Does Sciton Skintyte Laser replace the use of Botox and fillers?
Posted 11 May 2008
I am considering the Sciton Skintyte laser on my face and neck. I was told during my consultation that the Sciton skin tightening would eliminate the need for Botox and Restalyne, which I have previously had done. I also now have deep creases on my face from sleeping on my side and my skin is starting to sag around my neck, which I would like to address hopefully with the Sciton.
I am not completley sure if their claims of treating the deeper lines on my face are true. They also stated the effects should last about 5 years, but of course there are no guarantees.
I am 43 and live in Florida and have always been a sun worshipper and am now being rewarded with skin cancer (basal cell and melanoma) and wrinkles. Also, are these laser procedures safe or will they exacerbate the problems in the long run? I would like your opinion on the Sciton. Am I wasting my money?
Will the skin tyte laser reduce the creepy skin on the inside of my arms?
I would encourage you to continue to read people's reviews who have had the treatment done to educate yourself on what and what not to expect from the treatment.
Here are a couple to get you started:
“Fraxel Vs Sciton Results”
“Sciton ProFractional Laser is a Waste of Money Compared to CO2 Laser Peel”
“Sciton Microlaser Peel”
“Sciton Erbium YAG Laser This Morning"
Beyond just the price, remember that the person performing the treatment plays a vital role in how well it turns out. Here is a blog that talks about the importance of choosing a good treatment provide:
Staggering Differences in Satisfaction Between Board vs. Non-Board Certified Doctors
If you decide to do it, let us know how it goes!
My mom has "fatty tissue tumors" under the skin on her legs and arms. The dermatologist said there is nothing that can be done other than surgically removing them. Is there any type of treatment that would help to get rid of or minimize these tumors? Thanks
CP2, this would be a great question to post in our Q&A section as well. The board certified doctors that volunteer on the site can share their opinions on the matter.
Very sweet of you to be looking into this for your mom! :)
CP2 you may be describing lipomas. The gold standard treatment for these is excision. Other treatment modalities include intralesional steroid injections or injectable lipolysis. There now these non invasive ultrasound devices which can be tried.
I would add, however, that very few people with lighter skin types will keloid at all, and especially not in the face. If you are a dark skin type, then laser resurfacing should not be done at all, regardless of keloid issues. Dark skin has a very high risk of pigment abnormalities after resurfacing and should simply not be treated that way.
I would also add that what many people call a keloid is not a keloid, even some physicians don't know the difference. Most "keloids" are actually hypertrophic scars. Keloids grow beyond the original scar and continue to invade tissues and enlarge indefinitely, like a tumor. Hypertrophic scars are thick scars but do not continue to get thicker after the initial development and do not invade adjacent tissues.
Does it or does it not work for age spots, redness and lite lines? Sciton and what should be the going rate.
Fine lines, on the other hand, are better treated with Sciton laser resurfacing. This essentially blasts away the surface tissue, allowing line resolution to occur as tightening healing occurs. Again, the cost varies dramatically depending on treatment area (size and location).
I would be dubious of any claim that a laser can do things like tighten and lift, as though a replacement for a surgical lift. The Co2 laser is the gold standard, and that laser and chemical peels help freshen the surface by burning off the upper layers.
I'm not a doctor. But it seems like whatever laser the doctor happens to have, well that's the one that works! Oh please. They cya by saying 'oh, it takes a series' or whatever. Please read the commens of people who have paid a lot of money for series of lasers but in the end saw little or no improvement.
Lasers resurface the skin but have no effect on dynamic wrinkles (the ones treated with Botox) and some moderate effect on static wrinkles caused by age and collagen breakdown. But this is dependent upon the type of the laser and the level of aggressiveness.
Full surface lasers (not the fractional lasers) require significant healing time and most people don't want to deal with an oozy mass of raw skin while that healing is in progress.
The fact that you are dealing with skin cancer should certainly be addressed and resolved FIRST! Should you require cancer removal surgery on your face, then some laser could help minimize scarring.
Lasers base their effectiveness on the delivery of heat, and to get tightening you have to have considerable levels of heat.
Fractional lasers such as the Lumenis DeepFX or the Fraxel CO2 or Syneron's ematrix, all tighten by both ablation(varporization of columns of tissue) plus the extended effect of heat which spreads out beyond the ablated columns.
The body's response is to tighten the collagen strands. Obviously the ablation itself will cause some tightening since the volume of skin tissue is lessened - although at a small percentage.
If the tissue laxity on your neck is significant, you likely will need surgery to get the effects you want. For those with minimal jowling and neck laxity, Thermage may be useful. But nothing will replace the effects of surgery for tightening when there is considerable sagging.
As for sleep wrinkles - you really can only combat them by changing your sleep position. High sodium intake tends to make sleep wrinkles on the face and chest more obvious since your tissue will hold more water.