Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters yesterday morning.
Laser tattoo removal and skin revitalization will be coming to Key West Surgical Group through the Pico laser.
Sommer said, “So that is one of the top of the line lasers that could do tattoo removal of all colors. It also can do skin revitalization. So maybe we can help you find the Fountain of Youth or at least prevent a little aging. Aging spots, if you’re feeling a little spotty. Yes, wrinkles, acne scars actually. A lot of young adults or teens are plagued by acne and then as they enter college and the workforce, they have some scarring that’s leftover. Pockmarked, that’s what they used to call them. It’s really atrophic scars is the professional term.”
Even wrinkles can be lessened.
Sommer said, “Anybody can be a good candidate.”
Even multicolored tattoo pigments can be handled.
Sommer said, “This laser can remove pretty much all colors. It is fast in the sense that it is a picosecond. It’s a trillionth of a second.”
You could have some redness after the procedure.
Sommer said, “Usually if you get a skin revitalization treatment, which is on the face or it could be on the body like we said it’s freckles, it’s age spots, it’s hyperpigmentation. People that have melasma, that suffer from those dark patches, there is treatment for that with this laser which is pretty amazing. We did someone in the office, she had really dark shadow under her eyes and in one treatment, it’s reduced I’d say probably about 50 percent. It’s a pretty amazing technology.”
Some tattoos in your youth may not be as appealing as you age. The Pico laser can help.
Sommer said, “I’ve done tattoo removal before. So it’s kind of fun. Sometimes people will come in and they want me to remove a tattoo and I’m like, this is so pretty. Why do you want me to remove it? But there is a bad memory. Names and places that shouldn’t be and names and places that everybody can see.”
The laser provides pulses of energy, which are much shorter than nanosecond pulses used in traditional laser treatments and it allows for more precision in targeting skin concerns while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.
Sommer said, “This laser doesn’t use heat and sometimes heat can damage skin around it. So because it’s so short, and it’s a different type of energy, it actually shatters the pigment, or shatters the cells of the skin and then what it does is yes, we’re still damaging the skin, but what you do, I kind of explained it as you know when you have a fruit that’s starting to go bad and it gets puckery? But you can still peel the skin and everything underneath is still beautiful if you catch it in time. That’s kind of like what we’re doing. We’re kind of taking off your, helping shatter all the wrinkly-ness and making your skin underneath, enhances collagen and elastin production to help you get that youthful appearance.”
The laser can also be used for scar reduction.
Sommer said, “Acne scaring, your face is kind of like the first thing that everybody sees. So I know, personally, that I’ve had friends that have had terrible acne scarring. They use a lot of makeup to cover it up. Well, there’s a lot of technology now to help get rid of that and this is one of them. The best part about this laser because we are in the southernmost point of the United States where it’s like summer, nine months, 10 months out of the year, there really is no downtime. So you get redness for 24 to 48 hours. Now you still need to really not go sunbathe, either before treatment or after a treatment or if you do, make sure you use sunblock, but you will be able to put your makeup on or go out in public. Some other types of laser treatments, which are more aggressive than these, and they have their benefits, there’s just a lot of downtime. Meaning you don’t want to go outside or see anybody because your face is really red.”
The Pico laser can be used on all skin types.
Sommer said, “It shatters the pigments into particles and then it’s absorbed by your lymph system and removed from the body that way.”
This is now available at Key West Surgical Center.
Sommer said, “Our website will be updated. It is not yet, but we are working on that. You can just call our office and we can get you in for a consultation, a free consultation for either your skin or tattoo removal, whichever you like, or you could do both.”
Even if a tattoo or condition was treated previously, the folks at Key West Surgical Center could help.
Sommer said, “We can take a look at it and definitely hit you with our laser.”
Melasma is another condition that can be treated with the laser.
Sommer explained, “A lot of women get it after childbirth, it’s hormonal. They’ll have just patches of darker skin on their face. Sometimes melasma is a complicated thing, because there’s a lot of different treatments for it and some work and some don’t. This laser, they have studied and it has had some pretty good success. It really depends on your body. There’s peels, like chemical peels, and treatment you can do. It works for some and not for others. So this is just another treatment that you can try if you are battling with melasma.”
Treatment of these issues can make people feel better about themselves.
Sommer said, “That’s usually what it comes down to, again, with tattoos, sometimes they’re in spots they don’t want them or tattoos on your face that you thought were a good idea when you were 20 and now not so much. Now you need a job and you can help people erase some of their mistakes.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/