Laser Treatment for Fine Lines & Wrinkles
Questions and answers about Laser Treatment for Fine Lines & Wrinkles

What is the NLite laser and how does it work?
The NLite laser is a Pulsed Dye Laser which has a variety of uses ranging from the treatment of acne to skin rejuvenation. NLite skin rejuvenation is a non invasive treatment and does not require anaesthesia. In contrast to ablative laser resurfacing, the NLite does not wound the surface of the skin.

It utilizes low power laser energy to 'insult' the small blood vessels in the deeper layer of the skin. These vessels, although not actually damaged, are 'tricked' into behaving as if they were.

Chemical signals are released that cause the body's own repair and regeneration mechanism to begin a healing process, activating cells in the skin called fibroblasts to stimulate collagen remodelling and new collagen production.

The new collagen growth fills in the depression under the wrinkle, reducing the crease in the wrinkle surface. In very much the same way, acne scars respond the to Nlite treatments. The result is that over time, lines and wrinkles reduce in depth, and in the case of fine lines, may disappear completely.The general skin texture is also improved.

The Nlite works best on fine to medium wrinkles, and is FDA approved. Deep wrinkles will be only slightly improved, if at all.

Treatments can take as little as 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes depending upon the area(s) to be treated. There is no pain associated with this treatment, although some patients may feel a slight warming sensation.

I have heard of skin resurfacing, is the NLite a resurfacing laser?
No, definitely not. NLite is a non-ablative laser, whereas resurfacing lasers such as the Erbium YAG or CO² are ablative, ie they destroy a specified depth of skin at the skin surface. The skin then regenerates itself from the basal layer. After ablative laser resurfacing, the skin may remain red for several weeks to months. There is also a risk of complications such as infections and pigmentation problems.

The NLite, on the other hand, works on a completely different principle. The underlying principal of NLite non-ablative skin rejuvenation is to create a controlled injury to certain "target" structures in the dermis, while completely sparing the epidermis from damage. It uses light energy to stimulate collagen remodelling and new collagen production, as described above.

Because this technique does not injure the outer layers of skin, there is no prolonged healing phase with the associated risk of complications and loss of time from normal activities.

What side effects can occur?
Usually, no side effects occur at all. Some patients, especially those with sensitive skin, may develop small red, itchy 'bumps' on the skin surface; this is called a histamine response. This usually resolves spontaneously within a couple of hours.

Some patients develop redness over treated areas. At the very worst, small dark red/purple spots called purpura can appear, but these resolve within a few days.

The NLite is almost completely complication free. In addition, there is no down time; the NLite is a genuine 'lunch hour' treatment and no recovery period is required afterwards.

How long will it take to see results?
Because collagen is laid down slowly, there is no immediate effect. While this may seem disappointing initially, the gradual nature of the NLite response is actually considered by many as an advantage.

Instead of having a cosmetic change obvious to everyone, your skin condition will slowly improve over time. Patients who have had NLite treatment report that they receive complimentary comments from people without being able to lay a finger on precisely why.

Many patients have NLite treatments precisely because there is no obvious change immediately after treatment.

In most cases, there will be a noticeable improvement 6 weeks after the first course of treatment, and further improvement may be noted up to 6 months after treatment. Most patients will have good results, and some have dramatic results from treatment. About 1 in 10 will experience little if any improvement from the treatment.

When forehead, glabellar or periorbital (Crow's) lines are being treated, the results may be enhanced by Botox treatment a week or two before treatment with the NLite. Results may also be enhanced by a glycolic acid peel one week before each NLite treatment.

How many treatments are required to achieve a result?
We recommend that treatment one is followed by treatment two at two weeks and then treatment three two weeks later. Research has shown that two treatments two weeks apart dramatically increases the quantity of collagen measured at six weeks, compared to only one treatment.

Further treatment is then only required when you feel the need for a collagen boost.