Brown Spots and Broken Capillaries - How to Get Rid of Them?
asked 9 months ago by Scar4Life in San Francisco, CA
Latest answer by Manish Khanna, MD
Question viewed 396 times
Tags: face, broken capillaries, brown spots, options
I am a 53 year old Asian female. I was using .05% Atralin, a pea-size amount once a week for 3 ½ months to remove some light brown spots on my face. I stopped using it when I notice broken capillaries. The PA at my derm office said that I should continue using Atralin. It will fix (remove?) the broken capillaries. Is that true? What are my alternatives to get rid of the brown spots and broken capillaries? Is microdermabrasion an option? Also, it is true atrophy is a possibility with laser/IPL?
3 answers to Brown Spots and Broken Capillaries - How to Get Rid of Them?
+1
IPL improves both brown spots and broken capillaries
Atralin is a vitamin A drug most commonly used to treat acne by exfoliating the skin and stimulating cell renewal. Even though it is often prescribed to reduce brown spots, it may not be the best option for you since it is causing irritation.
The Atralin will not improve capillaries, in fact it can cause them to worsen over time. The alternative for you would be an IPL that can be safe and effective in reducing both your brown spots and your broken capillaries. Theses treatments can...
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Manish Khanna, MD
Montreal Dermatologic Surgeon
Montreal Dermatologic Surgeon
+1
Light brown spots and red capillaries are best treated with lasers
The red capillaries can only be treated with lasers. No topical products will help their improvement. A pulsed-dye laser or VBeam would be the best for this.
The brown spots could be caused by a variety of conditions, and they should be evaluated by a dermatologist. However, if they are simple lentigines, a Q-switched laser is the best to remove them. IPL is intense-pulsed light and will not remove the red or brown, but will lighten them. IPL does a lot of...
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Daniel I. Wasserman, MD
Naples Dermatologic Surgeon
Naples Dermatologic Surgeon
+1
Remove brown spots and broken capillaries
Your main problem is light brown spots and broken capillaries.
Treatment options for this include a comprehensive skin health program such as Obagi, which uses retin-A (Atralin) with alpha-hydroxy acid/hydroquinone creams. This is used daily. I have never seen any benefit from using only retin-A weekly in such small amounts. In the Obagi program, we use 0.1% retin-A with the other products to get rapid resolution of age spots and pigmentation.
I do not think broken...
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Robert M. Lowen, MD
Bay Area Plastic Surgeon
Bay Area Plastic Surgeon