Related Document: Finding Exact Treatment.pdf (Finding Exact Treatment)
(Reprinted with permission from the Messenger-Inquirer)
Doctors are using lasers to treat once-untreated conditions better
The same technology that went into that death ray on all those famous sci-fi movies is changing a branch of medicine for the better. Over the past few decades, dermatologists have begun using lasers to treat many diseases and conditions, some of which were either untreatable or were treated with more painful methods, said Dr. Michael Crowe, a dermatologist at Owensboro Dermatology.
"There's an advantage to using lasers for certain things we're treating," Crowe said. "They've allowed us to treat things we never could treat before."
Lasers are beams of light that, like a radio, can be tuned to different frequencies and projected at different levels of energy. Different levels of intensity and frequencies have different effects for various treatments. In the past, the skin disease psoriasis had no real treatment except for a cream that had mixed results and usually didn't give the sufferers much relief from the painful and visible effects. Lasers changed that.
"We used to throw up our hands and say, 'We know what it is, but there's nothing we can do for it,'" Crowe said.
While lasers have made great strides, they haven't totally taken over the field, though doctors and patients appreciate having them in the arsenal of treatments, Crowe said.
"A lot of them are not replacing things we're doing," Crowe said. "Most of them are adding on to things we do." However, Crowe said, lasers are becoming more prevalent in dermatology. About 20 years ago, when Crowe was a new doctor, there were two major dermatological lasers."Those two lasers that were the only ones in the country. We have two of them in our clinic now," Crowe said. "They're becoming more available now. They're less expensive than they used to be."
The field is aggressive, though. Crowe said to offer the best treatment, doctors have to be willing to spend the money for the lasers and the time learning and mastering their use.
"To do laser procedures, it really does take you keeping up with the newest thing," Crowe said. Computers have furthered the use of lasers. Using computer guidance, doctors can be accurate to one-millionth of a meter, or about the size of the tiniest speck of dust resting on the head of a pin.
"The laser is that exact. Every single time, it's that exact depth...The newer generations of lasers are getting faster and faster all the time," Crowe said. The advances have also made lasers much more patient-friendly. Lasers fire beams that have to be very hot to destroy unwanted tissue or obliterate problems under the skin, such as birthmarks. But cooling technology has made it so there is little or no pain.
"Most of them (today's lasers) have some continuous cooling," Crowe said, "and the good thing about that, one, it hurts less, and two, there's less damage to the top layer of skin. That cuts down on the scarring if you don't knock off that top layer of skin, and if you can take the pain away from a laser procedure, it's going to be very popular." Owensboro Dermatology offers services normally found in much larger cities, Crowe said. Crowe said one thing he encourages patients to keep in mind is that lasers aren't meant for everything.
"People have this perception that if you say 'lasers' it's a good, modern treatment. There are some things lasers are good for, but a lot of the basic surgical stuff you do is done with scalpels," Crowe said. "Sometimes a laser works better than a scalpel; sometimes it doesn't."
Still, popularity has meant the practice has enough people coming through that it can afford the lasers needed to do these treatments. Instead of patients having to drive to Nashville or fly to Detroit, two of the closest cities that offer these treatments, the services are available here.
One Owensboro resident has seen dramatic results from the use of a laser. Tonya Mann-Howard, director of program facilitation at Owensboro Community & Technical College, has suffered from acne most of her life. While undergoing microdermabrasion at Owensboro Dermatology, a staff member suggested she try a laser treatment called the Arctic Peel. This treatment uses a laser to burn off the top 10 micrometers of the top layer of skin while a cooling system is used to keep it from being painful.
"I was very excited about it," Mann-Howard said. "She told me that the Arctic Peel had similar results, but it had more of a positive effect and with less treatments. I was excited to try something new."
Mann-Howard has had four treatments out of a series of five, and said she saw results the day after the first treatment. "I've noticed a dramatic decrease in the acne on my face, and as an extra benefit I've been able to peel away some sun damage that I did back in the day," Mann-Howard said. "I've been kind of hooked to see how much more improvement I can get." The treatment leaves behind redness, Mann-Howard said, but no worse than a sunburn. By following doctors' instructions and using a special recovery balm, which helps keep the skin from drying out as it heals, she saw good results.
"I just wasn't one of those fortunate individuals born with good clear skin and this was a process to help repair some of the damage," Mann-Howard said. "With a sunburn you're left with damaged skin. After this, you're left with smooth, good skin. The results are amazing.
Dariush Shafa: Messenger-Inquirer
