Facial Veins, Broken Capillaries & Rosacea
Remarkable Laser and Light Technologies
If you are used to looking in the mirror and seeing visible veins and capillaries – you’re not alone. Facial and nasal capillaries are common conditions experienced by many people. They tend to make us look and feel much older than we should and are often mistaken by others as sunburn or the result of drinking too much alcohol.
Often they are inherited, and they are certainly more common in lighter skin types, and with long-term sun exposure. They are very treatable with modern laser and IPL technologies.
How does treatment work?
For vascular blemishes, including rosacea, a choice of treatment modalities is available – the Cynosure Cynergy Pulsed Dye and YAG laser and the Ellipse+ Intense Pulsed Light system.
The high intensity light beam passes through the skin and is absorbed in the red pigment (haemoglobin) of the blood vessel. This results in selective heating and destruction of the vessel which then gradually fades. Vessel disappearance occurs over a period of 4 – 6 weeks.
It is usually necessary to repeat the treatment after six weeks to obtain a good final result.
What does the treatment involve?
Using either Cynergy Laser or the third generation IPL, treatment is quick and easy.
The skin is protected by using a specialised cooling tip on the hand piece. A water based gel is sometimes used. Discomfort is similar to the sensation of being flicked by a rubber band.
Areas treated will be blotchy for several hours afterwards, but unlike some of the older lasers, in general treatment is very easy to conceal. The exception may be with use of the pulsed dye laser where bruising may occur – this will then take between 5 -10 days to resolve.
Swelling is generally a minor issue except where large areas on the face are treated, as in rosacea. Here there may be significant swelling, especially under the eyes.
It is essential to use a good quality sunscreen after treatment, as any laser or light treatment leaves the skin temporarily more sensitive to the sun.
