LASER VASCULAR TREATMENTS
How does laser treat blood vessels?
Similar to the mechanism of laser hair reduction, the pigment in blood is the target of our laser. The laser light passes through the upper layers of skin until it reaches the target. Without damaging the surrounding skin, the laser’s intense light is absorbed by the targeted blood cells in the blood vessel. The light energy is then converted to heat which rapidly breaks down the blood cells and creates a clot within the blood vessel. This starts the process of eliminating the vein. The treated vessel will gradually fade or get smaller. In many cases, smaller vessels are eliminated in 1 to 2 treatments. Medium or larger vessels may take additional treatments.
What areas can be treated?
Laser treatment can be utilised for small facial areas, the entire face or anywhere on the surface of the body with small vessels. Individual vessels can be targeted or a full face treatment can be performed.
Many people suffer from larger “broken capillaries” on their nose and cheeks and will have medium and smaller vessels on other facial areas. A full-face treatment will improve the overall facial appearance by creating a more uniform skin colour.
What happens in a laser vessel treatment?
Treatments on the face, chest, neck, hands, legs, and abdomen are all done safely and quickly with laser.
A full-face treatment typically takes around 20 to 40 minutes. Smaller areas, such as the nose, can be treated in 15 minutes.
In some cases a topical anaesthetic cream is first applied to numb the treatment area. For a short period of time following treatment, a cold compress may be applied to soothe the possible appearance of slight swelling or redness of the skin.
How many treatments are required?
During your consultation, your skin’s condition will be evaluated and a customised treatment program will be discussed. In some cases, only 1 or 2 treatments may be necessary to yield the desired result. However, in some cases, 3 to 5 or more treatments may be required to achieve the expected results.
The number of treatment sessions will depend on the type of veins to be treated, the location of the veins and their size and colour. In many cases, it is recommended that treatments applied to the face be repeated at 3 to 4 week intervals. The time intervals of your treatments will be determined during the consultation, where many of these issues and concerns may be addressed.
Are there any side effects?
Side effects are uncommon. Immediately following treatment, the skin may appear a little swollen, flushed, brown-pigmented spots may appear darker, and capillaries may be more visible. Note that the treated vessels may disappear initially or become darker first and then resolve.
The following photographs show the resolution of a cherry angioma with our Fotona laser.
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To find out more about these procedures, go to our Contact page to send cosmetic MD an email or call us to organise a consultation.
