POSTED UNDER PicoSure REVIEWS
Nevus of Ota - PicoSure
ORIGINAL POST
Nevus of Ota - PicoSure
amaci1395March 21, 2018
$600
Sharing my story to help others and receive feedback on the healing process from professionals.
I live in NYC and finally decided to try last surgery to remove the nevus of ota around my eye. Up until now, I’ve worn concealer pretty much every day of my adulthood to mask the look of having a black eye and to avoid questions from people like “omg are you ok?”
Anyhow, I’m 32 and actually just discovered that this “birthmark” is actually a “thing” with a name- Nevus of Ota. I was born with the bluish purple on my sclera and the pigmentation around the eye occurred in my 20s and has gotten progressively darker. This seems to be the common story amongst everyone with this condition.
I went to Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York for a consultation and ended up getting treatment the same day. This happened yesterday afternoon. This was such an impulse decision that I didn’t even look into the recovery process before heading in for consultation. However, the doctor informed me that there will be swelling and possible blister. He also noted that it will “get darker before it gets lighter”. It was $600 for the session so I went ahead and did it.
I really didn’t find any pictures of the healing process (the ugly part) the anyone with laser treatment for Nevus of ota removal has posted so I decided to share my story and hopefully help anyone with concerns.
I really don’t know how long this swelling will last but I hope it gets better fast because I’m eager to see the results. I’m sure I will need more sessions but hopefully this 1st session shows SOME improvement.
The actual laser procedure was quick. Like 5 minutes. Relatively painless because it was numbed first.
Does anyone know if I will blister ? I’m hoping to return to work this weekend (in 4 days). I bought dermablend concealer and foundation to cover any bruising.
I live in NYC and finally decided to try last surgery to remove the nevus of ota around my eye. Up until now, I’ve worn concealer pretty much every day of my adulthood to mask the look of having a black eye and to avoid questions from people like “omg are you ok?”
Anyhow, I’m 32 and actually just discovered that this “birthmark” is actually a “thing” with a name- Nevus of Ota. I was born with the bluish purple on my sclera and the pigmentation around the eye occurred in my 20s and has gotten progressively darker. This seems to be the common story amongst everyone with this condition.
I went to Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York for a consultation and ended up getting treatment the same day. This happened yesterday afternoon. This was such an impulse decision that I didn’t even look into the recovery process before heading in for consultation. However, the doctor informed me that there will be swelling and possible blister. He also noted that it will “get darker before it gets lighter”. It was $600 for the session so I went ahead and did it.
I really didn’t find any pictures of the healing process (the ugly part) the anyone with laser treatment for Nevus of ota removal has posted so I decided to share my story and hopefully help anyone with concerns.
I really don’t know how long this swelling will last but I hope it gets better fast because I’m eager to see the results. I’m sure I will need more sessions but hopefully this 1st session shows SOME improvement.
The actual laser procedure was quick. Like 5 minutes. Relatively painless because it was numbed first.
Does anyone know if I will blister ? I’m hoping to return to work this weekend (in 4 days). I bought dermablend concealer and foundation to cover any bruising.
amaci1395's provider
UPDATED FROM amaci1395
3 days post
3 day later.
amaci1395March 22, 2018
The swelling has gone down a lot. I will actually cover the bruise with makeup today to go to school. Fortunately, no blistering (that was my fear). A little sad that the pigment appears to be the same as before the laser procedure. But I also know there is a purple bruise there. :-(
Replies (11)
April 21, 2018
Hi I have gotten picosure by dr Anna Avaliani in NYC. She has the most experience w picosure in the US and has mostly ethnic patients (who are at risk for hyper pigmentation). Do you know what levels they used on you? I know that on me she used the highest fluency that is safe for the face. Any higher and you’re going into tattoo territory , power that is not appropriate for face. To my knowledge ,blistering is not normal unless you are removing a tattoo on other parts of the body . The most swelling I got lasted 24hrs max . There is supposed to be little downtime. Skin browns slightly , and then flakes off for a period of up to a week.
April 24, 2018
The problem with Nevus of Ota is that it's not just regular dermal pigmentation (which is like a tattoo) - it's dermal melanocytes, constantly producing pigment. That's why they get progressively darker, as melanocytes are stimulated by UV radiation.
I don't know if there are any clinical studies comparing different lasers, but the best photographic documentation of results I've seen have been from the older nanosecond models. They produce more heat, and I think melanocytes might actually require heat to be effectively destroyed, but I'm not sure.
All I know is that hypopigmentation is a much more common side effect from laser tattoo removal with nanosecond lasers than picosecond lasers, so it seems like heat is the culprit to destroying melanocytes, while the mechanical effect is sufficient at breaking up pigmentation - the same way heat is required to treat rosacea, while a picosure laser cannot.
There are several before/after photographs with Nevus of Ota being completely resolved with the Revlite laser.
The practitioner is very important to achieving good results. Make sure he or she has experience with treating Nevus of Ota.
I don't know if there are any clinical studies comparing different lasers, but the best photographic documentation of results I've seen have been from the older nanosecond models. They produce more heat, and I think melanocytes might actually require heat to be effectively destroyed, but I'm not sure.
All I know is that hypopigmentation is a much more common side effect from laser tattoo removal with nanosecond lasers than picosecond lasers, so it seems like heat is the culprit to destroying melanocytes, while the mechanical effect is sufficient at breaking up pigmentation - the same way heat is required to treat rosacea, while a picosure laser cannot.
There are several before/after photographs with Nevus of Ota being completely resolved with the Revlite laser.
The practitioner is very important to achieving good results. Make sure he or she has experience with treating Nevus of Ota.
September 24, 2018
Hi, Thank you for sharing. I have nevus of ota too like yours, have done 15 times Nd Yag laser treatment now and the birthmark is 80% gone. With 6 weeks interval. Now the color is more like freckles. Im really interested in picosure, haven’t tried it yet but saw a lot of good ads about it. However mine is more like burn spot but no swollen like yours. But maybe different skin react differently. Not sure.
September 25, 2018
According to literature picosecond lasers are shown to give continued improvement after nanosecond stops being effective. I would look for an experienced provider and give it a couple of seconds. Remember, you'll have diminishing returns at this point so you might need more sessions to get rid of the remaining 20% than you did for the first 80. Newer and upcoming lasers and technology will be more mechanical and less thermal, and thus shouldn't yield the same level of diminishing returns.
September 25, 2018
However, in nevus of ota, the etiology is actually dermal melanocytes, not just dermal melanin. Meaning the laser needs to break down both the melanin and the dermal melanocytes that produce the dermal melanin. I think in that regard you've probably benefited from starting with nanosecond, as it gives off more heat and is in that regard more effective at destroying melanocytes, which seems to require more heat. For the same reason, nanosecond lasers are more likely to cause hypopigmentation than picosecond lasers, as hypopigmentation occurs when epidermal (where they're supposed to be located) melanocytes are unintentionally destroyed. Hope this is of some help
September 25, 2018
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation! You seems to know very well about this laser treatment. So do you think I need to just continue with nanosecond or try the pico with my condition now? Im very interested with picosecond because it doesn’t seems to have a burn-redness like when you have the treatment with nanosecond.
September 25, 2018
At this point I'd definitely go pico. What practioners often do, at least with tattoos, is that they increase the energy when the results are diminishing. This is the case with both nano and pico, but this increases risk of scarring, especially in nano. Scarring is irreversible. There are better technologies coming for your condition. Also, pico has been shown to provide further clearing when nano sees diminished returns. Just find a good provider who knows how to treat this.
October 24, 2018
You should check out Solitons device coming soon. It looks like it could be a huge step forward in laser removal.
October 24, 2018
Thanks for the information! Will definitely check it out once they have it here
June 13, 2024
Hello, I would love to hear any updates about your treatment. Did your lesion clear up?
Replies (2)