Vascular and Pigmentation Lasers

Red blood vessels, flushing and brown age and sun spots are now able to be erased with the Gemini and VBeam lasers.

What conditions can be treated with vascular laser?

Facial blood vessels and birthmarks such as port wine stains and strawberry haemangioma are commonly treated with laser, as are brown sun spots and age spots.  Freckles are also treatable with laser. Blood vessels on the legs are usually treated more successfully with sclerotherapy injections than with laser. Moles are not lasered.

Another condition that is often treated with this laser is poikiloderma of Civatte: a condition involving the mottling of the skin (usually the neck and décolletage) due to the proliferation of blood vessels. The skin appears both brown from the mottling and ruddy from the visible blood vessels. The onset of this condition is best prevented by avoiding exposure to the sun. Other treatments may be used as alternatives to laser therapy, or as adjunct treatments. These include bleaching creams and vitamin K-based creams.

Laser systems

Early medical lasers varied considerably, however rapid advances in laser technology mean today's machines are safe, faster and vastly more effective.

The procedure

A local anaesthetic is applied thickly to the area 30-40 minutes prior to treatment and covered with cling wrap. This numbs the area. Safety glasses will be used during the procedure. The initial treatment session may be devoted to testing the skin and assessing it's response to different laser settings.

A number of treatments may be required to fade blood vessels and birthmarks and treatments are usually spaced four weeks apart. Some birthmarks may fade but not be completely erased by the laser.

Brown marks and freckles usually require just one treatment. The darker they are, the more successful the treatment.

What to expect following treatment

The treated area is often swollen for several days following treatment. Some scabbingand even blistering may be seen.

The healing process

Ice packs should be applied to the areas for the first 48 hours, and antiseptic cream may be applied twice daily. Vigorous cleansing or rubbing of the area should be avoided if scabs have formed. Scabs usually last around a week; however it is permissible to wear make-up and an SPF 30+ sunscreen. It is important to avoid sunlight or solariums in the healing phase.