New laser treatment offers less recovery time

No one has located the fabled fountain of youth as of yet, but people can attain younger looking skin through various laser treatments, and Dr. Kenneth Pettit has a new Profractional Laser that promises striking results with little healing time.

Pettit's practice, Luminescence, is the only practice in Ahwatukee Foothills that has the Profractional Laser. According to Pettit, the procedure is less invasive than traditional lasers that burn the entire top layers off of skin.

"The Profractional Laser cuts channels into the skin with heat, and the skin around the channels remains untouched," he said. "The traditional lasers can be compared to mowing a lawn where you cut everything off the top, whereas the Profractional Laser aerates the skin."

Recovery time is also shorter. Instead of treating the entire face patients can dial in on the exact areas they want treated, which means less areas need to heal.

"You can come in for treatment on Thursday and then go back to work on Monday," Pettit said.

He has been using the Profractional Laser for the past few months, and so far his patients have responded positively to the treatment.

"My patients have noticed that with time after the treatment their skin tightened up further," Pettit said.

Treatments with the Profractional Laser start at $500 and increase depending on how aggressively the patient wants to be treated. The laser can treat dark-colored skin as well as light-colored skin, and can be used on the neck and hands as well as the face.

According to Pettit, laser treatment can make up for people not taking proper care of their skin in their younger years.

"By the time we get into our 40s and 50s people start to see skin changes that they wish they would have taken care of earlier," he said. "This treatment allows people to step up when they haven't been as proactive with their skin care as they should have been earlier."

For more information on the Profractional Laser, visit Pettit's Web site at www.alasercenter.com or call his office at (480) 785-1746. Luminescence is located at 16515 S. 40th St.