Newly-approved procedure offers advanced way to treat wrinkles, sagging skin and dull skin

PHOENIX - It's said to be the world's most advanced non-invasive skin-lifting, tightening rejuvenation device.

The Plasma Pen is supposed to treat wrinkles, sagging and dull skin, with very little downtime. Also, there's not a single incision, no stitches, and no bandages. The device has been used in other countries for quite some time, but was only recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States.

If pain is beauty, people might expect some incredible results from the procedure. In some sense of the word, at least in this case, looks can be deceiving, because the Plasma Pen is said to cause no discomfort, but the results are said to be pretty unbelievable. Stephanie Kirkpatrick was born and raised in Arizona. She grew up appreciating the desert sun, but the exposure to the sun eventually wreaked havoc.

"I was probably late 20s, early 30s, like around there when I started noticing the little fine lines," said Kirkpatrick.

20 some years later, Kirkpatrick went to Phoenix Skin Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery for a non-evasive way to smooth those lines.

"The Plasma Pen is a device that imparts energy into the air and ionizes the gas that's in the air, nitrogen, oxygen, and creates a plasma stream," said Dr. Lee Laris, who started offering treatments with the Plasma Pen in January, as soon as it was approved for U.S. use by the FDA. The device was already popular in Europe for years.

Dr. Laris describes the plasma stream that shoots out of the pen like a tiny lightning bolt that hits the skin and tightens the tissue.

"I find the place for this to be that thin, thin skin that's crepe-y, those thin little lines, or, on the other end of that spectrum, those deep lines, like some people have really deep lines around their mouth or around their lips or on their cheeks or around their eyes, " said Dr. Laris.

A numbing cream is applied to the area that will be treated. There's smoke, and a tiny dot forms on the skin but there's never any contact.

"It's not really going into the skin," said Dr. Laris. "It's hovering over the skin and it's used to deliver the energy to the skin. So if you think about those really deep wrinkles, they have a really high point and a really low point. We just treat the high points and those go down, whereas the low points don't get treated."

"I'm glad he went out a little further than I wanted, so I'm hoping to see good improvement in that area too," said Kirkpatrick.

The dots last about five days. Make-up can be applied after day three.

"I heard it once said that vanity is when I am trying to get something that I don't have. it's not when I am trying to get back what I once had," said Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick said aging gracefully is just fine, but while she maintains that poise, she also plans to preserve her looks.

Treatment can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,500, depending on the area treated.

Phoenix Skin
http://www.phxskin.com