Groundbreaking skin treatment

The Dermatology Center of St. Luke’s Medical Center has acquired the country’s first Sciton Profractional Laser, a new groundbreaking technology that provides virtually painless treatment of scars and aging facial skin.A population option for facial skin enhancement, the procedure utilizes ablative lasers. When directed to the skin, the energy heats the water within the surface layers of the skin causing both the water and the tissue to vaporize.

Every time the laser passes the skin, portions of the outermost layers are removed with utmost precision and control. The skin then heals over a period of time, usually three to four weeks, as new layers of collagen are produced. An improved skin literally resurfaces without traces of sun damage or acne scars. Unlike conventional ablative lasers where effective results are associated with prolonged downtime, the profractional technology offers a cost-effective solution for treating wrinkles, scar and epidermal dyspigmentation, resulting in healthier skin in a much shorter time.

Non-ablative laser treatments have shorter healing time but require several treatments in monthly intervals. These generally have more subtle improvements over time.Dr. Lonabel Encarnacion, Head of the Dermatology Center, explained that profractional treatments combine the benefits of the faster recovery of non-ablative technology. She added that the profractional laser targets a specific area, leaving surrounding skin intact. Skin problems are corrected, new collagen is produced – all within a shorter recovery period.“Some swelling and redness are expected from profractional treatments but this generally subsides within a day or two,” she said. “Optimal improvement is usually visible in about two to three months.

This time frame and treatment structure allows for complete healing and replacement of damaged tissue with new collagen, elastin and viable healthy skin cell growth.”The Dermatology Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center provides world-class medical and surgical outpatient dermatologic care. Patients are seen for common conditions such as acne, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea, hair loss, warts, actinic keratoses, and common skin infections, as well as patients with more complex disorders, including vitiligo, genetic diseases that affect the skin, dermatological manifestations of systemic illnesses, and skin cancer. In addition to the general dermatology outpatient service, the Center has several units devoted to specialized care in various subspecialties, including the Laser Unit, which provides Vascular Laser (Pulsed Dye Laser), Hair Removal (Alexandrite Laser), Pigment Laser treatments.