Treatments

Red Skin Marks

Red marks in the skin including port wine stains, thread veins and spider veins, can often be removed by treatment with the Pulsed Dye Laser or our Nd:YAG long-pulsed laser. The effectiveness of removal depends on the size of the blood vessels and how deep they are below the skin surface. Your GP can refer you to Salisbury Laser Clinic to be advised whether Pulsed Dye Laser treatment is likely to pale your red mark, or you can call us directly. NHS and private treatments are available depending on the nature and position of the mark.

How the laser works

Very bright light is fired by the laser at the red area to be removed. The laser light is absorbed by the red haemoglobin in blood vessels, which are damaged. This forms a bruise which clears over 7 - 14 days and reduces the colour. Best results are for red veins near the skin surface. A suntan, real or fake, may interfere with this process.

Number of treatments

Multiple treatments are often necessary although some small marks may only require one session. On the first visit several small test areas, about the size of a postage stamp, may be treated at different laser settings. At the next appointment the most effective setting may be used to carry out a larger treatment. Photographs are often taken before and after treatment to monitor progress.

How the treatment feels

Each shot of the laser feels like the flick of an elastic band. Some people feel like it's a big band and some people feel it's a small band. The pain is only short lived although the treated area may feel a little warm and swollen for a number of hours. Anaesthetic cream, local anaesthetic injection or a general anaesthetic may be arranged if necessary.

After treatment

The treated areas appear as dark circular bruises, 5 - 10 millimetres in diameter, which fade over 1 - 2 weeks. The appearance of the treated area may continue to improve over 2 - 3 months, so treatments are usually 2 - 3 months apart.

Examples:

Before Treatment

After Treatment

Port Wine Stain

Spider Vein

Leg Thread Veins

Facial Thread Veins

Hair Control

Unwanted hair growth can often be controlled and significantly reduced by treatment with the Alexandrite Laser. Your GP can refer you to Salisbury Laser Clinic to be advised on whether Alexandrite Laser treatment is likely to reduce the unwanted hair growth, or you can call us directly. NHS and private treatments are available.

How the laser works

Very bright light is fired by the laser at the hair to be removed. The laser light is absorbed by the brown pigment (melanin) in the hair and the hair root may be damaged or destroyed.

Number of treatments

Multiple treatments are often necessary although some areas may require only one session. At the first treatment visit a test patch may be carried out on one or more small areas. At the next appointment the most effective setting may be used to carry out a larger treatment.

How the treatment feels

Each shot of the laser feels like the flick of an elastic band. Anaesthetic cream, local anaesthetic injection or a general anaesthetic injection may be arranged if necessary.

After treatment

Further appointments may be arranged as necessary according to the rate of hair growth.

Example:

Before	After

Brown Skin Marks

Brown marks in the skin such as age spots, freckles and some birth marks can often be removed by treatment with the Ruby, Nd:YAG or KTP Lasers. Your GP can refer you to Salisbury Laser Clinic to be advised on whether laser treatment is likely to pale your brown mark or you can call us directly. NHS and private treatments are available depending on the nature and position of the mark.

How the laser works

Very bright light is fired by the laser at the brown area to be removed. This fragments the coloured particles of melanin in the mark and allows the body's immune system to remove them.

Number of treatments

Some pale marks such as facial age spots, may need only one treatment. Most other marks will need more.

How the treatment feels

Each shot of the laser feels like the flick of an elastic band. Anaesthetic cream, local anaesthetic injection or a general anaesthetic may be arranged if necessary.

After treatment

The treated areas appear as white blisters, up to 2 - 5 millimetres in diameter, which usually disappear over the next 24 hours. The treated area may continue to change over the next three months, so treatments are usually three months apart.

Before	After

Tattoo Removal

Traumatic, amateur and professional tattoos can often be removed by treatment with the Ruby, Nd:YAG or KTP Laser. Many inks or dyes used by professional tattooists contain a mixture of colours. Your GP can refer you to Salisbury Laser Clinic to be advised whether laser treatment is likely to remove your tattoo, or you can call us directly. NHS and private treatments are available.

How the laser works

Very bright light is fired by the laser at the tattoo. This fragments the coloured dye particles in the tattoo and allows the body's immune system to remove them.

Number of treatments

It is difficult to predict the number of treatments necessary to remove the tattoo, as it depends on the colours and depths of the dye. Professional tattoos often consist of a mixture of colours and may take as many as 10 treatments to remove. Amateur tattoos are often cleared by one or two treatments.

How the treatment feels

Each shot of the laser feels like the flick of an elastic band. Anaesthetic cream, local anaesthetic injection or a general anaesthetic may be arranged if necessary.

After treatment

The treated areas appear as white blisters, up to 2 to 5 millimetres in diameter, which usually disappear within 24 hours. The treated area may continue to change over the next three months, so treatments are usually three months.

Examples:

Before	After

Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing has been used for over 30 years to reduce scarring and perform minor surgical procedures on the skin, such as removing skin lesions. Ablative lasers also improve the collagen structure of skin and are effective in reducing wrinkles and fine lines. The latest technology, fractional ablation, creates a grid of very small holes in the skin, minimising the risks of side-effects and improving healing time. We have both Erbium:YAG and CO2 fractional ablative lasers available to ensure that we can achieve the best possible results.

Your GP can refer you to Salisbury Laser Clinic to be advised whether ablative laser treatment is suitable for you, or you can call us directly. NHS and private treatments are available.

How the laser works

The laser radiation is absorbed by water in the skin, and removes very thin layers from the skin surface, leaving a 'grazed' area which heals forming a smoother contour. For full-ablative treatments, we provide a dressing to protect the area after treatment. Fractional ablation does not usually require a dressing.

Number of treatments

More than one treatment may be necessary.

How the treatment feels

The treatment may feel warm or scratchy but is not usually painful. Local anaesthetic injections may be required for ablative treatments and general anaesthetic is available for larger treatments. Some slight soreness or discomfort is inevitable after laser treatment.

After treatment

The treated area will form a graze which will scab and may become itchy as it heals. For ablative treatments, the healed area may remain pink for up to one year after treatment. Further appointments may be arranged as necessary.

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