New York City double board-certified dermatologist and surgeon, Dr. Cameron Rokhsar is a leading expert in cosmetic and laser surgery. He performs patient-tailored procedures and consultations. Dr. Rokhsar provides treatments with advanced lasers in his Garden City and Upper East Side (NYC) offices where he utilizes some of the leading lasers for skin conditions, such as Xtrac Excimer Laser to treat psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema (atopic dermatitis) and other inflammatory conditions of the skin. Many dermatologists and plastic surgeons in New York and around the country refer their patients for advanced laser care to Dr. Rokhsar because of his particular expertise with lasers and lasers surgery of the skin.
Previously, the Xtrac Excimer laser has been used for years in eye surgery, but a new version of the ultraviolet laser has proven to be successful in the treatment of psoriasis. Vitiligo and eczema. Compared with older treatments, Xtrac Excimer laser can be used to treat much larger areas of the skin at once, while sparing the unaffected skin, which expedites the time it takes to control psoriasis or eczema patches and the pigment condition vitiligo.
* Results May Vary
The excimer laser, a targeted form of UVB phototherapy, has emerged as a promising treatment for atopic dermatitis (eczema). Unlike traditional broad-band UVB rays, the excimer laser delivers a concentrated, monochromatic dose of ultraviolet light to specific areas of the skin, minimizing exposure to healthy surrounding tissue.
The excimer laser emits a precise wavelength of ultraviolet light (typically 308 nm) that penetrates the epidermis to target T cells and DNA. These T cells are part of the immune response that leads to inflammation and the typical skin changes seen in eczema. The combined anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of the excimer laser make it a potent tool in the dermatological arsenal for treating stubborn, localized patches of eczema.
This localized treatment approach is particularly beneficial for persistent, localized patches of eczema that haven’t responded to conventional therapies. The procedure is typically well-tolerated, with patients experiencing minimal side effects.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause mild to severe skin problems, which appear as thick, red, itchy, flaky patches along the face, arms, legs, and torso. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are roughly 7.5 million people in the United States living with psoriasis today. The condition can be embarrassing and itchy, which is why patients often seek treatment as soon as symptoms surface on the skin.
Most patients with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis, which can develop into psoriatic arthritis, which can lead to years of pain. It appears most commonly on the knees, elbows, scalp, trunk, and nails.
Oftentimes, patients will turn to steroid creams or other topical medications on the area where patches appear. For more severe conditions, dermatologists often prescribe oral medications, injectable medications with biologics, or light therapy. However, medications come with side effects and light therapy typically requires two to three months of treatment, and since it is not focuses, unaffected skin is being damaged by UV light unnecessarily.
Fortunately, Dr. Rokhsar provides his patients who are suffering from psoriasis with the Xtrac Excimer laser1, which targets and delivers focused ultraviolet light to areas of patches without harming surrounding healthy skin. Because there is no cure for psoriasis, the excimer laser2 can help control the areas of mild to moderate psoriasis. Patients need to come to the New York City or Long Island office once or twice a week for their quick painless laser treatments. The treatment session usually takes less than 5 minutes where the focus laser light is shined on the areas affected by the psoriasis. Patients start seeing improvement within a few treatment sessions. Most insurance plans cover the cost of Excimer/Xtrac laser for the treatment of psoriasis. Please visit us at our Manhattan or Garden city office for an evaluation so that we can start the preauthorization process for your laser treatments with your insurance company.
The Xtrac Excimer laser can also be used for other dermatological conditions. It has been found to be a successful treatment for vitiligo, which is a disease that causes skin color loss in the form of light or whitish blotches across the skin. It is a sporadic condition that can affect any area of the body, including the hair, genitals, inside of the mouth, the face and in particular around the eyes and lips. Skin color is determined by cells that produce melanin, called melanocytes. It is thought that these pigment producing cells are attacked by the immune system in patients suffering from vitiligo, causing the melanocytes to die or stop functioning properly.
The Xtrac Excimer laser is one of the most effective approaches to treating vitiligo on dark-skinned or light skinned patients suffering from vitiligo. The laser is highly effective for hair baring areas including for facial blotches. It also works well on the hands, arms, chest area, and other highly visible areas.
Each Excimer laser treatment takes less than 5 minutes to perform, during which Dr. Rokhsar will target the areas of loss of color affected by vitiligo on your skin. The excimer/Xtrac laser is completely painless with no palpable sensation felt by patients during the laser treatment. The blue light of the Excimer laser is simply shines on the skin which activated the melanocytes to start producing pigment again. The laser may also work by decreasing the deleterious effects of the immune system on depigmented patches of vitiligo in the skin. Patients need to be treated once or twice a week at one of our offices in the Upper East side of Manhattan or Garden City Long Island. Patients will start noticing new islands of color or pigment form within white vitiligo patches. Eventually the white areas of vitiligo will begin to disappear with continued laser treatments. Most insurance plans cover the cost of Excimer/Xtrac laser treatments for vitiligo.
Visit Dr. Rokhsar at one of his offices in the Upper East Side of New York City or Garden City, Long Island for a consultation followed by a tailored treatment plan for evaluation of vitiligo for excimer laser treatments. Dr. Rokhsar will evaluate your skin condition and begin the preauthorization process with your insurance company for the laser excimer laser treatment of your vitiligo.
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that produces high-energy pulses of light with wavelengths in or near the ultraviolet range. The excimer laser is used in a variety of conditions in dermatology including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis or eczema, and vitiligo. The laser uses a mixture of noble gasses and halogens as a gain medium, which is excited by a fast electrical discharge to emit the laser beam. The laser is highly efficient, producing high peak power at several useful wavelengths and with power efficiencies varying between 0.2% and 2%.
In dermatology, the excimer laser delivers a strong dosage of monochromatic UVB light to targeted affected areas of the skin while leaving healthy skin tissue unaffected. The laser is highly customizable, enabling providers to administer the exact level of UV wavelengths needed by each individual patient to very specific areas of the skin affected by your condition of disease process, sparing areas of skin unaffected.
Patients undergo treatments at intervals of once a week, twice a week, or three times a week depending on the severity of their conditions and the desired timeline to remission of eczema, psoriasis or vitiligo. Most patients begin to see dramatic results after 10-12 sessions, but more sessions may be required. Dr. Rokhsar often combines the excimer/Xtrac laser with other creams or oral medications to achieve clearing of eczema, psoriasis, or vitiligo more quickly.
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that is commonly used for various applications, but most commonly psoriasis, vitiligo, and atopic dermatitis or eczema.
Excimer lasers are also used for other inflammatory skin conditions such as NLD, granuloma annulare, contact dermatitis, or hand eczema. In these cases, the laser uses controlled levels of UVB light that are focused on specific problem areas of the skin, while healthy skin tissue is not exposed to ultraviolet rays and is thus unaffected. This makes excimer laser therapy safer than UVB exposure from the sun or UVA and UVB light boxes. Excimer laser therapy is often combined with topical or oral therapies to enhance response. Such medications include topical calcineurin inhibitors (calcipotriene), topical steroids (clobetasol), JK inhibitors (Opzelura), non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (tacrolimus, Protopic, Elidel, Pimecrolimus), or Vtama.
Patients generally get treated once to three times a week for a period of 8 to 24 weeks depending on the severity of their eczema, psoriasis, or vitiligo. Patients begin to see results after 4-8 treatments sessions with the excimer/xtrac laser and with each session see more of an improvement. Patients with chronic conditions such as eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and vitiligo may have to undergo repeat treatments. Dr. Rokhsar treats both children and adults with the excimer laser. He has had hundred of patients with great success after treatment with excimer laser for psoriasis, vitiligo and eczema.
The cost of XTRAC laser treatment can vary depending on the number of areas being treated, the number of sessions required, and the pricing set by the clinic and the insurance companies. However, most health insurance and Medicare plans cover the treatment costs of XTRAC laser therapy for psoriasis or vitiligo and sometimes eczema or atopic dermatitis. All major insurance companies and Medicare provide coverage for the XTRAC laser treatments. Some insurance companies may require a co-pay, while others may have patients be responsible for a deductible or coinsurance. If paying out of pocket, XTRAC laser treatment may be more expensive than other UVB treatments, but the shorter treatment time and longer results can offset the price. Overall, the cost of XTRAC laser treatment may vary depending on individual circumstances, but most health insurance and Medicare plans cover the treatment costs. We recommend to contact Dr. Rokhsar’s offices in upper eastside of Manhattan or Garden City Long Island to inquire about the specifics of your insurance plan and coverage.
Upper East Side Manhattan Office
121 East 60th Street, Suite 8AB New York, NY 10022
(212) 285-1110
Long Island Office
901 Stewart Ave, Suite 240, Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 512-7616
References
Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, MD, FAAD, FAACS, is the founder and medical director of the New York Cosmetic, Skin, & Laser Surgery Center. Dr. Rokhsar is a graduate of Harvard College and NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Rokhsar is double board certified in dermatology and micrographic dermatologic surgery, being one of the few select dermatologists in the country who is also fellowship trained in laser surgery. A researcher and innovator, Dr. Rokhsar is the creator of the non-surgical nose job and has been instrumental in the research and development of laser systems such as the Fraxel, CO2, Mirady, Vbeam, Themitight, and Ulthera devices. An Associate Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, Dr. Rokhsar actively teaches the cosmetic dermatology clinic to the resident at Mount Sinai. An expert injector of fillers, and a trainer for many companies, patients fly in from around the world to see Dr. Rokhsar in his Garden City and Manhattan offices in New York.
Dr. Rokhsar was chosen by
magazine as a top dermatologist in its Best Doctors 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 issues.
