Special Report: Light Lift

Cynthia Hatch is one of those people. "I work out all the time, I get a lot of sleep, I make sure I drink a lot of water, I don't drink too much alcohol, and I'm avoiding the sun a lot," she says.

But she still wanted a firmer-looking face, and the thought of surgery horrified her.

"I don't really wanna - you know - be cut," she explains.

That's when she heard about the Candella Gentle Yag Laser, a pain-free way to "tighten-up" what Mother Nature has relaxed.

Boston-area dermatologist surgeon Dr. Tom Rohrer, M.D., performs the procedure, and says that this medical device is not new.

"It's actually been used for the last couple of years to treat hair and to treat veins," he says.

But he noticed there was a favorable side effect. "There was a recent study that just came out that showed that it actually also tightens the skin,"

Skin, made up of collagen fibers and fat tissue, begins to loosen and become weak with age, causing an undesirable saggy appearance.

The traditional way of making the skin less saggy is by pulling it back with a face-lift. Instead, the Gentle Yag Laser works by stimulating collagen. This causes the skin to tighten up.

Cheeks respond best to the treatment, as well as eyebrows, the forehead, and the jawline.

Some believe other parts of the body will be next to get "the treatment", as Dr. Rohrer explains.

"Someone may attempt to use this in other parts and do quite well."

One of the first skin-tightening devices is called "Thermage". It uses radio frequencies instead of laser energy to produce facelift-like results. But some feel it takes too long and is too painful.

"I have had both procedures," Tenna Stromberg says, "The Thermage and Gentle Yag."

And the 50-year-old is sticking with the Yag.

"There is not as much downtime - I can get it done in 20 minutes. It's more cost effective, and I feel I have had better results."

Experts say you'll need between four and six treatments to see improvement. But it's important to remember that it won't give you the same results as a surgical facelift.

"It's probably not going to be something where people say 'Wow, what did you have done?'. But they may say 'Oh, you look great today.'," Dr. Rohrer cautions.

After her first treatment, Hatch says she couldn't believe how fast and easy it was.

"Ten minutes ago that I had it done? And now I feel fine," Hatch exclaims.

She admits she can't see any big changes but is amazed there was no pain or swelling.

"I was pink, yeah, which I was surprised - I thought my face was going to be a lot more red," Hatch describes.

There is one final advantage of the laser - it's a fraction of the cost of a face-lift. Yag Laser skin-tightening sessions run about $400 and up, depending on the part of the body that's being treated.

Skin Care Physicians

Dr. Thomas Rohrer
SkinCare Physicians of Chestnut Hill
1244 Boylston Street, Suite 302
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Candela Corporation
530 Boston Post Road
Wayland, MA 01778 USA
508.358.7400
800.733.8550

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