Coastal Laser Aesthetics, Inc.

Titan™ Laser | Laser Genesis Facial Rejuvenation
Vein and Vascular Lesion Therapy | LimeLight Facial (IPL Facial Rejuvenation)
Laser Hair Removal | 3D Skin Rejuvenation

General

Can a consultation be made over the phone?

No, an appointment is needed to properly evaluate each patient's needs.

Titan™ Laser

How does the Titan™ Laser work?

Titan™ utilizes a safe infrared light to heat the dermis well below the skin's surface. Titan's light-based platform provides a more uniform distribution of energy for heating the deep dermis than other energy sources, such as RF (radio-frequency). During the procedure, the skin's top surface (epidermis) is protected through continuous cooling with the Titan™ handpiece.

What areas respond best to the Titan™ procedure?

Patients have been successfully treated on many areas of the body. The most common areas treated are the jawline (jowls), under the chin, and the abdomen, but thighs and loose skin on the upper arms can also be treated.

Who can be treated with Titan™?

Since the Titan™ procedure uses infrared light to heat tissue below the skin's surface, patients of any skin type or age, who are concerned with loose or sagging skin, can be treated. We can advise you if the Titan™ is right for you.

How many treatments will I need?

Although a single treatment has produced very good results for many patients, it is quite common for patients to have two or three treatments over a few months. Keep in mind that the results from Titan™ Tissue Tightening are gradual and may take from three to six months to maximize the effects of the treatment. Our practitioner at Coastal Laser Aesthetics, Inc. can advise you as to the number and frequency of treatments recommended for optimal results.

What is the procedure like? How does it feel?

Tissue tightening with the Titan™ takes from 15-60 minutes depending upon the size of the area. During your procedure the laser, operated by the Titan™’s computer-controlled delivery device, is guided over the treatment area. With each Titan™ pulse you will feel a brief heating sensation as the Titan™’s infrared energy is delivered to the deeper layers of the skin. The energy causes the collagen support tissues to contract and tighten. The underside of the handpiece provides cooling to your skin’s surface, protecting it and keeping you more comfortable during the treatment. Some patients are more comfortable taking a mild pain reliever beforehand, though most patients do not require any anesthetic or medication.

What can I expect after the treatment?

Immediately following the procedure, you may notice some redness and/or mild swelling in the treatment area. Both should dissipate within a few hours. You may resume normal activities immediately. During your consultation, our practitioner will inform you of the benefits and risks of treatment.

Why should I choose Titan™ Tissue Tightening?

During your consultation, you will want to explain the level of skin improvement you hope to achieve. Our practitioner at Coastal Laser Aesthetics, Inc. will examine your skin and your medical history to determine if you are a good candidate for Titan™ Tissue Tightening. Together you will discuss your expectations and decide on the best treatment for you. Photographs may be taken for reference to compare your results. Loose and sagging skin can be tightened. Fine lines and wrinkles can fill in while deeper frown lines can be softened.

In summary, what are the benefits of Titan™Tissue Tightening?

Treats lax and sagging skin
Treats any area of the body
Stimulates long-term collagen growth
Provides continual cooling
Is safe, comfortable and non-surgical
Has NO injections and NO recovery

Feel free to contact our office for any questions you may have about the Titan™ procedure.

Laser Genesis Facial Rejuvenation

The Laser Genesis difference

The Laser Genesis procedure utilizes laser technology to safely, discretely and effectively treat scars and diffuse and excessive redness. Laser Genesis is a comfortable, non-ablative, non-invasive form of skin therapy. Our patients have noticed dramatic improvements in uneven skin texture, large pores, fine lines and wrinkles. You can expect to see subtle yet consistent results after each treatment, without unwanted side effects such as bruising or excessive skin irritation. Your therapy is performed in a relaxed, comfortable manner without the use of topical anesthetics or gel.

What areas can be treated?

Laser Genesis Skin Therapy patients report excellent results over their entire faces and necks. Additionally, this therapy may be suggested to diminish recent scars on other parts of the body.

What does the procedure feel like? Is it painful?

No. Laser Genesis is a comfortable, non-ablative, non-invasive treatment. Unlike other treatments, it does not wound the skin’s surface. Patients often describe the treatment as relaxing and therapeutic. You will experience a gentle warming of your skin's surface during the procedure as the laser handpiece is moved back and forth about ½ an inch above your skin. You may return to normal activities immediately, making sure to apply sunscreen if participating in outdoor activities.

How does Laser Genesis work?

By gently heating the upper dermis well below your skin's surface, Laser Genesis Skin Therapy stimulates collagen production and remodeling. Additional heat is generated in dilated capillaries to reduce redness. The technology essentially tricks the body into activating the skin's healing response to dermal injury while leaving the surface of your skin unharmed.

What can I expect before the treatment?

There are no complicated pretreatment rituals with this procedure. You will not need to apply any gel, anesthetic cream or ice prior to treatment. Before the actual Laser Genesis treatment, you will be asked to remove your make-up or moisturizers and, in some cases, you may be asked to shave the area to be treated so as not to interfere with the laser therapy. We will review and assist you with all pre-treatment requirements during or before your consultation.

How many treatments will I need?

The treatment results are often subtle and cumulative. On average, we recommend 4 to 6 treatments in order to achieve optimal results. Every person's condition and needs vary. More information about what you can reasonable expect will be reviewed during your complimentary consultation.

What are the possible side effects?

Although most patients report few if any side effects, the most common is a slight redness that disappears within a few hours of treatment. Before you begin treatment, we will thoroughly review the benefits and risk of treatment.

What is Diffuse Redness?

Diffuse redness is a general appearance of facial redness, such as rosy cheeks. As with facial telangiectasia, this condition is a result of dilated capillaries, however the appearance is more general redness rather than discrete well-defined vessels. The most commonly affected areas are the nose, forehead and cheeks. Diffuse redness is often associated with a condition called rosacea and it can be hereditary. Laser Genesis then will help your appearance by gently treating and reducing this condition.

What kind of Textural Improvements can I expect?

Over the course of five treatments, Laser Genesis therapy can help restore you skin's youthful glow and appearance by smoothing out uneven textures caused by aging, sun damage or scars. You will see a smoother, healthy complexion as large pores are reduced in size, acne pits are filled in, making them less pronounced, and minor imperfections are diminished. The individual treatment results are subtle, but the overall effect of multiple treatments can be quite dramatic.

Feel free to contact our office for any questions you may have about the Laser Genesis procedure.

Vein and Vascular Lesion Therapy

How does CoolGlide Vein Therapy work?

The Cutera CoolGlide systems deliver pulses of light energy which cause the blood within the vein to coagulate; this eventually destroys the vessel and it is later reabsorbed by your body. Blood flow will then be redirected to veins deeper below your skin's surface, where it should be.

How many treatments will I need?

Treatment with the laser varies from patient to patient depending on the type of lesion, the color, number and the size of the affected area. Some lesions, like facial veins or small broken vessels, will require only a few pulses, while others, like port wine stains, will require many more. Leg veins may require 2 or 3 treatments.

Are the treatments painful?

Our laser is equipped with an attached cooling device that minimizes pain. Most patients experience a stinging sensation as the pulses of energy are delivered through the handpiece. Most patients tolerate treatments without the need for anesthesia, although treatments of larger lesions may be less comfortable. Therefore, some patients opt to use a topical anesthetic prior to treatment. Following the treatment, the pain is minimal to nonexistent.

What are the possible side effects?

Although many patients report few if any side effects, you may experience slight reddening and local swelling and some temporary discoloration of the skin around the treatment site, which usually resolves in 5-7 days. When treating leg veins, the discoloration, or purpura, may last from 7-14 days. Some patients may experience bruising and, in rare instances, blistering may occur. Unlike other methods of treatment, the laser greatly reduces the potential for scarring or changes in the skin texture. Also, depending on your skin type, and the site and size of lesion treated, some patients may experience a temporary brown discoloration of the skin for a few weeks following treatment. It is always transient, however. These side effects can be often minimized with proper preoperative and postoperative care. We will discuss the complete information, including the risks and benefits of treatment.

When can I expect to see results?

Depending on the size and location of the area treated, patients can expect to see results anywhere from one week to six weeks of treatment. However, your final results may not be apparent for several months. Over time, it is possible for new veins to appear, but these too can be removed with the Cutera CoolGlide.

What kind of vascular lesions are treated with the laser?

The vascular laser can treat vascular lesions such as telangiectasias or spider veins, port wine stain birthmarks, and strawberry hemangiomas. Leg veins up to 2 mm. in width can be eliminated. What all these conditions have in common is that they are made up of abnormal blood vessels in the skin. They all vary in severity for example, telangiectasias, or broken blood vessels, usually involve single vessels and are often harmless. Port wine stains, on the other hand, tend to grow with the patient, usually infants, darken in color and will never go away if left untreated. Hemangiomas grow very rapidly after birth but often go away with time. Some, however may impair vision or breathing and should be treated before they are allowed to advance to this stage. In addition, red and raised scars and inflammatory lesions can be treated by targeting their rich vascular supply.

What is a benign vascular lesion?

Benign vascular lesions are overgrown enlarged blood vessels or multiple small vessels. There is a way to treat these vessels, safely, easily and effectively with the Cutera laser. For vascular lesions, we target the red blood cells which in turn heat and damage the vessels. They are then reabsorbed by the body.

What are facial vessels or telangiectasia?

Telangiectasia or facial vessels are dilated capillaries that commonly appear on the surface of the skin and in areas around the nose, cheeks and above the neckline. Capillaries are tiny blood vessels that are present throughout the body. Prolonged sun exposure, aging, trauma and other factors can cause capillaries to become dilated and visible. There is also a hereditary factor in developing facial telangiectasia. Laser Genesis therapy will help your appearance by treating any visible trace of these unsightly veins.

Should certain precautions be taken after the treatment?

Immediately following treatment, some patients find the application of an ice pack to be soothing to the treated area. Some patients may require the application of a topical antibiotic cream or ointment. In addition, care should be taken in the first few days following treatment to avoid abrasive skin cleansers and to avoid scrubbing the area. A bandage or patch may be helpful in preventing abrasion of the treated area. Avoid heavy exercise, as well as extremely hot showers or hot tubs, for 2-3 days following treatment.

Are there any other precautions that I should know about?

Optimal results will be achieved with the laser if you are not suntanned. It is also recommended that you avoid exposing the treated area to the sun or cover the area with sun block that has been approved by your physician. Because pigment is often closer to the surface of the skin than the blood vessels of a lesion, a lot of pigment, such as in "tanned" or deeply pigmented skin, may act as a barrier to prevent the laser light from reaching the lesion. Therefore, the laser is most effective in lighter skin types.

Are there any alternative treatments for leg veins?

Sclerotherapy is an alternative treatment for leg veins. This entails use of an injection to induce sclerosis of the undesired vessel. This treatment is used for larger, bulging and twisted veins. A series of injections along the path of the vessel are done, and compression for a few days may be necessary. Depending on the type of unwanted leg veins, sclerotherapy may be recommended as an adjunct to or as an alternative to laser therapy.

Why is treatment with a laser safe and effective?

The laser is safe and effective because of its unique ability to selectively treat the blood vessels of a vascular lesion without adversely affecting the surrounding tissue. Thus, it will eliminate many lesions while leaving the surrounding skin intact. In fact, the laser is so safe that it is recommended for the treatment of infants as young as a few weeks old.

Feel free to contact our office for any questions you may have about the Vascular Therapy procedure.

LimeLight Facial
(IPL Facial Rejuvenation)

What is the LimeLight Facial? How does it work?

The LimeLight Facial is a new technology that gradually and naturally restores a smooth even surface to your face, hands and chest. It is the latest non-invasive approach to skin rejuvenation using Cutera’s LimeLight. The procedure offers the advantage of improving skin tone and surface imperfections associated with aging and photodamage.

How LimeLight Facial works

What areas can be treated?

The LimeLight Facial is ideal for any part of your face, neck and décolleté with skin redness, telangiectasia (tiny veins) or brown spots often found on hands and arms. Light (low contrast) brown spots, which were previously difficult to resolve, respond very well to treatment.

By selecting Program A, B or C, based on your skin type, we tailor your LimeLight Facial to your skin type and preferentially treat the brown and/or red pigmented areas on your skin.

What do treatments feel like?

When the pulse of light is delivered, patients will experience a mild pinching or stinging sensation. Gel is recommended to cool the skin before vascular treatments. Anesthesia or pain medicine is typically not required.

How long will the treatments take?

Treatment time depends on the area of the body being treated. However, most treatments should take less than one hour.

How many treatments will I need?

One to three treatments are usually sufficient to see results. Additional treatments may be recommended, especially for excessively sundamaged skin.

What happens after the treatment? When will I see results?

Immediately following treatment, brown spots will start to darken and your skin may appear slightly red. The treated area may be mildly swollen. This typically lasts a few hours and possibly a day or longer. Make-up can be applied to cover the redness.

During treatment, the IPL wavelength is optimized so that the energy is absorbed only by the unwanted melanin, raising the temperature to cause shattering of the pigment. Deeper level damaged blood vessels are treated at the same time.
Shortly after treatment, the unwanted pigment cells (or melanin) have been thoroughly fragmented without damage to the surrounding tissue. Vascular lesions are heated, causing coagulation and shrinking of the vessels.
In the weeks after treatment the darkened spots will flake off and fade. Diffuse redness or telangiectasia will decrease and your mottled complexion will improve. The shattered melanin particles are eliminated through a process which causes the fragmented pigments and damaged melanocytes to be absorbed by the body. Little or no trace of the initial lesion remains. The treated vessels deeper within the epidermis are reabsorbed by the body in much the same way.

Because the treatment is gentle, there is no interruption of routine activities. By helping to remove the age spots (sun-induced freckles) and broken capillaries, the result is overall younger looking skin. Improvement is subtle and accomplished over a series of treatments so the patient's skin does not appear obviously treated.

Will the spots and redness reappear over time?

New brown spots, telangiectasia and diffuse redness may appear with new sun damage; however they too can be treated. Remember to always apply broad-spectrum sunscreen when outdoors to minimize sun damage and the appearance of new spots and diffuse redness. Rosacea is chronic and cannot be “cured” with any laser or light source, however its appearance can be improved.

Feel free to contact our office for any questions you may have about the LimeLight Facial procedure.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser Hair Removal safely removes unwanted body hair. Traditionally, Hair Removal techniques such as shaving, plucking and waxing, provide only temporary relief and may actually stimulate hair growth. Electrolysis, while effective and ideal for white, grey and blonde hairs, often requires years of ongoing and frequently painful treatments. All of these methods often result in scarring, allergic reactions, and ingrown hairs.

What does the treatment involve?

The patient is asked to wear eye protection consisting of an opaque covering or goggles. A small handpiece or "wand" is placed against the skin and the laser is activated. The laser is equipped with a cooling device delivered prior to the laser beam. The cooling decreases the pain and side effects of the laser. The handpiece is repositioned and the laser is activated again. The size or the area treated will determine the number of laser pulses required. It is very important that the hair is not waxed or plucked three to six weeks prior to laser hair removal.

What are the advantages over electrolysis?

With electrolysis, the operator inserts a needle into the hair shaft with the intention of reaching the follicle, then sends a small electrical charge designed to disable the follicle. The operator then removes that particular hair with a tweezer. Hair removal is much faster with a laser as the laser is pulsed about once per second across the surface of the skin. Each "pulse" of laser light disables a large number of hair follicles. Electrolysis operators can only treat those hairs that they can see and which they can reach the follicle through the hair shaft. A laser treats any "active" follicle, even if the hair has not yet reached the surface of the skin, or if the hair shaft is not straight. Please keep in mind that white, grey and blonde hairs do not respond to any laser and are best treated with electrolysis.

How many sessions are needed?

The number of sessions will vary for each individual. This is dependent on the color, size and location of the unwanted hair. During the initial visit, the laser light disables those follicles in the "active" phase of the growth cycle. Follicles in the "dormant" phase will not be permanently affected. Since follicles cycle through "active" and "dormant" phases, additional sessions may be desired once the "dormant" follicles become "active." For this reason, multiple treatments will be necessary. Generally, for most areas, six treatments at monthly intervals are recommended. Regrowing hairs are usually lighter and thinner. It is best to return as soon as new hair growth is apparent. Once the decreased density is achieved, maintenance treatments are recommended approximately once a year. The number and intervals of treatments varies from one patient to another.

Are tanned and dark skin types candidates for laser hair removal?

Yes. The current technology allows treatment of darker skin with unprecedented safety and efficacy. We specialize in hair removal for darker-skinned patients.

Does it hurt?

Laser Hair Removal can be uncomfortable and may feel like a “rubber-band snap” or stinging sensation. We use the lowest setting possible to minimize discomfort while achieving maximum results. Numbing cream is available to sensitive areas. As hair becomes less dense in subsequent treatments discomfort is diminished.

What can I expect after treatment?

Your skin in the treatment area may appear reddened. The skin area surrounding each hair follicle may be slightly swollen (perifollicular edema). Generally, these effects disappear within a few hours. In rare cases, the patient can experience folliculitis (inflammation/pustular acne of the hair follicle) in the treatment area. This is easily treated; we ask that you notify us if this should occur. Three to seven days after treatment there may seem to be a regrowth of hair. Most of these hairs are being pushed to the surface because they are dead; they are not actually re-growing.

Is there any restriction on my activity?

You can return to normal activities immediately following treatment. Please use sunscreen to protect treated areas exposed to the sun. Do not pluck or wax hair between treatments. Shaving or cutting the hair is acceptable.

Can I tan between treatments?

Laser and lamp devices are attracted to the melanin (dark color) of the hair. Tanning will increase melanin in the skin. With darker skin, the laser energy must be decreased to prevent skin burns. Treatments may, therefore, be less effective. Avoiding deliberate tanning while treatments are in progress will allow for maximum results.

Can laser hair removal be done on tattooed skin?

No, lasers cannot be used on tattooed areas.

Feel free to contact our office for any questions you may have about Laser Hair Removal.

3D Skin Rejuvenation

Is there any restriction on my activity?

Can I tan between treatments?

Can laser hair removal be done on tattooed skin?

No, lasers cannot be used on tattooed areas.

Feel free to contact our office for any questions you may have about 3D Skin Rejuvenation.