V Beam: Stories
Write a ReviewTreat Dermatitis first, then V beam reduces rosacea flares
- Eric K
- posted 2 years ago
- updated 1 year ago
- Worth It
- Cost: $1,250
- Jennifer Reichel, MD (Seattle)
Rosacea is only apparent on my left cheek and a...
- 25 Jan 2011
- On day of treatment
Rosacea is only apparent on my left cheek and a tiny bit on my nose. Both appear to be caused by sun damage because I've had bad sunburns in those locations because I didn't reapply sunscreen enough.
I also slept on my left side for 7 years. Once the rosacea started flaring up in 2010 due to stress, hot coffee and red wine, sleeping on that side made it worse. So I now sleep on the other side and only drink iced coffee.
I've tried taking doxycycline (20mg twice a daily) and Metrogel and Finacea, and it controlled the acne portion of rosacea but the redness was always there and flares still happened too easily. I'm hoping that V Beam will reduce the redness and the flares.
The treatment itself was a lot like lower power version of hair removal. (Dr. R used 7.5 joules versus the 25+ joules for past Laser Hair Removal sessions.) It's less painful than hair removal, and the strangest part is seeing green flashes with my eyes closed and the metal goggles on.
A few hours after treatment, I look like I got in a fist fight. I'll post an updated photo with the same camera as the before in a few days.
My whole cheek was swollen and bruised for 5 days....
- 2 Feb 2011
- 8 days post
My whole cheek was swollen and bruised for 5 days. After 1 week, the bruising is completely gone and my cheek no longer seems to flare. I feel normal again for the first time in a year. I still plan on going in for another treatment in a month to treat the remaining redness.
If you have persistent dandruff, one factor in...
- 22 Feb 2012
- 1 year post
If you have persistent dandruff, one factor in your rosacea is probably Seborrheic Dermatitis. After the redness got worse after a rainy 4 day hike in Hawaii (perfect conditions for a fungus), I was researching dandruff treatments and learned people with Rosacea often also have Seborrheic Dermatitis, which is caused my a fungus. I bought some Nizoral shampoo and some Lotramin Ultra cream, and those two have cleared up the persistent redness that remained even after 5 V Beam treatments. So please, make certain you have your Dermatologist check for any signs of Seborrheic Dermatitis before you start V Beam. V beam did fix the rosacea flare ups but not the persistent redness, since that was a rash. I probably could have only had 3 V beam treatments if I had been treating the Seborrheic Dermatitis from the beginning.
Products I recommend for Seborrheic Dermatitis:
Nizoral 1% Ketoconazole shampoo (use daily for 2 weeks, then once per week)
Neutrogenia T/Sal - 3% Salicylic acid shampoo (alternate with Nizoral)
Lotramin Ultra - use on worst areas of redness
My Doctor: Jennifer Reichel, MD
My rating:
Dr. R is an expert Dermatologist with just the right amount of humor to make having your face lasered a less stressful experience.
In fact I scheduled an appt for vbeam with the same doctor. :)
How many total treatments have you received so far? And does the rosacea come back at all?
i just wanted to share with you that after some experimentation i've found that coffee ( i most always drink iced ) is a huge contributor to my rosacea.. i don't know whether its the caffeine or what but i'm much better on days when i don't have any. i miss the energy but my face certainly feels better for it.. have you had a similar reaction? hope all is well.
alice
Yes! My rosacea first appeared when I was drinking a lot of coffee and under a lot of stress when we switched the software that runs RealSelf.com from Drupal to the Yii PHP framework. That was when I first noticed a burning feeling on my cheek and started having acne there.
I've found that matcha green tea doesn't produce the same reaction, even when I have it warm as a green tea latte at Starbucks. (I do wait for a green tea lattee to cool, and typical make matcha green tea with lukewarm tap water.) Matcha green tea is powdered tea leaves, so it has more caffeine than typical bags of green tea, yet only 25% as much caffeine as coffee. And there's another chemical, L-Theanine, that has a calming influence. Green tea also tends to cause the body to prune excess blood vessels, although it's not as strong an effect as garlic or barries. Watch this TED talk about foods that moderate blood vessel creation for more info.
Read my story about switching from coffee to matcha green tea and let me know if matcha gives you the energy to get through winter days while helping your face.
Yes, it has improved the texture -- my cheek is now smooth where it was bumpy. I'm also using Finacea, and that really helps exfoliate the skin. I previously used a salicylic acid toner that had an alcohol base, but that was too drying once I hit 30. Even with Finacea, I have to first apply a moisturizer, then apply a tiny bit of Finacea, then apply more moisturizer to avoid irritating my skin. I found that out the hard way when I applied Finacea undiluted and had acid burns.
Also, I had to stop using Metrocream after the last V Beam treatment as it stung when I applied it. If I'm diligent about using Finacea, it should keep my pores clear so I won't need the Metrocream.
I am so glad you have seen improvement with your flushing! Has it improved your texture as well? A couple of doctors on here say it improves texture by stimulating collagen. Also have you looked into the laser genesis? Best wishes!!
Great! I've been using La Roche Posay Toleraine as a moisturizer and Vanicream Sunscreen daily my skin is really clearing up. Toleraine really seems to help with the redness that can develop overnight if I sleep on that cheek.
I am trying to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet so I only eat whole carbs.
I'll probably have one more treatment in the fall since I had the last treatment right before a really stressful period at work. I should have postponed the treatment until after that...
Yes, the painful flares are gone and using Azelaic acid cream (Finacea) has helped keep my skin clear. I previously used Salicyclic Acid on my cheeks but the alcohol base became too irritating when my roscea started a year ago. I read that Finacea helps with the superficial redness and acne and that has been my experience. Just make certain to mix it with a moisturizer because the 15% strength is too much by itself even in the cream version.
Downtime and swelling was much easier the 2nd time around even though the setting was higher. There were just a lot more blood vessels to target the first time.
Yes, V Beam has made a huge difference for me and I'm relieved that the painful flushing is gone. It was awful.
Added photo.
It's better after the second treatment, but I think I timed the treatment poorly because I had a lot of deadlines in the days after the treatment. I had stress-related acne on my face and not just the areas that were treated. The one area that may need to be touched up is between my eye and my sideburns since that's where the doctor was less agressive. The areas treated lower down on my cheeks look much better.