Procedure

Breast reduction involves an actual removal of excess breast tissue & skin,with internal breast tissue reaarangement to create a more shapely breast. Commonly this involves two different techniques

The first is a Wise pattern (inverted ‘T’ scar pattern); the other is Vertical Short Scar Pattern. The latter technique is now well established, has a smaller scar, but can take upto 3 months to give the final breast shape

Lasers in Cosmetic Surgery Practice

Introduction

Lasers today are almost the in thing in every aspect related to beauty, but we need to understand that lasers are not magic wands and they need to be clearly understood by both the physician administering the laser as well as the client. Lasers have specific indications and there are over 25 different lasers for specific indications in cosmetic surgery practice.

Some of the common indications are for hair removal, facial rejuvenation, birth marks, acne scar removal, correction of dark pigmentation etc what are the different lasers available to USA lot of different companies market the lasers. But like products from every country, not everything is the best, nor it the worst. It is important for the clients to know details of the company of the laser and what type of laser is being used.

A little bit about the Physics of Lasers

LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Having said that,we must keep in mind that the Lasers being used in Plastic Surgery are free of radiation, and are perfectly safe.

Lasers are mono chromatic, ie, they are a beam of Light, all particles of which follow the same wavelength. Different wavelengths, and thus different colours, which we all remembe from childhood as VIBGYOR. Thus Lasers have the same colour. (An exception to this rule is the IPL, which is not a true Laser, but the different wavelengths can be filtered by use of a special filter, and we can select a narrow band of wavelength. Some people have describes IPL as a "Jack of all trades".

How do LASERs work

For Hair reduction, some of the common lasers being used are ND YAG, Diode, IPL, and more recently SHR. All have their indications and limitations. Diode most closely matches the wavelength of the hair follicle pigment, melanin, but it is time taking and painful. ND YAG, tends to leave behind a lot of the finer hair. IPL is probably believed by a lot of plastic surgeons to be the most inferior of the lot. SHR is a new Infra red Laser that is painless and works very fast. However long term results are awaited.

Other lasers are PIXEL, which produces many micro form spots on the skin, which leads to improvement in facial skin quality, and treatment of acne scars, and other old scars also. PIXEL also has a major role in facial rejuvenation with good results in terms of facial glow, facial tightening. LP NDYAG is good for pigmentation and birth marks, while QS NDYAG is good for tattoo removal

What is mandatory for us to know before we undergo lasers.

There are certain contra-indications for the use of lasers. It is important to know all the effects and problems associated. Please discuss these with your doctor. Also ask about the number of sittings an the total cost of the procedure. Often packages are offered, which work out cheaper in the long term. Please note - the above views are that of the author, and this article cannot be used for referance or for medico-legal purposes

PIXEL Laser for Facial Rejuvenation

Pixel laser utilises non ablative erbium laser to produce millions of pixellate burns. it leaves intervening normal areas to produce a GRID like pattern, the advantage of this being that the intervening areas allow very rapid healing with almost no scars. It is almost painless, very confortable, does not require simultaneous skin cooling (in fact the laser hand piece includes a surface tip cooling device, which is sufficient).

Most people who undergo a PIXEL do so for
• Facial rejuvenation
• Acne and chicken pox pits
• Small areas of hyperpigmenation
• as a quick facial before a social function
• for improvement of scars anywhere in the body

Important precautions after a PIXEL are to avoid sunlight for 4-5 days, and liberal use of sunscreen every 4-6 hourly (usually SPF < 26 is ok for normal skin which is not very fair. for very fair skin we would advise higher SPF. If your skin is very oily, or prone to acne, then SPF 15 or thereabouts is adequate.

After a session of PIXEL, it takes 4-5 days for peeling to occur, rest assured this is a benign process, and this then allows fresh and soft skin to replace the overlying dead skin above. We advise 3-4 sessions of PIXEL laser spaced every 3-4 weeks apart for best effects.