Laser Treatment Offers Hope For Acne
Doctor Says Isolaz Can Prevent Scarring With Minor Side Effects
POSTED: 2:38 pm EST November 12,
2008
UPDATED: 6:46 am EST November 13,
2008
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BOSTON -- Acne can be embarrassing, difficult, even scarring. Now some Boston dermatologists are using what they call a powerful weapon to clear skin faster than previous treatments, and even prevent lifelong scarring.
VideoNewsCenter 5’s Liz Brunner reported that Michael Stone, 22, has spent the last decade dealing with acne.“I think for me it was this nervousness waking up every morning and it kind of being a surprise, you know, how will my skin look?” said Stone.Creams didn’t clear Stone’s acne reliably, and he was reticent to accept the sometimes serious side effects of powerful anti-acne medications like Accutane.So recently, Stone tried a new laser treatment called Isolaz. Doctors or aestheticians can administer the treatment.“It just kind of feels like a little buzz or a zap,” he said.“The beauty of the treatment is that it can be used for anyone with acne,” said Dr. Michael Kaminer, a dermatologist in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “But the sweet spot for it is someone who has blackheads, white heads, and just a small number of the red inflammatory zits.”After steaming the skin to soften pores, Isolaz delivers a one-two punch, suctioning out dirt while a laser kills bacteria deep inside the follicle.“So we're sucking out the bad stuff and killing the stuff that left behind. That seems to be a very powerful combination,” said Kaminer.Stone said, “Even in the last week since my fourth session I've noticed a difference.”Kaminer’s office charges approximately $300 per hour-long session of Isolaz treatment. He said patients usually require five or six sessions within a couple of months to tame acne, with occasional maintenance visits thereafter.The most common side effects are minor redness or bruising, which Kaminer said goes away within hours or days.Kaminer said the potential to avoid lifelong acne scarring is what excites him most about the treatment.“I've done it for my own son,” he said. “To prevent scaring in a teenager, so that I don't have to see them as an adult for surgery is just a much more powerful way of doing things.”
VideoNewsCenter 5’s Liz Brunner reported that Michael Stone, 22, has spent the last decade dealing with acne.“I think for me it was this nervousness waking up every morning and it kind of being a surprise, you know, how will my skin look?” said Stone.Creams didn’t clear Stone’s acne reliably, and he was reticent to accept the sometimes serious side effects of powerful anti-acne medications like Accutane.So recently, Stone tried a new laser treatment called Isolaz. Doctors or aestheticians can administer the treatment.“It just kind of feels like a little buzz or a zap,” he said.“The beauty of the treatment is that it can be used for anyone with acne,” said Dr. Michael Kaminer, a dermatologist in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “But the sweet spot for it is someone who has blackheads, white heads, and just a small number of the red inflammatory zits.”After steaming the skin to soften pores, Isolaz delivers a one-two punch, suctioning out dirt while a laser kills bacteria deep inside the follicle.“So we're sucking out the bad stuff and killing the stuff that left behind. That seems to be a very powerful combination,” said Kaminer.Stone said, “Even in the last week since my fourth session I've noticed a difference.”Kaminer’s office charges approximately $300 per hour-long session of Isolaz treatment. He said patients usually require five or six sessions within a couple of months to tame acne, with occasional maintenance visits thereafter.The most common side effects are minor redness or bruising, which Kaminer said goes away within hours or days.Kaminer said the potential to avoid lifelong acne scarring is what excites him most about the treatment.“I've done it for my own son,” he said. “To prevent scaring in a teenager, so that I don't have to see them as an adult for surgery is just a much more powerful way of doing things.”Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
