Do NOT Try VBeam on Your Chest!!

A comment I left on a VBeam Q/A thread has gotten some attention and there are women out there suffering from the same result after VBeam who have asked how my chest is looking after my adverse reaction so I wanted to add a full review/story with pictures in hopes it helps others!

My trusted Dermatologist, Nurse Practitioner and Aesthetician recommended VBeam for some broken capillaries on my face and a few Angioma's on my chest. The nurse practitioner administered the treatment. It felt like a rubber band was snapped onto the treated areas. It stung considerably and brought a tear to my eye, but was not super painful and did not linger. I was shocked at how my skin looked, I was not prepared for the dark spots that appeared so quickly – they looked like bruises and the surrounding skin was VERY pink. I was assured this was normal and would go away and was given post procedure instructions and a post procedure cream to apply (Avene Cicalfate.)

My face healed as planned very quickly and VBeam WAS successful in removing the broken capillaries around my nose, but after 6 months, my chest was still not healed 100% and we agreed that I had a very adverse reaction to the VBeam (which has since been ruled out for use on the chest.) As you will see in the pictures, once healed, I was left with hypopigmentation where the cherry angioma’s once were… it almost looks like scars. The skin is perfectly smooth, not scarred at all, it is just completely absent of pigment. I traveled quite a bit in 2018 and while I planned to be careful with SPF, shade and clothing, I did not want to risk another adverse reaction during events and trips, so we waited until winter 2018 to begin a follow up treatment series with IPL laser to address the hypopigmentation left by VBeam. The plan was to address the freckles and redness around the hypopigmented spots, in hopes to make them LESS noticeable and blend/smooth the skin a bit better.

The same doctor’s office and Nurse Practitioner, who graciously took ownership of my reaction and handled this very professionally, offered to administer this IPL series free of cost in an effort to make my chest look normal again. We began in December of 2018 with testing a VERY small, inconspicuous area on my chest at the LOWEST setting on IPL and I noticed VERY little improvement. We then scheduled the first treatment (at that same setting) the following week in December of 2018 and I noticed very little improvement, if any, which I was fine with. I’d rather go slow than rush and risk damaging my skin again. The second treatment was scheduled in January of 2019 and we noticed a FAINT improvement. I am scheduled for my third treatment in March and am hopeful we are on the right track. I will do my best to check in periodically and update this post! Don’t hesitate to comment and remind me.

Bottom line, FIRST I would recommend getting MULTIPLE opinions when considering something like laser. Be sure you feel comfortable with your doctor and are not rushed. Educate yourself. Look at all the good reviews and the bad. Talk to your doctor and show them the bad reviews and ask them if they have ever had anyone have a bad reaction with the product or treatment you plan to use.

Outside of that, I would NOT advise VBeam on the chest. And for ANY laser, I would start at the LOWEST setting or even better, ask for a test area consultation before scheduling the first full treatment. It cannot hurt.

Will add more with 2018 and current images.

Updating to include pictures from VBeam recovery to post procedure and up until now. I am currently in the process of trying IPL to even out my skin tone surrounding the hypo pigmentation left by VBeam.