Sciton Erbium YAG Laser
To minimize recovery time, we invested in the Sciton Joule platform. Our Sciton erbium-YAG laser platform, which is different from most other lasers, which use a CO2 platform.
Lasers exert their beneficial effects by targeting molecules in the skin that we call “chromophores”. Each separate type of laser targets a different “chromophore”. Most lasers are CO2 (carbon dioxide) lasers, and these lasers target hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a specific type of protein found in red blood cells, allowing for oxygen to be delivered to body organs, and carbon dioxide (CO2) to be taken away. Our laser at Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery targets H20 or plain water. Water is distributed throughout the epidermis and dermis, while hemoglobin (blood) is predominantly in the deeper planes. This has a number of clinical implications that apply to recovery:
The deeper the laser has to go, the more heat the skin has to absorb. The more heat that you absorb, the greater the skin injury, and thus, greater healing time.
Targeting a substance that is distributed evenly throughout the skin offers either the same or better result as targeting a substance only found in the deep layers.