What Is It?


The Cool Guide Laser by Altus Medical Corporation is a long pulse of 1064nm Nd:YAG laser designed to treat leg veins, facial blood vessels, and remove unwanted hair. This laser is the first of its kind to successfully treat larger veins on the legs that were previously only treatable with sclerotherapy (injections).

What can the Cool Glide Laser treat?

The Cool Glide laser can treat large and small veins of the leg, facial blood vessels, and unwanted hair. The Cool Glide laser can not treat varicose veins. At your initial consultation you will receive an examination to look for underlying problems.

How does the Cool Glide Laser work?

The Cool Glide laser produces laser light at a wavelength of 1064nm. This wavelength allows treatment of deeper vessels. The duration of each laser light pulse can be varied so that the light is selectively absorbed by blood vessels in the skin. The laser causes heating of the blood vessel which clots the blood within the vessel. This causes destruction of the blood vessel. A chill tip is attached to the laser to help minimize complications from treatment by the laser. The chill tip cools and protects the overlying skin.

What does it feel like?

The laser pulses feel like mild stings. It has a built-in cooling tip that not only helps to protect the skin but also helps to minimize the discomfort.

Will I experience bruising from treatment with Cool Glide Laser?

Some bruising is expected but severe bruising is uncommon.

What can I expect?

There is often no immediate change. Your skin may get slightly red or even develop a small crust that will peel. The laser may leave small red marks on your skin. The marks clear up in a few days. The hair that has been destroyed will not start to fall out for 2-3 weeks. Many times it will get darker and thicker just before it falls out. Don't worry if you do not see any obvious change immediately after your first treatment.

Are the results permanent?

No procedure should be viewed as permanent. Most of the blood vessels that are treated with the laser are completely eliminated. Some blood vessels, however, require several treatment sessions to be eliminated. The vessels may appear gone immediately after the procedure, and then "reappear" several days later. This should be expected for some blood vessels. New vessels can also appear in the treated areas as part of the natural aging process. This should not be viewed as recurrence of the treated vessels. The skin will continue to age after the procedure is performed. Proper skin care and sun protection with sunscreens will help protect your skin from the aging affects of the sun, which include the formation of new blood vessels in the skin. You should use sunscreens on a continuous daily basis.

How long do the treatments take?

An upper lip and chin can be done in 5 to 10 minutes. Underarms or bikini lines usually take 15 to 20 minutes. Legs and backs take longer. Very often, follow-up treatments are shorter (and less expensive) because there is much less hair to treat.

How many treatments are necessary?

Hair goes through 3 stages of development. Typically in the anagen, or growth, stage, the hair will respond more effectively to treatment. For this reason, it is necessary to treat an area at least 5 times with the treatments spaced approximately 2-4 weeks apart in order to see the best and longest lasting results. Darker hair will respond better, but both dark and light hair may need up to 7 treatments for maximum response and the best long-term results.

What other conditions respond to Laser Hair Removal?

An uncomfortable condition called pilonidal sinus or cyst can be effectively helped by this therapy. This condition usually occurs in men, at the base of the back, over the intergluteal crease, and can cause considerable pain and discomfort. Removal of the hair at the site of the lesion can prevent recurrence of the sinus. Pseudofolliculitis barbae, usually seen as painful bumps on the neck and chin as a result of shaving, has been a difficult condition to treat, especially in black skin. Laser Hair removal can effectively treat this condition.

What are the alternatives to the procedure?

Alternative treatments include sclerotherapy for leg veins, or no therapy at all. Laser treatment with the Cool Guide laser is a cosmetic procedure that is performed at the request of the patient. It is not medically necessary. These procedures are not covered by insurance and we do not submit charges to your insurance company. Patients have this procedure performed to try and improve the appearance of their skin. There are other methods to treat leg veins and facial blood vessels. The final decision made by the patient must be based on an assessment of the risks of the procedure compared to the desired results.

What are the risks and possible complications, with laser therapy?

• DISCOMFORT - Some discomfort may be experienced during laser treatment.
  
  
• WOUND HEALING - Laser Surgery can result in swelling, blistering, crusting, or flaking of the treated areas, which may require one to three weeks to heal. Once the surface has healed, it may be pink or sensitive to the sun for an additional two to four weeks, or longer in come patients.
  
  
• BRUISING/SWELLING/INFECTION - With some lasers, bruising of the treated areas may occur. Additionally, there may be some swelling noted. Finally, skin infection is a possibility although rare, whenever a skin procedure is performed.
  
  
• PIGMENT CHANGES (Skin Color) - During the healing process, there is a slight possibility that the treated area can become either lighter or darker in color compared to the surrounding skin. This is usually temporary, but on a rare occasion it may be permanent.
  
  
• SCARRING - Scarring is a rare occurrence, but it is a possibility when the skin's surface is disrupted. To minimize the changes of scarring, it is IMPORTANT that you follow all post-treatment instructions carefully.
  
  
• EYE EXPOSURE - Protective eye wear (shields) will be provided. It is important to keep these shields on at all times during the treatment in order to protect your eyes from accidental laser exposure.
  
  

FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THE PATIENTS EXPECTED RESULT:

Some patients may not respond at all to the laser, even after 2 or 3 treatments. Some individuals may have expectation beyond what can be reasonably obtained, and therefore need to consider the limitations of any procedure of this nature. It is not possible to make every dilated vein lighten or disappear.

No guarantees of improvement in a patient's condition can be made.


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