Cosmetic Dermatologist Serving Chula Vista, Coronado & surrounding areas of San Diego, California.

What Can the Candela Vbeam Pulsed Dye Laser Treat?

The Vbeam laser treats anything that’s the color red. By zeroing in on the small inflamed or broken vessels in your skin, Vbeam laser treatments will help you have more even skin color.

The typical targets of Vbeam laser treatments are:

  • Rosacea – helps seal off spider veins to control flushing and redness
  • Facial veins – dissipates enlarged or broken veins on the cheeks and around the nose
  • Darker and deeper facial veins – goes after even dark and blue veins
  • Scars – takes the red out of acne scars, injury scars or red surgical scars making them less noticeable
  • Red birthmarks – hemangiomas and port wine stains
  • Angiomas – removes the tiny “drops of red” that can appear anywhere on the body and often trouble women on their chest.
  • Poikiloderma of Civatte – diminishes uneven coloring of the neck
  • Venous lakes – helps shrink this dark blue vascular “bubble” on the lip, face or ear.
  • Warts and non cancerous growths
  • Active Acne

What Is Pulsed Dye Laser?

The pulsed dye laser produces an intensive but gentle burst of laser light at a certain frequency that is absorbed by blood vessels and not by the skin. In this way, the laser does not damage the skin and only destroys the excess vessels underneath the skin, thus reducing the risk of scarring or need for surface healing.

How The Pulsed Dye Laser Works

The laser delivers an intense but gentle burst of yellow light to your skin. The light is specifically absorbed by the blood vessels in the dermis. When the blood vessels are heated, they coagulate and are then reabsorbed by your body during the natural healing process.

Is the Treatment Safe?

Yes. In fact, pulsed dye laser treatment is so safe that is has been used successfully for the treatment of port wine stains in infants and young children. The top layer of your skin, the epidermis, is protected during your treatment by Candela’s unique dynamic cooling device, DCD™, which sprays a cooling mist onto your skin before each laser pulse, increasing your comfort.

What Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment Involves

  • You’ll wear special safety goggles to protect your eyes from the laser light during treatment.
  • A small hand piece will be placed against your skin by our Laser Specialist to deliver the laser energy.
  • A quick burst of cooling mist will be felt prior to each laser pulse.

Is the Treatment Painful?

Some patients may feel a slight discomfort associated with the laser pulse. This feeling has been described as the snapping of a rubber band on the skin. This minimal discomfort is decreased further by Candela’s cooling cryogen.

If you are having a first treatment or are anxious or particularly sensitive, a topical anesthetic cream may be used prior to treatment.

The Vbeam is a nonablative laser. Nonablative lasers do not cut, burn or harm the surface layer of your skin, but instead work “underneath” the skin surface.

What Precautions Should Be Taken with Dye Laser Treatment?

Dr. Fitzgerald recommends that you avoid sun exposure before and throughout the course of the treatment. A sun block (SPF 30 or above) should be used. The post-treatment care needed depends on what lesion was treated. Our Laser Specialist will explain any after-care that might be needed. Some facial swelling may be noted from 1 to 2 days following treatment when treated around the eyes. There are rare patients that experience swelling for up to a week.

Does Vbeam Require Aftercare?

You may have to take a little extra care of your skin after your Vbeam treatments. If you develop side effects like swelling, redness, or skin discoloration (laser bruise), they should resolve over the course of about one week. To manage them, you can apply cold compresses to the skin for 10 minutes at a time. You can repeat this up to every hour.

It is also helpful to sleep with your head elevated for two to three nights if yu had treatments on your face. Doing so can help reduce the severity of post-treatment swelling. If you develop crusting or scabbing, refrain from rubbing or picking. Allow the loose skin to fall off naturally. Until it does, focus on keeping the tissue moisturized.

How Many Treatment Sessions Are Required?

Your provider will discuss the recommended number of treatments for your condition after they perform their comprehensive consultation and examination. Some conditions improve significantly after just one or two Vbeam treatments, whereas some other conditions may require three to five sessions for full resolution.

Are There Any Risks to Getting Vbeam Laser Treatment?

The Vbeam laser process is very safe and effective. In fact, this laser technology is so gentle and controlled that it is used to treat port-wine stains and other conditions affecting infants and children! Like all laser treatments, Vbeam laser should be performed by an adequately trained, experienced technician. It is important to be very familiar with the device and its technology as well as the way it will affect the skin.

Our laser team members are are not just “operators”. Everyone in our practice is experienced at expert levels. If you have questions about Vbeam treatment and what to expect, please do not hesitate to ask us! We want you to have the full amount of information you need to feel confident in your choice of treatment.

How Do I Know I Qualify for Treatment?

You will know if the Vbeam laser treatment is right for you after you consult with one of our board certified dermatologists about your condition, concerns, and treatment goals. The Vbeam is highly effective and is considered extraordinarily safe for the treatment of several conditions, including visible blood vessels, birthmarks, and rosacea.

Factors including your age, the location of the affected skin, and the severity of your condition are incorporated when determining the best treatment approach. All viable options will be discussed at that time.

For more information about the Vbeam for enhancing your skin, please call 619-426-9600 or you can email us at frontdesk@drrullan.com