.

D is for the diameter of the growth. If you have a growth on your skin that is more than a quarter of an inch in diameter you should have it checked out. Growths of this size have a greater chance of becoming cancerous.

"E" is for the elevation of any new growth. Growths with elevated or uneven edges can be be a sign of skin cancer. Carefully monitor your skin for this and the other five skin cancer warning signs.

In the fight against skin cancer,you are your own best defense.Look after your body and health and you will be helping yourself a lot in keeping yourself healthy. Whenever you see any of the five signs of skin cancer you should check out with your doctor immediately.A medical professional can only identify and confirm if you are having a skin cancer growth on your skin. If there is any unusual growth it must be evaluated and tested to find out if you are in the initial stages of skin cancer.You must remember that there are more chances of succeeding in the cure or completely eradicating the skin cancer in the initial stages.

About the Author:

Would you know the Signs Of Skin Cancer ? Whilst everyone may not give much thought to that mole they have had since being a kid when it seems a bit bigger they should. This can be one of the Signs Of Skin Cancer.

How to Battle Against Excessive Hair Loss

By Amy Nutt

You could essentially look at hair loss as falling into two different categories - You lose some hair naturally as part of the normal cycle of hair loss and growth, but it is also possible to suffer from excessive hair loss. Every hair grows approximately 1cm, which is less than half of an inch every month during the normal growth cycle which lasts between 2 years and 6 years.

About 90 percent of all of the hair on your head is currently growing at one specific point in time. The rest of your hair, approximately 10 percent, is in the resting phase. After a period of two to three months, the resting hair will fall out and then new hairs will begin to grow in their place. Shedding some hair is completely normal as part of this cycle, but if you are experiencing hair loss that is greater than normal, then you need to know what steps you can take to battle against excessive hair loss.

The first key to leading the battle against excessive hair loss is to determine why you are losing your hair more quickly than you should be. Excessive hair loss is capable of affecting anyone, including men, women and children and people of any age. For example, if you have recently had a major surgery or a major illness, you may be loosing hair as a result of the stress behind the illness or the surgery.

Another thing that may cause hair loss is hormonal problems such as a thyroid gland that is either underactive or overactive. Many women may notice excessive hair loss within a few months of having had a baby. There are also some medications that are capable of causing hair loss. There are a number of reasons that you may be losing your hair excessively, and you cannot begin the fight against this hair loss until you determine exactly why it is happening.

Another cause for excessive hair loss is improper hair care. Are you using tight hair rollers, or wearing tight hairstyles like pigtails or cornrows? These things may be pulling on your hair unnecessarily, causing traction alopecia. If you stop this pulling before your scalp scars, you may be able to stop the hair loss.

Furthermore, you can also try using organic hair products as a substitute for synthetic ones. As most of those products are hypoallergenic, it allows even those with sensitive skin to use it. The contained vitamins and minerals also strengthen hair and offer vitality.

There is a strong chance that your family doctor will be able to help you battle your excessive hair loss with natural hair treatment. Your doctor will ask you a lot of different questions about the medicines that you are taking, your current diet, any recent illness that you may have experienced as well as how you normally take care of your hair. Other questions may be asked depending on your gender, age and situation. Your doctor is also going to want to perform a physical exam to find out if there are any other causes of excessive hair loss. Once you know the real cause for your excessive hair loss, you can figure out a plan to fight it.

About the Author:

While the body is rejuvenated by products such as body washes and organic soaps, proper hair treatment must also be emphasized as well. As synthetic hair gel contains harmful chemicals, organic hair care is a lot more beneficial.