I've had two (very spread apart) treatments with the V-Beam for redness on my nose, cheeks, and chin. It seems like every time I go in for treatment in the morning, my face is less red than normal. My doctor has tried non-purpuric treatments both times. Can I get more aggressive with this laser? Is there a specialist I can see? And should I be maximizing the redness before my procedure?
October 3, 2011
Answer: Vbeam better for telangiectasias that diffuse redness
There can be several reasons you are still persistently red after several treatments: thn e settings weren't high enough, the cause of redness hasn't been dealt with, or you don't have enough redness to get a good response from the laser. In my experience, the Vbeam is excellent for telangiectasias (broken capillaries) on the face but is isn't as effective at removing background redness. Redness or erythema is a reactive process, meaning it is in response to something. In order to cure redness or improve it considerably, the underlying cause of the redness must be addressed. Causes of redness can be medication (in particular, blood pressure medication), foods, infection, sunlight, heat, and hormonal changes to name a few. On the other hand, broken capillaries are a fixed structure in the skin and can be easily treated. They are not a reactive process.
But, having said all of this, I find that the Vbeam is amazing at improving the texture of the skin, improving pore size, and giving the skin an overall smoother appearance. In some cases it does improve ruddiness/redness when the redness is due to accumulation of bacteria in the pores. The improvement occurs because the cause of the redness has been addressed as the laser heats up and destroys the bacteria within the pores.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
October 3, 2011
Answer: Vbeam better for telangiectasias that diffuse redness
There can be several reasons you are still persistently red after several treatments: thn e settings weren't high enough, the cause of redness hasn't been dealt with, or you don't have enough redness to get a good response from the laser. In my experience, the Vbeam is excellent for telangiectasias (broken capillaries) on the face but is isn't as effective at removing background redness. Redness or erythema is a reactive process, meaning it is in response to something. In order to cure redness or improve it considerably, the underlying cause of the redness must be addressed. Causes of redness can be medication (in particular, blood pressure medication), foods, infection, sunlight, heat, and hormonal changes to name a few. On the other hand, broken capillaries are a fixed structure in the skin and can be easily treated. They are not a reactive process.
But, having said all of this, I find that the Vbeam is amazing at improving the texture of the skin, improving pore size, and giving the skin an overall smoother appearance. In some cases it does improve ruddiness/redness when the redness is due to accumulation of bacteria in the pores. The improvement occurs because the cause of the redness has been addressed as the laser heats up and destroys the bacteria within the pores.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful