IS IPL and ResurFX the best treatment for my rosacea, broken thread veins, and acne scarring?

Question

I recently had a consultation for some treatment. I have rosacea and broken thread veins on my cheeks and nose and acne scarring in the chin and jawline. He recommended 5 treatments of IPL and 3-5 treatments of ResurFX. The IPL is £600 and the ResurFX £300-500. I wanted to ask if this sounds like the rest approach. Would. IPL alone help with my quite minimal acne scars?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Our office has many different treatments for acne scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Acne 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 acne 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 acne scars and indented acne 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 acne 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

Glenn Murray, MBBS · Answer

IPL is an effective treatment of rosacea and broken veins however generally the broken veins will return so you will need to have maintenance treatments as needed. In our clinic we also offer Kleresca which has proven benefits for acne, rosacea increasing collagen and elastin. This helps to reduce the acne scarring as well as the redness. IPL will only improve scarring a little and full resurfacing is the best option for this.
 
  
Warm Regards,
  
Dr Glenn Murray, Absolute Cosmetic Medicine

Robert S. Schmidt, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. IPL works well for the background redness of rosacea and it also works well for broken blood vessels. There are other lasers out there that would work for the vessels (Nd:Yag comes to mind) but IPL will have an effect. In our practice we start with a series of 3 and go from there. Nonablative resurfacing lasers like ResurFx can do very well with acne scarring, and are safe for use in people with darker skin. IPL will not have an effect on acne scarring; it has to do with the physics of how the light works. You need something that will stimulate collagen regrowth and IPL alone won't do that. Sounds like you got good advice from your doctor. Good luck!

Shaun Patel, MD · Answer

IPL will help with facial redness but will not do much for acne scars. Without seeing a photo or evaluating you in person, it's hard to recommend a treatment for acne scars although fractionated lasers like ResurFX do help in certain cases.

IS IPL and ResurFX the best treatment for my rosacea, broken thread veins, and acne scarring?

Answers (4)

Answer: IPL for facial redness

Answer: IPL for facial redness

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IS IPL and ResurFX the best treatment for my rosacea, broken thread veins, and acne scarring?

Answers (4)

Answer: IPL for facial redness

Answer: IPL for facial redness

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Everything you need to know about IPL

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.