Nobody’s pores and skin is definitely good, however K-beauty—which has turn out to be synonymous with ultra-clear “glass skin”—has given many hope that near-perfect complexions would possibly simply be a snail’s mucin path away. And now, a brand new Korean development is on the rise: It’s not a layering routine that you simply do at house, or something that you simply do at house. As an alternative, it’s knowledgeable therapy—carried out at dermatologists’ and plastic surgeon’s workplaces—with the very futuristic sounding identify of laser stacking.
If that is the primary you’re listening to of laser stacking (congratulations for not spending time on TikTok!) it’s just about what it appears like: “a technique the place a number of lasers are performed in a single session to handle numerous pores and skin considerations, equivalent to pigmentation, texture, and laxity,” says Y. Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York Metropolis.
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What’s laser stacking?
The concept is that completely different lasers use completely different wavelengths to realize completely different results on the pores and skin, explains Jennifer Levine, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York Metropolis who typically travels to Korea. So by combining two or extra lasers, you’ll be able to deal with a number of points (solar spots, crepiness, wrinkles) all of sudden. (Simply bear in mind most lasers require a number of classes, spaced weeks aside, so we’re not speaking about one-and-done outcomes right here.)
Nonetheless, it positive sounds environment friendly. And most of the people shouldn’t have only one factor about their pores and skin that bugs them or only one sign of aging, and laser stacking is supposed to handle that actual fact—with a therapy protocol that’s deeply rooted in Korean tradition, explains Dr. Chang, who visits Korea a number of occasions a 12 months. In numerous methods, laser stacking is the in-office equal of the 10-step skin care layering routines that Okay-Magnificence has turn out to be so well-known for. Identical to fine-tuning your lineup of toners, serums, and moisturizers to realize completely different pores and skin targets with completely different substances, laser stacking helps deal with a number of considerations—and sufferers in Korea would possibly ebook laser stacking appointments for preventative advantages, as nicely. “Clear, glowy pores and skin is a purpose amongst most Koreans, and Korean skin-care and coverings mix superior know-how with a concentrate on sustaining wholesome, youthful pores and skin,” says Dr. Chang.
Laser stacking is getting buzz in Korea and, more and more, the US, however it’s certainly not a revolutionary strategy in aesthetics—“I’ve been combining lasers and energy-based devices in a single affected person go to for a few years [as a way to] strategy all of the completely different layers of tissue, from deep layers to the extra superficial,” says Dr. Levine. However the laser stacking development, she says, is giving a reputation to it.
“Laser stacking makes numerous sense to me—you may get extra outcomes and extra sorts of ends in a single session, with fewer journeys into the [doctor’s] workplace, fewer days off of labor, and fewer general days spent blotchy or bruised or a little bit swollen,” says Laurel Naversen Geraghty, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Medford, Oregon. As for the worth tag, “the general value of a combo therapy goes to be increased, as a result of it entails extra time and applied sciences,” she says, however you would possibly get a little bit little bit of a combo deal—“there’s sometimes a decrease general value than in case you do those self same two therapies on two separate dates.” (You may read more about pricing beneath.)
How have you learnt if laser stacking is best for you?
Treating tough and uninteresting pores and skin in addition to fine lines and wrinkles are two arenas the place laser stacking excels, says Anetta Rezko, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Rye and New York Metropolis and a scientific assistant professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical School. Dr. Rezko has been mixing and matching lasers for sufferers “for years,” she says, noting laser stacking can also be referred to as mixture laser remedy or multimodal laser remedy (MLT). She likes combining fractional lasers (like Clear + Brilliant or Fraxel) with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to resurface the pores and skin and goal darkish spots, for instance, “leaving pores and skin smoother, brighter, and extra radiant,” she says.
