Laser clinics describe the same treatment in several vocabularies at once: the physics of the beam, the depth it reaches and the marketing name of each setting. These definitions translate the terms used across UltraClear Laser London into plain English, so you can compare quotes and follow what a practitioner tells you at an assessment.
Also known as: UltraClear laser, Ultra clear laser.
The trade name of a fractional laser that delivers light at 2910 nanometres through a thin glass fibre. Practitioners use it to resurface skin at depths that range from a light surface pass to deep channels, which is why one device can be used both for a refresh with little downtime and for scarring. UltraClear laser treatment in London explains a course from start to finish.
Source: www.accessdata.fda.gov
Also known as: Cold fiber laser, Fibre laser.
A laser whose light is generated inside an optical fibre rather than a crystal. The term "cold" refers to the small amount of heat the beam leaves in the skin around each treated point, which is the reason given for shorter redness and a lower risk of colour change than older resurfacing lasers.
Source: www.accessdata.fda.gov
Also known as: 2910 nanometres, UltraClear wavelength.
The colour of infrared light the UltraClear laser emits. At 2910 nanometres the light is absorbed very strongly by water in the skin, so it vaporises a precise column of tissue and passes little heat sideways. It sits next to the 2940 nm of a conventional erbium laser and far from the 10,600 nm of a CO2 laser.
Source: www.accessdata.fda.gov
Also known as: Erbium glass fibre laser, Er:YAG laser.
A family of resurfacing lasers whose light falls close to the peak at which water absorbs infrared light. The traditional erbium laser uses a crystal and emits at 2940 nm; UltraClear uses erbium in a glass fibre at 2910 nm. Both remove tissue with less heat than a CO2 laser.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Also known as: Fractional CO2 laser, Carbon dioxide laser.
A resurfacing laser that emits at 10,600 nm. It heats the surrounding skin more than an erbium laser, which tightens tissue strongly but brings longer redness and recovery and a higher risk of pigment change in darker skin. It is the laser most people compare UltraClear with.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Also known as: Laser skin resurfacing, Skin resurfacing.
Any laser treatment that removes or injures the outer skin under precise control, so that the skin heals with new surface cells and new collagen beneath them. It is used for lines, uneven texture, sun damage and scarring, and the depth chosen sets both the result and the recovery.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Resurfacing delivered as a grid of tiny columns, with untouched skin left around each one, instead of removing the whole surface. The untreated bridges heal the treated columns quickly, which is why fractional treatment recovers faster than the fully ablative resurfacing of the 1990s.
Source: dermnetnz.org
A laser that vaporises tissue, opening a small wound in the skin at every point it treats. Ablative treatment produces more change per session and needs more recovery. UltraClear can work ablatively at its deeper settings.
Source: dermnetnz.org
A laser that heats tissue without breaking the skin surface. Recovery is usually a day or two of redness, and the change builds over several sessions. The lightest UltraClear settings are used in this way for tone and glow.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Also known as: MTZ, Micro-channel.
One of the thousands of tiny columns a fractional laser makes in the skin. Their depth and how closely they are packed, called density, are the two settings a practitioner adjusts to match the treatment to your skin and how much recovery you can take.
Also known as: Coring.
A deep fractional technique that removes tiny cylinders of skin rather than only heating it. As the cylinders close, the skin tightens and new collagen fills in, which is why coring is used for deeper scars and loose skin in small areas. It needs the longest recovery of the UltraClear settings.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Also known as: Skin phototype.
A six-point scale, from type I (always burns, never tans) to type VI (deeply pigmented, rarely burns), that predicts how skin reacts to sun and to light-based treatment. Practitioners use it to set laser energy, because darker types carry a higher risk of colour change after treatment.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Also known as: Darkening after laser.
A temporary brown or grey darkening that follows any inflammation, including the inflammation a laser causes. It is more common in medium and dark skin, usually fades over weeks to months, and is the main reason practitioners lower the settings, prepare the skin and insist on sun protection.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Also known as: Ice pick scar, Boxcar scar, Rolling scar.
A depressed scar, lying below the skin around it because collagen was lost as the spot healed. Ice pick scars are deep and pinpoint-narrow, boxcar scars have sharp edges, and rolling scars give the skin a wavy look. Each responds differently to resurfacing, which is why scars are assessed type by type.
Source: dermnetnz.org
The months-long repair process after resurfacing, in which the skin replaces damaged collagen with new fibres. It is the reason results keep improving for months after a session rather than appearing on the day.
Source: dermnetnz.org
The second layer of skin, under the surface layer, holding collagen, elastin, blood vessels and the roots of hairs. Lines and scars live mostly in the dermis, so the deeper UltraClear settings are aimed there while the lighter ones stay near the surface.
The days after treatment when your skin looks treated: red, swollen, flaking or bronzed. With UltraClear it ranges from a day or two after a light pass to around a week or more after the deepest settings, and the practitioner plans the depth around how much downtime you can take.
The brownish, sandpaper-like look skin takes on for a few days after a deeper resurfacing pass, as the treated surface cells dry out before they shed. It is expected and is different from pigmentation, which appears later and lasts longer.
Also known as: Topical anaesthetic.
Cream spread on the skin before laser treatment to dull the sensation, left on long enough to take effect. It is used for almost every UltraClear session, and the deepest settings may need more than cream alone.
Source: dermnetnz.org
Also known as: Sun damage, Actinic damage.
Changes in the skin caused by years of ultraviolet exposure: uneven brown patches, rough texture, fine lines and broken vessels. Resurfacing improves the surface signs, and daily sun protection afterwards is what keeps them from returning.