I have used the vbeam laser on stretch marks on the breast and hips in women as well as for men who develop stretch marks on the arms and shoulders when they are intense weightlifters. It works best if the stretch marks are pink and if you also add retin A topically for home treatment to improve the appearance of the collagen.It feels like a cold spray and a rubber band hitting your skin but is not very painful on the trunk and breasts.It can also be used to treat scars after breast augmentation as well as scars after breast cancer surgery and reconstruction. This takes multiple treatments but can be very rewarding. I sometimes alternate treatments with the Fraxel 1550 and the vbeam to treat scars.
I love using the Vbeam laser to compliment other treatments for Rosacea. Its great for the fine telangiectasias on the cheeks and around the nose whether they are from flushing and rosacea or from chronic allergies and sun-damage. I usually do two to three treatments depending on the severity of the redness but also make sure that we address the gentleness, paraben free and soap free, components of your skin care regimen and discuss triggers for rosacea.There is a little redness right afterwards but no down time essentially. You can go about your normal day and evening. You might wakeup the next morning with a little puffiness under the eyes if the cheeks were treated but that resolves pretty quickly after getting up and going. Although you can get bruising, the settings I use are adjusted to treat with non-purpuric, non bruising settings.Many patients have a maintenance treatment once or twice a year to treat new blood vessels that are forming.
I agree with the comments made distinguishing the Fraxel lasers. I love Fraxel Dual for pigmentation and for freshening sun-damaged skin. Although there is definite redness and swelling on days 1 and 2, then on day day 3 the skin appears brown like your skin has been "overly tanned," then starts to flake off in small flakes day 4, 5 and 6. The results are soft, more even skin even after one treatment but you can definitely do more. I like the results that I have seen with the 1927nm, Fraxel Dual. You can still use the 1550 wave length to work on scarring and deeper wrinkles to continue the treatment process.
I agree that the best non-surgical treatment is to use fillers like restylane, perlane or juvederm to support the corners of the mouth and below the corners if there is volume loss. If you are a person who grimaces or grinds their teeth while you sleep, you may have a more active muscle pulling down the corners of your mouth that can be treated by injecting a very small amount of botox or dysport to relax the muscle and soften your lower face. Its important to look carefully at each person's natural expressions and to personalize your treatment suggestions. I am sure others agree that we have to look closely at your expressions and anatomy before providing the best options for your care. I hope this helps!
The Fraxel dual using the 1927 wavelength works nicely for pigmentation as a result of sun damage and can help with melasma. There are different kinds of melasma and not all will respond to treatment. Its very important to use a sunscreen with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to prevent the pigment from recurring. Personally, I loved the way my skin felt one week after having a fraxel 1927 treatment. My skin was very brown and appeared tanned and swollen for 4 days then actively flaked off and was clear. Many people will need a second one.Make sure that your doctor thinks that you are a good candidate to begin with.
