Vascular laser unpacked.
There are a lot of terms when treating the skin from ingredients to devices, to conditions. It can be difficult to know what you need, how to use it, and what to expect. We will be unpacking all things vascular laser, what it is doing, what it treats, and the expectations after your treatment.
How does it work?
Our laser device applies laser energy that is absorbed by your blood vessels and converted to heat which contracts and eventually eliminates them. As your skin heats up, we need to cool it down, our laser has an in-built cryogen cooling system to cool your skin as we work.
What does it treat?
We can treat the following, but not limited to:
Redness
Rosacea associated redness
Facial flushing
Telangiectasias (spider veins on the face most commonly cheeks and nose, legs, cheeks, etc)
Cherry angiomas
Port wine stains
Acne scars
Venus Lake
Do I need this laser?
Not all redness or flushing or even scarring needs to be treated unless it bothers you then we are here to help! Before coming into the clinic a lot of clients like to do research and figure out what treatment they may need but the best and easiest way possible to decide what treatment you need is to book a consultation. If you are a current client and are not sure if you need it please get in contact or mention it at your next appointment.
Our clients who have had the vascular laser so far have had tremendous results, especially those with rosacea, acne scarring, facial flushing, and Telangiectasias.
Expectations during vascular laser treatment:
At the beginning of the treatment, we will thoroughly examine your skin and determine the laser we will be doing, as well as explain the treatment from start to finish and all the associated feelings, expectations, and downtime. You will have a full cleanse and removal of makeup, if necessary. We will place laser eye shields over your eyes as protection and begin to use the laser. The laser itself feels warm, however, with the built-in cooling system, the laser released bursts of cryogen to cool your skin as the laser moves which can be a bit startling but does not hurt. We don’t want to give you false expectations in terms of pain, we like to refer to laser as feeling “bitey”, it can definitely be uncomfortable but is different for everyone, it is also over within about 10 minutes!
Downtime:
ALL clients respond differently to laser however it is considered a normal response to see:
Heat - skin feeling warm
Swelling
Itchiness
Bruising
Scabbing
Please note that the majority of our clients do not have any response whatsoever, however, depending on what’s treated some responses are more likely than others. We will let you know your individual expectations at that time.
We always recommend avoiding active ingredients (AHAs, BHAs, Retinoids) for at least 5 days post laser, sleeping upright at a 45-degree angle if you are prone to swelling, and can ice your face if it feels warm. All of which we tell you in your appointment.