Psoriasis Treatments
It’s Not Your Typical Psoriasis Laser Treatment
Lasers have been used for years as a treatment modality for psoriasis. But the Neo Elite is different.
Compared with pulsed dye lasers, the Neo Elite’s energy travels much deeper into the skin tissue — suppressing inflammation and coagulating feeder vessels.
- Gentler on the skin with less risk of bruising.
- Less risk of complications with patient exposure to treatment UVA and sunlight.
- No Side Effects
- Quick Clearance
- No Maintenance Medications to take
Psoriasis is a debilitating disease affecting over 8 million Americans. Besides the uncomfortable itchy, flaky, and scaly plaques that are common with the disease, most patients with psoriasis are burdened with emotional and social side effects.
- About 24 percent have anxiety and about 10 percent have clinical depression.
- They feel embarrassed and unattractive.
- They’re constantly worried the condition will get worse.
More than 50% of patients diagnosed with psoriasis report a high rate of dissatisfaction with their current treatment or treatment options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic disorder that causes thick red plaques with silvery scales on the skin. The thick scaling is due to a rapid increase in the multiplication of skin cells. Your body produces other immune responses which can lead to swell- ing and the rapid production of skin cells. Psoriasis symptoms tend to increase and decrease, but certain factors can cause flare-ups, including, but not limited to alcohol, stress, medications, smoking, and skin trauma.
How many treatments are required?
Individual results will vary, but can depend on the body surface that is affected. Although some patients may see results sooner, typically 5 or more treatments are required.
What happens after treatment?
Immediately after treatment there may be some transient erythema in or adjacent to the treated area, which should resolve within a few days. It may take up to 6 weeks for the affected areas of skin return to a more normal thickness, but the redness may take up to several months to improve. Typically, main- tenance sessions will need to be scheduled for continued improvement of flare-ups.
Is it permanent or will my psoriasis come back?
Psoriasis is typically characterized by having up and down periods where the symptoms heighten and lessen. While psoriasis is not curable, it can be controlled with laser light so that you may function and the redness will decrease. While psoriasis may improve with treatment and even be gone for a number of months, it may never completely go away.
Is it painful?
There is a mild sensation of heat that is very tolerable. A slight pinching feeling may occur when using higher fluences with the 2mm lens. This is one of the key technical break- throughs of Aerolase technology! The Neo Elite has set a new standard for virtually pain-free treatment, even on darker skin types, thanks to MicroPulse-1064 technology. This unique benefit saves time, cost and mess by eliminating gels and sprays required by other lasers that cool the skin during treatment.
Can it be used on dark skin?
Actually, the Neo Elite is the safest laser in the industry for darker skin types or tanned skin. This is because of MicroPulse-1064 technology, which essentially eliminates treatment pain while minimizing the chances of hyper- and/ or hypo- pigmentation. Patients with skin types IV–VI should be treated very cautiously, especially in the facial region, as they pose a higher risk of having hyper- and/or hypo- pigmentations.
Contraindications (Patients that should not be treated)
- Those who are exhibiting unidentified skin conditions in the sites to be treated
- Those who have healed poorly after other types of laser treatments
- Patients prone to skin discoloration
- Patients who are taking photosensitizing medication, such as Accutane, should consider discontinuing the medication 6 months before treatment
- Patients who are taking topical Retin-A, patients should wait 2 weeks before treatment
- Don’t apply laser energy to any raised lesions, aside from purely red ones i.e. angiomas; other lesions should first be checked by a dermatologist
Patients who are sunburned should wait until the burn subsides. Herpes Simplex Labialis (fever blisters) can be activated by laser treatment, especially on the upper lip, and patients with a tendency for fever blistering can be started on antiviral medication before treatment.
