Light Makes Right

(3 of 3)
<

SPAN STYLE='font-size: 100%; color: #000066; font-weight: bold; '>Hair Removal
Laser procedures to remove unwanted hair have grown rapidly in popularity since being approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995, but many doctors still consider them experimental. Lasers zap the hair follicle underneath the skin, thus retarding future growth. Whether lasers can remove hair permanently, however, is still an open question. A 1998 report from Harvard, where Dr. Rox Anderson has patented a popular hair-removal laser, showed it can last six months to two years. Results for laser hair removal in general seem to vary widely, often depending on the patient's complexion: those with dark hair and light skin have the most success.

Hair removal is not cheap (an average $500 a treatment). But for many women (and some men), it seems a small price to pay to solve a problem that still carries a stigma. Even in this feminist era, female mustaches and chin hair are not openly discussed or even much written about. "A lot of people feel psychologically scarred by heavy hair," says Dr. Edward Tobinick, director of UCLA's Institute of Laser Medicine. "One woman got up at 2 a.m. to shave before her husband got up."

Dentistry
This is the newest and fastest-growing field for lasers. Within the past two years the fda has approved the use of lasers in fixing cavities. On the cosmetic side, lasers can be used to whiten teeth by activating bleaching compounds, and to remove gum tissue and reshape the gum line. "Lasers have dramatically changed dentistry," says Dr. Jeff Golub-Evans, a leading New York City cosmetic dentist. "The things we can do with them are spectacular."

But don't be too dazzled by technology. "Patients get excited by the high-tech gadgets, and many physicians exploit them because they have to pay for expensive machines," says Dr. Leslie Baumann, director of cosmetic dermatology at the University of Miami. A walking advertisement for cosmetic procedures herself at age 33, she often favors cheaper chemical peels over lasers. "You have to be savvy. Some chemical peels can give the same effect [as lasers] at much better prices." Physicians who recommend laser work, moreover, are not always objective; some are paid consultants or stockholders in the very laser company whose machine they're using.

Picking the right doctor, of course, is crucial. A number of boards certify plastic surgeons and dermatologists, but what's more important is the doctor's experience in the specific procedure you're contemplating. Some physicians contend that you need to have done 200 or more laser procedures to be fully proficient. When choosing a doctor, recommendations from previous patients are a better guide than come-on advertisements. "Very intelligent people make poor decisions when choosing a physician for plastic surgery," says Dr. Tina Alster, a Washington dermatologist known as Dr. Fix It, who sees an average of two patients a week with laser-burn scars. "They believe all those hideous commercials." Finally, make sure the doctor is doing the work, not an aesthetician.

Laser technology is changing so fast that even veterans of the field can hardly keep up. When he developed the first argon lasers back in the 1970s, says cosmetic-laser pioneer Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick, "we had one laser for everything. Now I have 25 lasers." Soon, he predicts, lasers will reach beneath the skin without causing any surface wound at all, to rejuvenate the skin's structure and reverse sun damage. In five years we may even have home lasers for facials. Fitzpatrick's partner, cosmetic-laser surgeon Mitch Goldman, predicts that in 10 years, you'll be able to wheel yourself into a huge machine like that for an MRI and come out with new skin. "It will take your hair off, resurface your skin to remove spots, wrinkles, age spots."

Did somebody mention age spots? I've been noticing a couple of brown splotches on my hands. It can't be; I'm not that old... Hey, when is that home laser coming along?