Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Skin Restoration and Laser Institute

While flipping through the pages of a well-known magazine, I was indeed surprised to find an at-home device advertised as “an alternative to pricey anti-wrinkle treatments” with an at-home “laser” to stimulate collagen production. I was surprised because as a plastic surgeon and CEO of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Center in Champaign, Illinois, I have been restoring and stimulating collagen for more 30 years.

While aesthetics medicine has advanced from the days of phenol peels to modern, art-of-the-art, dedicated laser technologies in a positive and substantial way, it is by no means as easy or uncomplicated to re-grow new collagen as the ad made it seem. Stimulating new collagen growth requires wounding of the deep dermis to force the body to say “hey, part of my dermis has just been injured, I need to make some new collagen.”   It requires sophisticated, expensive equipment along with expensive, preventative maintenance to stimulate collagen growth. In fact, not all medical lasers are even effective enough to reach the deep dermis. There is a huge difference between FDA-approved medical devices or lasers and gadgets sold directly to the consumer, which do not require FDA approval.

The FDA requires that medical devices are “proven-safe and effective” in order to approve them for use. Then the FDA puts these lasers ONLY in the hands of individuals who are properly trained and experienced to use such equipment. For example, every time I purchase a new laser for my cosmetic plastic surgery practice, both myself and the laser specialist working in my office must become certified to operate that specific laser. No matter how many certifications we hold to operate other lasers and how many years experience we have operating lasers, we still must go through proper training for that specific device. Lasers in improperly trained hands can and have resulted in irreversible skin damage.

The advertised anti-wrinkle device is what we refer to as a “gadget.” It is no more effective than the pantheon of in-effective gadgets that proceed it. Do you really want to take an irreversible risk on your skin? Don’t be fooled by a major department store’s unconscionable advertising.

Why are medically approved lasers effective?

Because they target deep dermis with energy capable of penetrating to the depths needed to wound cells and is done so in a controlled and infinitely adjustable protocol that puts emphasis on safety and efficacy.

Medical lasers are expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain They require maintenance contracts to properly calibrate, test and repair to assure your safety at all times unlike the gadget advertised as “an alternative to pricey wrinkle treatments” where as you can just pick it up and use it… no training, no calibration, no maintenance, no real results.

It’s 2015. Guard your money wisely.

G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

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