Laser skin treatment in Mumbai. All you need to know
This article has been written with inputs from Dr. Pooja Chopra (Dermatologist), medical director at her clinic partnered as SkinGenious Andheri.
For the past two decades or so, laser machines have been revolutionizing the kind of results that can be delivered in skin treatments. With an increase in the adoption of these machines, the industry has also been upgrading and we see technologies growing and evolving constantly. While some advancements are minor, they’ve added up over the years to make the delivery of results more precise and predictable.
When you are searching for a laser skin treatment, it is not very specific because there are multiple kinds of lasers used for different types of skin treatments. On this page, we will share in detail the most common applications.
We cover the 3 most popular laser machines, their indications of usage, how they work and also the costs of the treatments with them. Most laser treatments require multiple sessions to show ideal results, so we have shared details about how booking multiple sessions will bring down the cost.
We also touch upon the alternate treatment options for the indications and inform you in case the laser treatment option is considered the best alternative and why so.
The types of laser skin treatments discussed include:
You can click on either of the topics to jump to reading about them directly.
Laser skin treatment cost in Mumbai: Summary
Laser Hair Removal: Starts at INR 1500
Pigmentation Laser: Starts at INR 3000
Fractional Laser Resurfacing: Starts at INR 7500
Dermafacials: Start at INR 3000
What are lasers?
Laser began being used as an acronym for ‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’. The first practical example of a laser was built as far back as 1960, but the technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds since then. Lasers emit coherent light, which means that they are concentrated on a small target area.
In most modern treatments, the light is also within a tight band of wavelengths to target desired action and results.
The difference in lasers usually arises from the gain medium (the medium that gets excited to generate the laser beams) and the method by which it applied in the end. Hence, there isn’t one kind of laser that is used for skin treatments. There are various different kinds, some of which are also becoming obsolete and we will not discuss them.
Indications for laser skin treatments include:
- Permanent hair reduction
- Acne scar reduction
- Reduction of other scars and stretch marks
- Laser resurfacing of skin
- Anti-aging
- Pigmentation treatment
- Tightening of pores and facial rejuvenation
- Some lasers also help in reducing appearance of vascularity
Diode laser skin treatment: For permanent hair removal
The name of this laser arises because it uses a pulse diode array as the gain medium to generate the laser light. The principle used is selective photothermolysis. The laser light acts on the pigment in the basal stem cells of hair follicles and therefore destroys them. This stops the targeted hair follicles from future growth, leading to permanent hair reduction.
Since hair is in different phases of growth, the results desired are not attained in a single session. 6-8 sessions are generally required to target hair in different phases of growth.
Hair reduction depends on the hair color, texture as well as its difference with skin tone. This is because the laser is targeting pigment cells. When the difference is wider, let’s say with light skin and dark hair, the results are the best.
With modern technologies, the amount of specificity and control has increased, helping cover almost all skin tones. However, light colored hair is still a problem. Grey hair, for example, will not be well-targeted by laser hair removal.
Cost in Mumbai:
Laser hair removal requires multiple sessions for visible results, as shared. People can still choose to take a single session if they desire short term improvement.
The prices range between ₹1500 for a single session of a small body area like the upper lip to ₹70000 for a full package of 7 sessions of full body.
Alternate treatment options:
The alternatives to laser hair removal are the traditional methods of waxing, shaving, as well as technologies like electrolysis and IPL.
Waxing and shaving are clearly inferior methods since they need to be repeated a lot more often, cost more over a lifetime, and also have higher chances of infection in the surrounding skin.
Electrolysis, has the disadvantage of not being as effective as laser hair removal. It is a lot more tedious and time consuming (one study showed it to take 60 times the amount of time as diode laser skin treatment). It is also not predictable with the growth of new hair caused by hormonal changes in women.
IPL, although often called a laser, is actually not. It uses intense pulses of light in the visual range. The principle it uses is the same as of the diode laser, which is targeting pigment in the basal stem cells. With modern IPL machines, the efficacy and results are close to diode lasers. Treatment times are lower due to larger coverage.
Your take-away:
Laser hair removal and IPL are the best treatment options for permanent hair removal.
You can read a lot more details about Laser hair removal in Mumbai here. You will also find the detailed price table.
Fractional CO2 laser skin treatment: For scar correction and skin resurfacing
As the name suggests, the gain material for this kind of laser is gaseous and the main component is carbon-di-oxide. It also contains some amount of Nitrogen, Hydrogen etc. They are continuous wave lasers and provide very high energy levels. The wavelengths used in this laser skin treatment are from the infrared range in most cases.
The main application of this laser is in the treatment of acne scars. The powerful laser is very effective in breaking down existing connective tissue, which is a must for it to re-form correctly to heal the scars. The laser is broken down into multiple beams known as micro treatment zones. This effectively breaks down the existing scarred connective tissue so that the body can regenerate smoother skin in place of it.
The other major applications that Fractional CO2 laser skin treatment helps with include:
- Resurfacing and rejuvenating the skin
- Pigmentation
- Anti-aging and improvement in fine lines and wrinkles
Cost in Mumbai:
A single session with the fractional CO2 laser treatment on the face (most commonly targeted area) will range between ₹5000-₹8000 depending on the amount of scarring and area to be covered. It would cost more in case of a larger area like the back (another common site for acne scars).
A package of 3-4 sessions which may be required would get you roughly a 20% discount on the individual session price.
Alternate options:
Other options for this treatment include mnRF (microneedling Radifrequency) treatment, dermarollers and instruments such as the derma pen. The basic principle for all these treatments is to break the existing connective tissue, however these other options cannot act as deep in the skin as the laser treatment.
Your key take-away:
The mnRF comes close, but the fractional CO2 laser is still considered the gold standard in the treatment of acne scars.
You can read more about laser treatment of acne scars here. You can view multiple before and after pictures as well as see the detailed price table on the link.
Q-switch Nd:YAG laser skin treatment: For pigmentation
With this technology, the laser is made to produce a pulsed output beam. This is done because the pulsed beam delivers much higher levels of energy than a continuous wave would. The technology used takes the help of passive Q-switching.
The gain material used is a variant of Neodymium (which gets the Nd in the name). The most commonly used wavelengths of light fall in the infrared range.
It is the gold standard laser used in the treatment of pigmentary problems. This is because it has the ability to target narrow bandwidths of wavelengths and hence target pigments of a specific color range.
It is hence used to target pigmentary problems include those such as melasma. If you have patches of skin that are darker than surrounding areas, this is the laser skin treatment that you are looking for.
Apart from treating pigmentation, this laser skin treatment also helps in:
- Tightening of open pores
- Removal of permanent tattoos (again due to its ability to target pigment molecules)
- Rejuvenating facials such as the carbon laser facial
Cost in Mumbai:
A single full-face session for this laser treatment will cost ₹3500. However, a single session may not give satisfactory results. A package of 3-4 sessions may be required and the package price would again help you bring down the per session cost by 20%
Alternate options:
The best alternative for pigmentation treatment would be chemical peels. These are mostly acidic chemical agents that help remove a layer of skin thereby helping in reversion of pigment. The major disadvantage with chemical peels is that they act superficially whereas the laser skin treatment also works on deeper pigmentation. The laser treatment is therefore considered the gold standard.
With its action on tattoo removal, there is no other alternate apart from surgery.
Your take-away:
The Q-switch laser is one of the best treatments to tackle deep pigmentation and is the only option for non-surgical tattoo removal
You can read all about hyperpigmentation treatment in Mumbai by clicking the link and also see a before and after picture as well as detailed price table.
Conclusion
There are a myriad of laser treatments available with indications of use in dermatology. What you need to be sure of is that you are getting treated by cutting edge technology and the prices being charged are reasonable and ethical. Also, the best of machines will not be as effective as they can, unless handled and guided by a great dermatologist.
At SkinGenious, you will receive the best of both worlds, a top dermatologist along with the latest technology.
