Laser treatment is an increasingly popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure that serves a number of purposes. Commonly used as an anti-aging solution, laser treatment corrects the visibility of various skin conditions in order to restore youthfulness to the skin's appearance. The costs for laser treatment vary widely, depending on a number of factors.
Functions
Laser treatment is used for a number of purposes. It corrects fine lines and wrinkles, scars, unwanted birthmarks, discoloration caused by sun damage, such as age spots and liver spots, broken capillaries, the appearance of veins at the skin's surface, acne and its scars, among other mild to moderate skin conditions. Because of its wide range of functions, the types of laser treatment and their corresponding costs vary.
Ablative Versus Non-Ablative
Laser treatment can be broken into two major categories which greatly affect cost: ablative and non-ablative laser treatment. This is the cause of confusion when researching treatment costs to find wide gaps that range in thousands of dollars. For example, cost research may show that one dermatologist's office offers $150 treatments, while another lists prices upwards of $1,500.
Ablative lasers are of the more expensive option. Ablative laser technology approaches the skin's entire surface layer, vaporizing it and also often using heat to correct skin irregularities, like moderate wrinkles and age spots. Non-ablative lasers (the more recently developed laser technology) penetrate the skin's surface layer to work on the dermis layer beneath its surface. Non-ablative lasers stimulate collagen production and new cell turn-over, in addition to correcting skin irregularities. This technology is designed to focus on specific target areas, and repairs the skin by inducing "controlled injury."
Selection
Both ablative and non-ablative laser technology has advantages and disadvantages, and the optimal choice depends on the patient's skin condition and objectives of treatment. Non-ablative laser treatment is able to treat specific skin conditions, from moderate to severe. Also, the recovery time of non-ablative treatment is much shorter than the recovery time required after ablative laser treatment, since ablative lasers actually burn the skin's surface. Non-ablative treatment controls laser intensity and color with computer technology, in order to optimize the treatment of brown spots, skin redness, birthmarks, scars, and other discoloration issues. Ablative lasers, so, too can correct discoloration, but this type is more commonly used to diminish wrinkles. With one treatment session, ablative laser technology can restore the overall appearance of the whole face.
Average National Cost
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that the average cost for ablative laser treatment is $2,341 per session (as of 2009), and the average cost for non-ablative laser treatment is $845 per session. A key cost consideration when questioning the drastic difference between these laser treatment types is that non-ablative laser technology commonly requires multiple treatment sessions in order to achieve the desired results. Ablative treatment is designed to yield dramatic results after only one treatment. Therefore, the prices don't differ as dramatically from this perspective.
Cost Variables
Price variation exists within the ablative and non-ablative categories. A number of variables influence cost, including the geographic region of the dermatologist's or plastic surgeon's office, the skill and reputation of the doctor, the quality of the technology, and, perhaps most significantly, the patient's skin condition and desired results. Ablative and non-ablative treatments use different types of lasers that affect cost as well.
Laser Types
Ablative laser technology commonly uses the the CO2 laser or the erbium laser. The CO2 laser is the highest-intensity laser technology used in laser treatment, and the most expensive. CO2 laser treatment delivers smoother, tighter skin, because of its thermal effect on collagen (the most important skin protein) in the skin tissues' lower layers, as well as its effectiveness in correcting unwanted texture and color conditions. The CO2 is even used in the medical field to treat cancer during its early stages. The erbium laser is not as intense or aggressive as the CO2. It is often preferable for patients of darker skin pigmentation, who would rather not discoloration side effects, because the erbium removes thinner layers of skin tissue.
Non-ablative laser types are fractional or fractionated lasers, such as the Fraxel laser, designed to function with acute precision on small areas of skin. These lasers are also designed to leave the surrounding skin tissue undamaged and unaffected by treatment. The Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) laser, which, by scientific definition, is not technically a laser at all, is commonly used for laser skin rejuvenation. The skin absorbs pulses of light, which dissolve the unwanted skin cells that cause irregularity in the skin's appearance.
Cost Considerations
Consult your dermatologist or plastic surgeon to determine what type of laser treatment is best for your skin condition. Cost is definitely not the only factor when determining what type of laser treatment is optimal, since the least expensive option may not be the best for your skin condition or skin type.
Tags: laser technology, laser treatment, non-ablative laser, skin condition, ablative laser