Which is better to reduce facial redness: V Beam or IPL? (Photos)

Question

My face has slightly red/pink pigmentation, I flush very easily, etc. wanting to know which is the best option to reduce redness.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Vbeam laser is an excellent modality for patients who have rosacea, blushing of the skin, facial and body telangiectasia, spider veins, redness, post surgical redness, and skin flushing. It is a safe procedure that can be used at varying depths to help treat micro blood vessels in the skin. We also use it in our office for facial skin inflammation, keloids, and hypertrophic scarring. It is an important part of scar therapy. Vbeam can be combined with chemical peels and other lasers, but experience with the treatment is essential. The Vbeam laser does not affect deeper tissue. Schedule a consultation with an expert in Vbeam and you will find it to be an excellent modality for many skin types. 
 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Gerard Nat, MD · Answer

VBeam is superior for reducing and eliminating redness from capillaries too close to the surface of the skin.  The heat light and energy of the laser drives the blood vessel back down into the mid-dermis where it belongs and they will not be visible anymore.  It's a 20 minute treatment, after which you may experience redness, puffiness and tenderness of the treated skin for 1-3 days.  It's critical to wear a sunscreen for at least 30 days after the treatment, as your skin will be a little more susceptible to picking up the rays of the sun. We have been treating patients with this type of concern for 18 years and the Vbeam is a consistent winner that effectively solves this problem.

Jared Mallalieu, DO · Answer

Facial redness is caused by small blood vessels in the skin. If the vessel is large enough to see the outline, I prefer the #Vbeam laser. If the issue is more of a background pink/red hue of the skin the IPL (I actually prefer Sciton's #BBL) is a better option. In many cases I will use both during the same treatment. Neither #LASER should cause any downtime, maybe a bit of bruising with the V Beam. Best of luck, Dr. M

Manjula Jegasothy, MD · Answer

The VBeam® lasers treats redness/flushing/broken capillaries specifically, while IPL addresses those and certain types of brown pigmentation as well.

Which is better to reduce facial redness: V Beam or IPL? (Photos)

Answers (4)