IPL/BBL versus Vbeam for flushing and permanent redness from Rosacea.

Our office has many different treatments for scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture. Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.

Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

There are many treatments for rosacea and it can be controlled. However, like many skin conditions you will need continued treatments to maintain your results. BBL is a brand of IPL - both are intense pulsed light and are not technically lasers because they have more than one wavelength of light. This can be beneficial because not all of the redness from rosacea is the same color. Depending on the settings, you can also target brown discoloration in the skin. The benefit of IPL is that it can be used to treat the redness with minimal downtime, but may require multiple treatments. Using PDL - pulsed dye laser ( V-Beam ) treatments usually gives you better results but can turn the skin a deep purple color. The bruising is difficult to cover with makeup and may result in significant down time.  You feel fine but need to plan ahead. PDL is great for faster results with downtime and IPL for good but more gradual results. Let an experienced surgeon help you choose which is best for you. Then enhance and maintain your results with skin care products. 

BBL is a brand of an IPL device made my Sciton and it is an excellent device (we have 3!). Also we have had good luck with Sciton halo for some vascular conditions. Vascular lasers are also good at treating these issues. The office and experience is often more important then the device used

Sorry to hear you are dealing with Rosacea, but the great news is that it is very controllable, particularly in your skin type. Based on a lot of research in this area, and me, the doctor, suffering from Rosacea myself, we have made this a specialty of the office.
Many patients with Rosacea benefit from topical or oral antibiotics with antiinflammatory properties as well as an antiinflammatory diet. After much research, I have chosen BBL as the technology I want for myself and my patients. Although in our office, most lights and lasers are performed by me, the physician, that is unusual. Usually a nurse, tech or aesthetician does most offices lasers. BBL is Sciton's brand name for it's version of IPL. Although a much more expensive machine for the doctor to buy, I chose it due to its greater power and also better precision and finesse. It is the only device with research from Stanford to support anti aging benefits and with proper settings, improves reds, Browns, collagen production, Rosacea, overall l brightness of the skin and should not remove any abnormal pigment. It is a workhorse in my office and between my Rosacea and having to have my skin look its best, I do it 4-6 times a year, every year.

Great question! First of all, BBL is the same as IPL. BBL is just a brand name of one IPL device. The laser companies are always trying to become a brand name, like Kleenex or Xerox, but it is hard for them because there are so many devices that are all similar. BBL happens to be an expensive one.
Without pictures, it is hard to give you a firm answer to your second question, but if you have pale skin with mild rosacea, you are probably a great candidate for IPL or a vascular laser like V-beam. Most of us do not have vascular lasers-- they do one thing well, but they're much less versatile than IPL and much more expensive. So we do a lot with IPL. 
Lets clear something up here: Lasers and IPL have a target (or chromophore). We most often talk about "pigment" or "redness" as the targets, but there are others. For you, the target is redness or dilated vessels. "Pigment" generally refers not to redness but brown pigment or melanin in the skin. Lasers that target pigment cannot distinguish between a sun spot and a tan. They all work best when you have light skin. The darker your skin, the more trouble you can get into trying to treat pigment. You'll see many pictures on this site of people who were trying to get rid of brown spots and lightened the entire treatment area. If you are treating redness with IPL, it will also target brown pigment-- something the Vascular lasers do much much less. So, people who have medium or dark skin should definitely seek out a vascular laser for redness. But if you have light skin, IPL is a great tool.
I hope that helps!