“Beam Me Up”..Doc?

Lasers Change Medicine, and Your Looks

Cosmetic medicine, that fascinating field which has brought us larger breasts than nature intended and hairless male chests, has taken America by storm. Approximately 300,000 breast enhancements are performed each year. Millions more laser and injection procedures are performed, each to address an ever widening array of aesthetic needs. If you are an aging beauty with wrinkles, no matter. Botox™ or Restylane can restore you to the shining beauty of your twenties, for a price. Hormones have you looking like BigFoot, with hair here, there, and everywhere? Laser hair removal can zap you smooth as a baby’s bum. As laser surgeons and dermatologists have yet to find the fountain of youth that will help us live forever, at least they have found ways to keep us looking young until death does come knocking.

Perhaps the fastest growing and most promising technology in cosmetic medicine involves lasers. Laser medicine, as popularized by such procedures as laser hair removal and the ubiquitous laser eye surgery, has revolutionized the way cosmetic physicians can address their patients needs. In a few sessions, lasting typically under 30 minutes, unwanted hair may be completely removed leaving in its place softer and smoother skin. Unsightly age and sun spots are obliterated leaving younger looking and smoother skin with no downtime. Spider and facial veins are wiped away with a pass of a laser handset. This revolutionary technology has made smoother, younger-looking skin less expensive to achieve with longer lasting results.

The market for aesthetic procedures has grown significantly over the past several years. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimates that its members treated approximately 2 million people in 2002, a 95% increase since 1998. According to industry analysts, an estimated $1 billion is spent each year on cosmetic laser procedures in the United States alone. As more and more laser technologies are developed with higher utility and efficacy, the more popular procedures are likely to gain in popularity increasing demand for lasers and greater technologies.