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Among the array of safe and effective non- and minimally invasive therapies available to physicians using the expandable JOULE™ platform from Sciton (Palo Alto, California, U.S.), the treatment of scars and acne scarring is one of the more useful and commonly sought. Its 2940 Er:YAG laser is ideal for this indication, especially in Asian skin.
“Sciton technologies have stood the test of time,” said dermatologist Joel L. Cohen, M.D., medical director of AboutSkin Dermatology and DermSurgery, P.C. (Englewood, Colorado, U.S.).
“They’ve evolved to be more patient-friendly with less and less recovery and downtime,” he expressed. “And having
such a diverse list of indications in one device means we use one power outlet, which saves precious office space. I use the Er:YAG daily in my practice.”
Dermatologists see the full range of scar types regularly. “Most often we’re dealing with surgical scars and acne scars, and patients want to look as good as they can as quickly as they can,” Dr. Cohen explained.
“The younger the patient, the more important it is to them to minimize scars. Also, treating scars as they form, rather than more mature scars, tends to make the process easier and provides the best result,” he noted. “Using the Er:YAG in a fractional mode with JOULE allows us to attack the scar early and safely.”
This is especially important for acne patients even if, as in many cases, scars are more mature, Dr. Cohen continued. “Acne, and resultant scarring, impacts self-perception and quality of life, so the ability to significantly reduce or minimize acne scars is very satisfying for patients.”
“With JOULE’s ProFractional 2940 nm Er:YAG module we can control so many parameters, such as spot size, depth and energy, in a number of ways to tailor treatment to the specific situation,” Dr. Cohen said.
“Sciton partners with Michaelson Diagnostics, Ltd. (Kent, U.K.) because their Vivosight scanner’s high definition subsurface imaging allows us to determine scar depth, so we can more effectively adjust parameters to treat individual scars based partially on depth,” Dr. Cohen stated. “This definitely improves our ability to treat darker skin types and Asian skin, and JOULE ProFractional is now my go-to treatment because of the scanner.”
When treating Asian skin, Dr. Cohen explained that it is safest to tune the JOULE ProFractional Er:YAG to the size and depth of the scar, to provide maximum energy and specificity with minimal collateral damage. This is followed by a lighter ‘brushing’ technique over the whole region to blend everything together.
“For example, an Asian woman with temporal acne scars is more difficult to treat because the skin is thin in this area; however, there are many contours, so scars are very visible. This technique allows us to achieve great results in such a case.”
JOULE also features Sciton BBL (broadband light) and several other laser wavelengths, including 1470 nm diode and 755 nm alexandrite, as well as 1319 nm and 1064 nm Nd:YAG lasers, which are applicable to a wide variety of aesthetic and medical applications. The platform can be successfully utilized for hair reduction, or to treat vascular and pigmented lesions, aging skin, unwanted adiposities, warts and onychomycosis, with an additional application for vaginal rejuvenation.