The Internet is a good place to start the search. Consumers can find thousands of Websites, including those for specialists, laser and plastic surgery societies, and information pages. But consumers should be wary of assuming the accuracy of any information taken off the Internet because the unscrupulous can put up their own Web pages just as easily as can the qualified.

Alster suggests interviewing several doctors and evaluating their answers and their credentials. After all, she adds, it’s the doctor’s skill that counts–the laser is just the doctor’s tool.

The next step is crucial: asking the right questions. Alster advises asking where the doctor has trained and if he or she owns or rents the equipment–those who own have likely made a commitment to training and to laser surgery. Ask to see before and after pictures of the doctor’s cases, and find out how many different types of lasers the doctor owns and how often each piece of equipment is used. There is not one laser that does everything, she says, cautioning patients to select a surgeon whose practice offers more than one laser system. One needs to use [the right] laser for the right lesion. So the person examining you must make the correct diagnosis, she says. Alster herself has at least 10 different lasers in her office.

Of course, the final decision may be difficult, since no doctor can guarantee perfection or complete safety, but well-informed patients with reasonable expectations may be one step closer to younger, fresher-looking skin.

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