“There's minimal downtime.” “The pain will be moderate.” “ There is no swelling." Anyone who has fallen for those soothing words, only to wake up after a laser treatment with her face on fire and looking like a slab of beef carpaccio, knows how misleading recovery terminology can be. To help ease the confusion, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has come up with a lexicon of terms for doctors to use that they hope will help quantify for patients the downtime, bruising, redness, swelling, and pain associated with laser and light-based treatments.

Talking Downtime

No downtime: Means it will take more than your lunch hour but less than 24 hours to look like yourself.

Minimal: You can expect 24 to 72 hours of downtime.

Moderate: It will take three to seven days to recover.
Significant: You'll want to hide out for more than a week.

Talking Bruising

No bruising: Well, this one is not exactly true. There can be some pigment change, but it should fade fast and can easily be covered up with concealer.

Minimal bruising: The bruising will take a week to go away.

Moderate: Bruising will fade in one to two weeks.
Significant: It will take more than two weeks for the bruising to disappear. Buy some heavy duty makeup to wear in the meantime.

Talking Redness

None: Again, not exactly accurate. You may see some redness in the first 24 hours.

Minimal: You can expect one to three days of redness.

Moderate: Count on four to seven days of redness. 

Significant: Don’t do this treatment the week before you're having your picture taken. It will take more than a week to look like yourself again.

Talking Swelling

Essentially none: Again, this means some. It will resolve in less than three days. 

Minimal: You'll be puffy for three to seven days.
Moderate: This is not so moderate—eight to 14 days of swelling.
Significant: This is really significant swelling that takes more than two weeks to heal.

Talking Pain and Discomfort

Essentially none: This means you may need to take something like Tylenol for any pain you have. 

Minimal: You may require a topical painkiller during treatment and a prescription painkiller after.

Moderate: Same as above, plus some local anesthesia before treatment.

Significant: You'll require some intravenous sedation or general anesthesia before treatment. (Translation: This treatment is going to hurt. You'll be knocked out.)

*This story was taken from Allure Magazine's Oct 31, 2011 issue by Joan Kron, which can be viewed here.

DOT Therapy (Dermal Optical Thermolysis) is the newest breakthrough in laser technology, now offered at Orlando Plastic Surgery Center.

The Dot, as it is affectionately known, is the laser that everyone is talking about, including top beauty editors in magazines like Vogue, OK, and Elle. 

Developed in Tuscany, DOT Therapy is considered the Rolls Royce of laser treatment. For patients seeking instant results with no significant downtime, DOT Therapy is your laser. 

The DOT is a fractionated CO2 medical laser that treats the skin in a “dot-like pattern.” Dr. Pope actually customizes each DOT Therapy treatment to the patient’s skin, selectively treating problem areas with pinpoint accuracy. During the treatment, thousands of tiny dots/scanned pulses of laser energy are applied. This promotes immediate skin tightening and new collagen growth. Wrinkles and fine lines, scars, and sun spots are dramatically decreased instantly. Silkly, soft new skin begins to emerge.

It only takes about twenty to thirty minutes to complete the procedure. Expect slight redness, which should subside in a weekend (2-3 days). DOT Therapy is safer than traditional laser resurfacing treatments. Because sedation is not required, the patient is only exposed to a topical anesthetic. Injections and sedation are not necessary with DOT Therapy. Because DOT Therapy offers the doctor so much control and customization, patients are treated faster and more precisely.

Your skin reveals a lot about you. DOT Therapy is the easy way to achieve a healthy, fresh, and radiant glow that traditional skin care maintenance, diet and exercise alone just can’t give you. Give us a call today for a consultation.

Yes you read that correctly. Our Cutera laser has just been approved by the FDA for treatment of toenail fungus (onchomycosis).

This is great news for patients who cannot use prescribed oral medication to treat toe-nail fungus due to concerns of liver damage and other treatment limitations.

Cutera, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of laser and light-based aesthetic systems for practitioners worldwide, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its GenesisPlus laser.

Known medically as onychomycosis, nail fungus often causes the toenails to become discolored, thickened and separated from the nail bed. Approximately half of the population will have at least one infected toenail during the course of their lives. Current treatment options include prescription topicals and oral drugs, both with limited success rates. Some patients are not candidates for oral medications, due to concerns of liver damage and other treatment limitations.

"The GenesisPlus laser is a great innovation in the treatment of fungal nails and it has exceeded my expectations for safety and efficacy," said David Weiss, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine in private practice in Hammonton, NJ. "The options I've had in the past were limited because they didn't work very well and patients were concerned about side effects."

GenesisPlus utilizes Cutera’s patented microsecond technology and features a proprietary delivery system with a temperature sensor to improve the practitioner and patient experience. "What impresses me about the GenesisPlus is the safety, effectiveness and speed of the treatments. In one 10-15 minute session, I can treat a patient who has been suffering for years with unsightly, deformed and discolored toenails," said Jeffrey Kleis, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine in private practice in Beverly Hills, CA. "There is no downtime and my patients have been extremely pleased."

Kevin Connors, President and CEO of Cutera said, "A significant number of affected patients are dissatisfied with the current treatment options, including topical therapies and oral medications. The GenesisPlus provides a fast and effective solution for onychomycosis, without the risks of serious side effects."

For more information, give us a call. We are already prepared to utilize this laser to treat toenail fungus!