Skin Care & Skin Rejuvenation Lasers

What is IPL?
The IPL is a new, non-invasive approach to skin revitalization using Cutera's IPL. The procedure offers the advantage of improving skin tone and surface imperfections associated with aging and photodamage.

What areas can be treated?
IPL is ideal for any part of your face, neck and décolleté with skin redness, telangiectasia (tiny veins) or brown spots. Light (low contrast) brown spots, which were previously difficult to resolve, respond very well to treatment.

What does the treatment do? By selecting Program A, B or C, your practitioner can customize your IPL to your skin type and selectively treat the brown and/or red pigmented areas on your skin. It's the heating of the pigmented brown or red cells that causes the therapeutic effect.

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 sun-damaged skin.

What happens after the treatment?
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.

When will I see results?
Within one to three weeks, the darkened spots will flake off and fade. Diffuse redness or telangiectasia will decrease and your mottled complexion will improve.

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.

What areas can be treated?
Laser Genesis patients report excellent results over their entire faces and necks. Additionally, practitioners may suggest this therapy to diminish recent scars on other parts of the body.

What is diffuse redness?
Diffuse redness is a general appearance of facial redness, such as rosy cheeks. This condition is caused by dilated capillaries, resulting in an appearance of general redness, not 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 will help your appearance by gently treating and reducing this condition.

What does the procedure feel like?
Patients often describe the treatment as relaxing and therapeutic. You will experience a gentle warming of your skin's surface during the procedure. You can immediately return to normal activities, utilizing 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 improves the appearance of wrinkles through collagen stimulation. Additional heat is generated in dilated capillaries to reduce redness.

What can I expect before the treatment?
You will not need 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. Your physician will review and assist with all pre-treatment requirements.

What kind of improvements can you expect with Laser Genesis skin therapy?
Over the course of four to five treatments, Laser Genesis can help restore the skin's youthful glow and appearance. The individual treatment results are subtle, but the overall effect of multiple treatments can be quite dramatic. • Safely and gently treat diffuse redness • Fades acne scarring • Continuously stimulates new collagen production • Reduces the appearance of fine lines • Naturally promotes a healthy look

How many treatments will I need?
On average, you may require four to six treatments in order to achieve optimal results. Every patient's condition and needs vary. For more information about your expected results or the number of treatments necessary, consult your physician.

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. Consult your physician for complete information about the benefits and risks of treatment.

What is the Pearl procedure?
The Pearl is a resurfacing laser that gently and safely treats signs of aging and damaged skin. The Pearl procedure reduces fine wrinkles with fewer treatments and less overall recovery than other technologies.

How does the Pearl treatment work?
A pattern of light pulses treats both the top layer and deeper layers of skin, providing long-term benefits with minimal downtime. As you heal, your skin will form a thin protective barrier that will slough around day 3 or 4 after the procedure. In a short time, patients will notice overall skin improvements - all from a 15 minute treatment with only 3 - 4 days of "social" downtime.

What is "social" downtime?
Downtime is the time spent recovering from a procedure. With "social" downtime, you can continue your normal daily activities. However, you may not wish to attend important social events because your face will appear pink/red for 3 - 4 days.

How does a Pearl treatment feel?
The Pearl treatment feels like a series of brief pinches. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 representing highest level of pain, most patients report the treatment feeling like a 2 or 3.

When will I see results?
How soon can I wear make-up after a Pearl treatment? Results are noticeable by day 3 or 4 when the superficial tissue has peeled off, revealing healthy skin improvements. Make-up may be applied at this time.

Are there any restrictions on my activity after a Pearl treatment?
After treatment, the skin will look and feel mildly sunburned. Your practitioner will discuss post treatment care.

How many treatments are recommended?
Many patients may need only one treatment. However patients may require two treatments spaced approximately one month apart to achieve the desired results.

Can Pearl be part of a combination therapy treatment?
Many patients have a Pearl treatment in combination with other existing cosmetic therapies. These include other Cutera laser and light procedures, such as Laser Genesis and IPL. Discuss combination treatment options with your practitioner.

How does Pearl compare to other laser treatments?
Pearl offers an effective treatment without wound care and lengthy downtime seen with certain Erbium and CO2 laser procedures.

Who is a candidate for a Pearl treatment?
Patients with light to medium skin tones and mild to moderate sun damage are ideal candidates.

How does the ZO 3-Step Stimulation Peel work?

1. Step 1 of the system is the application of the peel solution to exfoliate the skin.
2. Step 2 is the application of the Stimulating Retinol Creme that works to stimulate cellular function at a deep level for collagen enhancement, firming, and wrinkle reduction.
3. Step 3 is the application of the Calming Creme that works to minimize inflammation and irritation that may result from the first two steps as well as restore the moisture balance of the skin.
   Most peels do a great job of exfoliating the skin; however, it's Step 2, the Stimulating Retinol Creme (Vitamin A) that is particularly effective at obtaining great results.
   • Vitamin A is a key vitamin that the skin needs topically.
   • Oral consumption does not address the topical deficiency.
   • Vitamin A improves overall skin health; topical application allows it to go inside the cell to stimulate cellular function at the dermal level
   • Simultaneously repairs damage at the epidermal level

What makes the ZO 3-Step Stimulation Peel so special?

This multi-functional peel provides longer-lasting benefits, and post-treatment peeling is mild to moderate. Any discomfort is mitigated by the ZO® Medical Calming Crème, which is given to take home.

Further, the 3-Step Stimulation Peel corresponds with Dr. Obagi's new skincare philosophy emphasizing skin health. "Physicians and skincare professionals should focus on making skin continuously healthy rather than transiently treating symptoms of poor skin health."

How long do the results last?

Skin peels often achieve instant, glowing results and tighter, smoother, brighter-looking skin after just one peel, although a series of treatments can be repeated every 3-4 weeks for deeper repair.

This potent stimulating peel confers longer lasting benefits beyond the temporary superficial improvements seen with ordinary peels. Peeling is very mild or even unnoticeable, with minimal to no downtime. It is designed for use on acne, melasma, sun damage, fine lines, texture roughness, large pores, dullness, and promotes much smoother, softer skin.

What is the Pearl Fractional treatment?
Pearl Fractional is a fractional laser perfected for treating photodamaged skin in just one treatment. Pearl Fractional offers the best combination of patient experience and recovery time.

What does "fractional" mean?
How does the Pearl Fractional work? Fractional therapy describes a treatment that exposes only a fraction of the skin to the laser beam in a pattern of tiny dots. With Pearl Fractional, laser pulses place tiny holes in the skin. Columns of damaged tissue are selectively removed, leaving surrounding skin intact. After a treatment, the body's own natural process creates new collagen improving the appearance of fine lines and aging skin.

How many treatments are recommended?
Most patients see significant improvement after just one treatment.

Who is a candidate for Pearl Fractional?
Patients with light-to-medium skin tones and skin imperfections due to aging and sun damage will benefit from a Pearl Fractional treatment.

What areas of the face can be treated?
Pearl Fractional can be used on the entire face and is uniquely effective in treating the delicate periorbital (around the eyes) and perioral (around the mouth) areas. These areas often show the first signs of aging and can be the most challenging to treat.

How does a Pearl Fractional treatment feel?
Most patients describe the treatment as a series of fast, hot pinches. A topical numbing cream is applied to the skin prior to treatment to alleviate discomfort. Practitioners may choose to augment topical creams with other medications based on patient need.

When will I see results?
How soon can I wear make-up? Many patients see improvement one week after treatment. Maximum results are visible in one to three months. Patients may apply make-up five days after treatment.

Are there any restrictions on my activity after a Pearl Fractional procedure?
After treatment, the skin looks sunburned and may be slightly swollen. Patients report little or no discomfort post-treatment. During post-care, patients apply ointment to the skin for four to five days and should limit sun exposure and wear protective clothing.

Can Pearl Fractional be part of a combination therapy?
Many patients have a Pearl Fractional treatment in combination with other existing cosmetic therapies. These include other Cutera laser and light procedures, such as Pearl®, Laser Genesis and IPL. Discuss combination treatment options with your practitioner.

How does Pearl Fractional compare to other fractional laser treatments?
Pearl Fractional's unique laser wavelength and its ability to deeply penetrate the skin, is perfectly balanced to dramatically improve the appearance of aging skin in a single treatment.