At Laser Lights Cosmetic Laser Center, we strive to ensure that every patient has the best treatment experience and best results possible. We provide educational information about our services during pre-treatment consultations as well as aftercare instructions before patients leave our office. If you’ve received a laser treatment or regularly keep up with our blog, you’ve most likely heard it’s important to avoid sun exposure for a few weeks prior to and following laser treatment. With summer quickly approaching, now is the perfect opportunity for laser treatment before summer vacation.

Due to the nature of laser procedures, sun exposure after laser treatment can cause hyperpigmentation. In fact, it’s best not to pursue laser treatment on suntanned skin to avoid pigmentation changes. All laser procedures are different—some skin conditions can be treated in just one session while others require multiple sessions. Laser treatments that require multiple sessions must be spaced four to six weeks apart to allow time for the skin to heal between sessions. Knowing how many sessions are required for each treatment can help you determine the best time to receive your desired laser treatment without risking hyperpigmentation.

Skin conditions like age spots, freckles, melasma, hemangiomas, and warts can usually be eliminated in as little as one laser treatment. Depending on the extent of the skin condition, additional treatment sessions may be required for optimal results. Additionally, some spider veins can be eliminated in as little as one treatment, but up to three treatments are often required for complete removal.

Other skin conditions like birthmarks, port wine stains, and laser skin resurfacing (wrinkle reduction) typically require a minimum of three laser treatment sessions for removal and rejuvenation. Birthmarks and port wine stains are usually darker than freckles, lie deeper within the skin’s surface, and are sometimes textured, which makes them more difficult to remove than freckles. Likewise, the number of skin resurfacing sessions necessary to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, melasma, and acne scarring with our CO2 Fractionated Laser or Erbium Laser varies from person to person, but most patients achieve desired results with a series of three treatments.

Laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal, and photo rejuvenation therapy typically require at least four to six treatments. Due to the natural hair growth cycle, some hairs are growing while others are in a rest phase. Though some patients see semi-permanent results after their initial treatment, laser hair removal is only effective during the hair growth cycle. The number of sessions required for laser tattoo removal depends on the age, depth, color, size, and placement of the tattoo. Since tattoos often fade overtime older tattoos are easier to remove than newer ones. Likewise, patients who seek photofacial treatment to reduce hyperpigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scarring will see results in one treatment, but multiple treatments may be necessary for optimal rejuvenation of the face, chest, arms, and hands.

We have over twelve different lasers to treat a variety of skin conditions and skin types at Laser Lights. As you can see, many treatment requirements vary from patient to patient. Our licensed estheticians can give you a better idea of how many sessions you will need after a pre-treatment consultation. Also keep in mind that if you usually wear protective clothing or are often indoors during the summer, you shouldn’t have to worry about hyperpigmentation. However, if you do have to go out in the sun after laser treatment be sure to wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen, cover the treatment area,  and don’t stay out longer than you must. Visit our website to learn more about our other services or schedule a consultation today to take advantage of laser treatment before summer. Be sure to also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.