For many of us, we judge the quality of our first impressions on the health and appearance of our skin – so understandably, when you aren’t satisfied with the way your skin looks, you may struggle with self-confidence. But being unsatisfied with the appearance of your skin now doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for the future. At Reno Sparks MedSpa in Reno, NV, we believe that all patients can have the perfect skin of their dreams with the help of the right cosmetic treatment, such as PicoSure treatments.
How Many PicoSure Treatments Did You Need?
Generally speaking, most patients require about 3 or 4 consecutive treatments to achieve their ideal appearance goals. These treatments are spaced about by at least 2 to 4 weeks, or sometimes as long as 8 weeks if you have sensitive skin or a darker complexion. Of course, the number of treatments you need may depend on your specific goals for treatment, which means you may require more or fewer treatments than other patients.
FINE LINES AND WRINKLES
If your primary concern is fine lines and wrinkles, then you may only require 2 or 3 treatments to soften the appearance of these skin concerns. This is particularly true if your fine lines and wrinkles are only moderate concerns. Dynamic or deeper wrinkles may require additional treatments. This estimation for the treatments you will require also applies to correcting skin laxity.
PIGMENTATION
Pigmentation concerns, such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage, dark spots, melasma, freckles, and other skin discoloration, may require 3 or 4 treatments to correct. If your pigmentation concerns cover a larger area of skin or are severe, you may need more than 4 treatments.
SCARRING
Scarring refers to both acne scars and scars resulting from injuries. This treatment typically only requires about 4 treatments to break down scar tissue and reduce the appearance of scars.
TATTOO REMOVAL
PicoSure treatments can also be used for tattoo removal. Depending on the specific pigmentation, design, and color of the tattoo, it should only take between 3 and 5 treatments to remove the tattoo entirely.
How Quickly Can You See Results?
The results for this treatment will appear gradually as your skin’s natural regenerative abilities. For most patients, results are first visible about 2 or 3 weeks after the first appointment. Your results will continue to improve until your last treatment, or until optimal results have been achieved. However, depending on your treatment goals, you may notice results sooner or later than other patients.
AGE AND SKIN CONDITION
Mature skin typically requires more time to display visible results from treatment, largely because the natural regenerative abilities being stimulated by this treatment take additional time to appear because more work has to be done to reverse aging. Your exact skin condition, such as your skin type, skin tone, and the severity of your skin concern, may also mean you might not see results for 3 or 4 weeks after your initial appointment.
SKIN CELL TURNOVER CYCLE
How quickly you can see the results of your treatment may also depend on your skin cell turnover cycle. The typical skin cell turnover cycle is anywhere from 28 to 40 days long, which means it may take that long for new skin cells to rise to the top level of your skin. Again, those with mature skin have slower skin cell turnover cycles as a result of aging and may require more time to enjoy results.
PRESENT LEVELS OF COLLAGEN AND ELASTIN
the current levels of collagen and elastin in your skin may also determine the speed of your results. Both collagen and elastin are naturally-occurring proteins that provide structural support to the skin. As we again, our baseline levels of collagen and elastin decrease, which means younger patients already have a more abundant resource and will be able to see results more swiftly than patients with mature skin.
How Long Do Results Last?
You can expect the results of your initial “round” of treatment to last for a long period of time. Most patients can expect to enjoy the results of PicoSure treatments for at least 6 months at a time before the results begin to fade.
