Helena Rubinstein collaborates with its Avant-Garde Science Board to constantly enrich its cellular skin science. Among these world-leading experts, Dr. Anny Cohen-Letessier, a skin cell biology dermatologist expert, shares her clinical insights on lasers to help understand how these technologies act on your skin.
“Lasers act as a highly precise biological dialogue. By matching the correct wavelength of light in the skin, we can send a targeted signal to renew the tissue and drive skin regeneration.”
— Dr. Anny Cohen-Letessier,
Dermatologist and venereologist renowned for
her expertise in medical and cosmetic dermatology
To navigate the wide variety of clinical laser procedures, finding the ideal option means matching your primary visible concern to its corresponding technology:
- Treating Loss of Firmness and Skin Sagging
- Targeting Dark Spots and Hyperpigmentation
- Correcting Redness and Vascular Fragility
- Resurfacing Textural Irregularities and Scars
Treating Loss of Firmness and Skin Sagging
Inside Your Cells
Firm skin relies on a dense collagen matrix maintained by active fibroblasts [2]. Over time, fibroblast activity naturally slows down, while environmental factors activate enzymes that degrade existing fibers from the extracellular matrix (collagens, elastic fibers, hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans) [2]. This dual action collapses the skin's structural scaffolding, leading to deflated volumes, visible skin sagging, and deep wrinkles.
The Laser Solution and Cellular Action
To rebuild this structural support, physicians utilize Ablative and Non-Ablative Resurfacing Lasers to deliver controlled heat to the dermis, and trigger biological regeneration [2]:
- Ablative Lasers (CO2, Erbium:YAG) physically vaporize and remove damaged outer layers of the skin while heating the deep dermis [2]. This surface removal forces immediate collagen contraction and intense healing, making it ideal for severe wrinkles, and deep structural remodeling.
- Non-Ablative Fractionated Lasers (Erbium Glass 1550 nm) create microscopic heat columns deep in the skin, leaving the surface intact to wake up dormant fibroblasts, and stimulate new collagen production [2].
These procedures are designed for individuals experiencing loss of facial volumes, contour drooping, and deep wrinkles.
Targeting Dark Spots and Hyperpigmentation
Inside Your Cells
Under the influence of UV radiation, pollution, or hormonal shifts, pigment-producing cells in the epidermis become hyperactive [3]. They overproduce melanin, which clusters together and rises to the surface, forming visible dark spots and contributing to an uneven complexion, worsening lackluster skin [3].
The Laser Solution and Cellular Action
To shatter these pigment clusters, clinical experts employ ultra-short pulse Q-Switched and Picosecond Lasers [3]. By delivering energy in nanoseconds or picoseconds, they create a photo-acoustic shockwave that mechanically fragments melanin into microscopic particles without heat damage [3]. These micro-particles are then naturally captured and eliminated by the body's immune system.
These precise treatments are designed for individuals seeking to clear sunspots, age spots, and localized hyperpigmentation. Not all dark spots require laser treatment; consult a professional for an in-depth dermatological diagnosis
Correcting Redness and Vascular Fragility
Inside Your Cells
Persistent redness, micro-inflammation, and vascular fragility occur when environmental stressors trigger inflammatory messengers that dilate superficial blood capillaries [4]. Concurrently, the surrounding collagen matrix supporting these vessels degrades over time. Lacking this vital structural support, fragile capillaries remain permanently stretched and visible through the epidermis, contributing to skin fatigue and stressed skin aspect [4].
The Laser Solution and Cellular Action
To close these damaged vessels, physicians use Vascular Lasers (Pulsed Dye Laser, Nd:YAG) [4]. These devices emit light wavelengths absorbed by the red pigment (oxyhemoglobin) inside red blood cells [4]. This energy converts to heat, causing vessels to safely collapse without affecting surrounding tissue [4]. Once sealed, they are naturally absorbed and cleared by the body.
These procedures are designed for individuals experiencing diffuse redness, couperose, rosacea, and visible micro-vessels.
“Vascular lasers are highly effective because they target the exact source of redness. By focusing energy solely on damaged micro-vessels, this technology clears persistent flushing and visible capillaries with absolute precision, restoring within a few weeks a calm and unified complexion.”
— Dr. Anny Cohen-Letessier
Resurfacing Textural Irregularities and Scars
Inside Your Cells
Textural irregularities and scars occur when the skin's natural healing process is disrupted. Following trauma or severe acne, cells repair tissue unevenly, producing disorganized, clumped collagen fibers instead of a smooth, parallel network [5]. This structural desynchronization creates uneven surface texture and visible scarring.
The Laser Solution and Cellular Action
To re-establish a smooth surface, clinical experts utilize Resurfacing Lasers to reprogram surface architecture [5,6]:
- Fully Ablative Lasers (such as traditional CO2 or Erbium:YAG) vaporize the entire damaged surface layer, forcing tissue to rebuild a completely new, highly organized epidermal and dermal matrix [5]. This delivers dramatic smoothing for deep, severe scars in a single session, but requires several days of recovery.
- Fractional Resurfacing Lasers (Fractional CO2) ablate only microscopic columns of damaged tissue while leaving surrounding skin intact. This advanced method accelerates recovery while forcing the skin to replace disorganized scar tissue with a smooth matrix of new collagen and elastin fibers [6]. It is used to moderate scarring and texture refinement.
These specialized procedures are designed for individuals seeking to smooth acne scars, refine rough skin texture, and restore surface harmony.
What to Expect After a Laser Session?
While clinical lasers deliver significant results, they place temporary, intense stress on the skin. Patients commonly experience transient side effects during the recovery phase as the skin initiates its healing process [7]:
- Erythema and edema (redness and swelling) driven by acute post-laser inflammation.
- Micro-crusts and flakiness as treated epidermal cells gradually rise to the surface to be shed.
- A compromised skin barrier, which increases water loss and leaves the skin highly vulnerable.
To manage these side effects and secure optimal results, clinical research highlights the importance of an adapted post-procedure skincare routine [7]. Preparing the skin barrier beforehand and applying targeted care afterward shortens recovery time, minimizes discomfort, provides skin soothing and amplifies results.
“In modern aesthetic medicine, the focus has shifted from simply treating wrinkles to optimizing global skin quality. Lasers act as powerful catalysts that initiate the skin's natural transformation, but the thermal stress they induce temporarily disrupts its equilibrium. The skin cannot fully express this renewal signal if its barrier is compromised. Integrating highly targeted, topical formulas before and after the procedure is not optional; it is a physiological necessity to support the skin's natural defense mechanisms and secure the best possible results.”
— Dr. Anny Cohen-Letessier
References
Audrey Gueniche
– Scientific Director
Audrey GUENICHE is a Doctor in Pharmacy and has a PhD in skin biology. She has a distinguished career of over three decades at L’Oréal in Research and Innovation. Her scientific contributions have been in the areas of topical and food supplements of skin, scalp, hair health and beauty. Audrey’s experience is extensive: from vitro to clinical trials, to open innovation and development. She has published over 130 papers in peer-reviewed journals, presented in 80 international congresses and, additionally, has been recognized and guest speaker in 50 plenary conferences. By embracing an innovative mindset, Audrey is passionate in finding new areas to promote actives and formulas, prove new claims and scientific communications, and reinvent evaluations. As HELENA RUBINSTEIN’s Scientific Director, Audrey pursues the brand’s long-standing avant-garde research and science.
