Yohei Tanaka

By Yohei Tanaka and Kiyoshi Matsuo

Part of the book: Breakthroughs in Melanoma Research

By Robert Glen Calderhead and Yohei Tanaka

Sunlight is essential to almost all forms of life for both light and heat. Plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, and man and animals alike need plants for many vital purposes. The sun featured many Millennia ago not only as a deity but also as a therapeutic source, so phototherapy is by no means a recent phenomenon. Niels Finsen’s therapeutic arc lamp system in the early 1900s replaced the sun as a therapeutic source. Since then, many light sources have been successfully applied for phototherapy, with laser diodes and light-emitting diodes the most efficient. This chapter will explore what phototherapy is, and examine its important role in the fast-developing indication of skin rejuvenation. Systems used in phototherapy will be discussed and compared. Photobiological basics and light/tissue interaction underlying the process will be examined, together with the importance of treatment parameters. The wound healing process, on which skin rejuvenation rests, will be dissected with a discussion of the optimum wavelengths to photoactivate the skin cells, leading to the clinical indications in photorejuvenation.

Part of the book: Photomedicine

By Yohei Tanaka

Regardless of age, sex and skin type, skin tightening is a common procedure requested by patients seeking cosmetic treatments to improve facial contours and skin laxity. Radiofrequency has been proven to penetrate deeper than optical light sources independent of skin color and to be beneficial for skin tightening. I previously reported on the efficacy of multisource phase-controlled radiofrequency treatment and noninsulated microneedle radiofrequency applicator with fractionated pulse mode. The evaluation process was both subjective and objective; I evaluated objectively using three-dimensional color schematic representation with quantitative volume measurements. These three-dimensional results showed significant improvement after the treatments. The post-treatment volume was drastically reduced as compared to the pretreatment volume. Most of the patients reported satisfaction with the improvement of skin laxity. The advantages of these multisource phase-controlled radiofrequency treatments are their long-lasting high efficacy of tightening effects, and the reduction of discomfort and side effects. These characteristics facilitate repeated treatments as well as provide safe and effective treatment of skin tightening.

Part of the book: Dermatologic Surgery and Procedures