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Conditions Treated
Our Approach to Laser Treatments
The doctors in the Stanford Health Care Dermatologic Surgery program not only have the expertise to help improve the health and appearance of your skin, they are leading the development of new technologies and techniques not yet available at other centers.
What We Offer You for Laser Treatments
- Years of experience using laser treatments safely and effectively.
- Expertise using lasers to treat wrinkles, scars, and varicose veins, and to remove tattoos.
- Fast treatment with minimal pain and downtime.
- Treatment available in a comfortable, private, easy to reach setting.
What is Laser Treatment?
Conditions Treated
We use laser treatments for conditions that can affect your appearance and self-confidence:
Stretch marks
Stretch marks are fine lines that occur when skin is pulled by rapid growth.
Acne scars
Deep acne breakouts can leave scars behind — bumps, pinpricks or small depressions with wavy edges or sharp corners.
Sun spots
Sun exposure can cause red or brown spots like freckles, age spots and liver spots — damage our treatments can remove.
Uneven skin texture
We can improve uneven skin texture, a condition tied to aging and marked by roughness, bumpiness, dryness and dull appearance.
Uneven skin tone
Uneven tone may occur when your skin has patches with a different color or shade.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles and crow's feet are a normal part of aging, but we offer proven ways to turn back the clock.
We frequently use pulsed dye laser to treat stretch marks, as well as other problems. Learn more about some of the conditions we treat with this approach:
Scars
Getting injured or having surgery can damage the skin's deepest layer, sometimes leading to scarring after the body's repairs.
Spider veins
Some blood vessels look like spider webs and are vascular lesions — conditions that include hemangiomas and port wine stains.
Varicose veins
Varicose veins are swollen blood vessels that appear purple or red and twisted, usually on the legs.
Unwanted hair
Unwanted hair on the back, arms, legs, face, or bikini area can be a nuisance.
Unwanted tattoos
We can permanently remove most tattoos with short treatment sessions and little or no scarring.
What to Expect from Laser Treatment
Laser vein treatment
We use a topical anesthetic cream before treating some conditions. Sometimes patients experience mild discomfort, like a mosquito sting or a snapping rubber band. But usually, the discomfort is so minimal that no anesthesia or pain relief is needed.
Pulsed dye lasers can cause a few temporary changes:
- Redness like a slapped cheek that lasts several hours and occasionally a day or two
- Swelling that soon goes away
- Bruising that lasts 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the condition and the number of treatments — your doctor can modify your plan to avoid this, or you can use a water-based makeup to cover up
Most patients return to work the day after treatment.
Laser resurfacing
While our treatment recommendations depend on your specific condition, many times you can choose between 2 options:
Ablative resurfacing
- Deeper treatments (usually to the dermis, the lowest layer) — meaning just one or two sessions but a longer recovery (the deeper the treatment, the longer the healing period and the more redness)
- A choice to use fractional technology — vaporizing tiny columns of skin, leaving islands of normal skin untouched to reduce complications and speed healing
Non-ablative resurfacing
- Less downtime per sessio
- Multiple sessions — 4 to 6 treatments for the best results, usually every 4 weeks but sometimes 7 to 10 days apar
- Little discomfort and minimal risk — unlike the ablative approach, it spares the skin's outer barrier and the nerves in the superficial portions of skin
- Gradual improvement — though you will notice a change even after the first treatment
Both treatments help by stimulating the production of collagen, one of the proteins that support your skin.
Laser tattoo removal
There's no reason to keep a tattoo you no longer want — we can remove a wide range of colors and inks safely and effectively with the latest, fastest lasers available.
Compared to other removal techniques like surgery, bleaching, and sanding, lasers offer important advantages:
- Shorter treatment sessions (usually 15 to 30 minutes each)
- Little to no scarring
- Permanent removal of a wide range of tattoo inks and pigmentations
Our Clinics


Pavilion B, 4th Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650-725-5272 Getting Here »
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To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-725-5272