Treatment review: Laser Hand Rejuvenation

Account manager Lisa Merrigan visits Dr Kathryn Taylor-Barnes at Real You Clinic

THE LOWDOWN

The skin on our hands is one of the thinnest areas on our bodies and is subjected to rigorous skin stretching and sun exposure, making the loss of collagen much more noticeable. Therefore, it is one of the first places to show signs of ageing.

THE EXPERIENCE

Dr Kathryn Taylor-Barnes offers a bespoke combination laser rejuvenation package. This includes the Nordlys IPL and Frax systems and the Coollaser Erbium:YAG Skin Rejuvenation programme. She uses three different foundations, which together effectively tackle skin pigmentation, fine lines and textural problems, as well as collagen boosting. Dr Taylor-Barnes is very experienced with this unique EBD combo treatment and carries out the treatment personally in her clinic, offering a highly personalised, bespoke service.

She used her expertise to assess how many sessions were needed; in my case, it was just the one, with a top-up in six months.

The Nordlys SWT IPL plus Frax 1940nm laser is designed to eliminate dark spots and improve skin tone. The IPL involved a series of pulsed flashes delivering precise bursts of light to each freckle/dark spot to break up the pigmentation. It was a little uncomfortable for each nanosecond as the machine passed over my hand, and it felt like an elastic band was being snapped against my skin. Cool air from the chiller device definitely made me more comfortable. Next came the Frax 1940nm laser, which repeatedly rolled over my skin and felt like little needle pricks. Frax 1940nm is a skin resurfacing device that treats only a fraction of the skin, leaving the healthy skin between treated areas intact, speeding healing, and minimising downtime. The creation of tiny micro-wounds resulted in a microscopic wound healing process, forming new collagen fibres. It is a popular treatment for skin resurfacing to improve texture and glow, wrinkle softening, pigmentation and melasma, and pigmented scars. The downtime is brief compared to other more invasive therapies, considering its dramatic results. Dr Taylor-Barnes completed the ‘trio treatment’ by going over the back of my hands with the fractional Coollaser Erbium:YAG 2940nm laser, which vaporised tiny spots of my skin to help ‘shrink wrap’ my skin and give me the youthful smoothness I have been wanting for years. The icing on the cake was the end of treatment application of exosomes to accelerate the healing process and boost cell regeneration. The tiny holes in the skin’s surface made by the laser devices allowed the exosomes to be absorbed like a sponge.

Before and after session

THE VERDICT

My hands looked scary for about a week as they swelled, and the delicate skin scabbed and peeled. Dr Taylor-Barnes said that the added overlay of the Coollaser would extend the downtime by another week but reassured me that the results would be worth waiting for. Having had a thorough pre-treatment consultation with Dr Taylor-Barnes a few weeks earlier, I was reminded to plan my schedule to avoid important meetings and events and tailor my activities to keep my hands as clean as possible and moisturised until the healing progressed. As this treatment is considered an advanced medical laser treatment, it was reassuring to know I had Dr Taylor-Barnes on standby when I sent her daily selfies in my healing journey. Although there is a little downtime, which can be slightly painful for the first few days while the hands swell and heal, it is so worth it. I feel the ‘before and after’ pictures don’t do the results justice; to the naked eye, my hands' skin is so much smoother and clear of freckles and dark spots.

The results of this treatment are expected to last if the hands are protected from the sun by applying good SPF and wearing kitchen gloves when washing up. You can combine this treatment for patients with dermal fillers to really complete the look. The laser combo treatment exceeded my expectations, and the back of my hand's skin now looks smooth, bright, and plump.