With advanced light technology, patients now have the opportunity to correct fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation irregularities, laxity, acne scars, and unwanted tattoos. Dr. Sasaki’s certified registered nurses at the Nurse Injection and Laser Center in Pasadena use the PicoSure laser by Cynosure — featuring cutting edge short-pulse laser technology — to address these issues and more. PicoSure is not the typical laser treatment. This unique laser can improve your skin and reduce signs of aging without the risks and downtime that other laser treatments require. This breakthrough device can be used for almost all skin types, focusing on darker skin with less laser‐induced changes of hyperpigmentation.
Dr. Gordon H. Sasaki
Triple Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Few plastic surgeons can match Dr. Sasaki's combination of expertise, compassion, and experience. He's a distinguished educator and a renowned innovator whose work and research have influenced a generation of plastic surgeons. Dr. Sasaki will work with you to make the improvements you desire.
How Does It Work?
Some lasers deliver heat to vaporize the skin’s outer layers, which reveals healthy new skin, but require a significant recovery period. PicoSure activates the body’s natural healing processes while minimizing injury and discomfort. PicoSure’s ultra-fast pulses and specialized wavelengths work together to trigger the body to breakdown unwanted pigment and create new collagen and elastin while minimizing the amount of heat transfer. Less heat means less damage to the surrounding skin.
What Does It Treat?
Undergoing treatment with the PicoSure laser can greatly enhance the youthfulness and beauty of your skin. Not only can the PicoSure treatment correct tattoos, skin discoloration, and wrinkles, it can also improve skin that has become rough or coarse from sun exposure. Laser skin resurfacing with this leading-edge technology stimulates the production of new collagen in the lower dermis for an overall improvement in texture and tone.
We use this PicoSure to treat:
- Age spots and freckles
- Acne scars
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Skin laxity
- Unwanted tattoos
During your consultation, we will discuss all of your skin rejuvenation options, including Fraxel skin resurfacing and IPL Photofacial skin rejuvenation, and RF microneedling with booster effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Since the treatment is usually not painful, there is no need to apply a numbing cream to ensure your comfort, but it is available if patients need it. The PicoSure handpiece is guided over the treatment area, delivering extremely quick flashes of laser energy beneath the skin. Often patients describe the treatment as feeling like the snapping of a rubber band. The procedure time depends on the size of the area being treated. After the laser treatment is completed, most patients experience some redness and slight swelling that typically goes away within a few hours. Patients benefit the most with at least 3-5 treatments.
Fraxel laser treatments use fractional technology to target damaged skin with microscopic laser columns that penetrate deep into the skin. This non-ablative laser treats the tissue, leaving the surrounding tissue untouched, which promotes rapid healing. The laser stimulates your own body’s natural healing process, replacing the old and damaged cells with fresh, glowing, and healthy skin. Results are both immediate and progressive. Your skin will feel softer and smoother, look brighter and have more even tone. The next 3 to 6 months may result in more improvement as the deeper layers of skin continue to create new collagen. The results can be long lasting depending on your lifestyle, age, skin condition and skin care regimen.
Tattoo Removal
Dr. Sasaki uses the PicoSure laser’s adjustable wavelengths to precisely and safely target inks of all colors—even stubborn blues and greens. The extremely quick bursts of energy break up the tiny particles that make up the ink. These particles are then gradually eliminated through your body’s natural processes. PicoSure features PressureWave™ technology, which more effectively and efficiently breaks up tattoo ink with less thermal damage compared to other lasers.
Each treatment takes about an hour and should be spaced 6 to 8 weeks apart. You may need from 4 to 15 treatments for full removal, depending on the size and coloration of your tattoo.
Results and Recovery
After laser skin resurfacing or laser tattoo removal, certain side effects are typically mild and short-lived. These common side effects include redness, slight swelling, and moderate irritation. This irritation feels similar to a mild sunburn. A full recovery takes about 2 weeks, and skin improvements emerge over several weeks to months.
The effects can last for many years, but in the case of laser skin resurfacing, normal aging can cause wrinkles and sun damage to reoccur. It is best to protect your skin from the sun after treatment.
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Secretomes
All cells normally secrete vesicles that contain their molecular messengers (growth factors, cytokines, RNAs) which influence the behavior of adjacent cells by regulating cellular proliferation, blood flow, immunomodulation, and inflammatory processes. In recent years, increasing attention has focused on the roles of extracellular vesicles in promoting normal physiological balance and regenerative repair. Secretomes are derived from stem cells in bone marrow, adipose tissue, placental tissue, and umbilical cord jelly, under strict regulatory guidelines and full compliancy of the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
In 2022, Dr. Sasaki published one of the first Investigational Review Board studies on the application of secretomes, as an alternative method, for hair loss. Moreover, the innovative topical application of these cell-free bioactive molecules are under study to alter the effects of microdermabrasion, microneedling, and laser-resurfacing when they are used to improve the signs of aging skin.
As President-elect of the Aesthetic Stem Cell Society, Dr. Sasaki is a recognized leader in stem cell research of adipose regenerative cells, platelet-rich plasma, and secretomes. Dr. Sasaki has published over 15 manuscripts on these ground-breaking applications based on Investigational Research Board oversight for patient safety and efficacy.
Are you ready to discover all the ways Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center in Pasadena can enhance your appearance and confidence? Request a consultation using our online form or call for an appointment.