Anti-Redness & Rosacea Therapy

We’ll use lasers and pulsed light to improve and potentially eliminate those superficial blood vessels and the blotchy redness from your face, neck and chest.  These devices use intense light energy that passes safely through the top layer of skin and is then absorbed and carried by red blood cells inside the vessels. The light energy is changed into heat which then ‘zaps’ and removes the vessels and redness without harming the surrounding skin.

Pulsed light machines are recommended for full face, neck, or chest treatments. We use the Nd:YAG laser for targeted treatment of more stubborn vessels.  You can be seen right in our Frederick, Maryland office for excellent results!

We’ll see you for a series of sessions during which our physician assistant pulses over the target area with the laser or pulsed light hand piece.

The time for each treatment depends on how much surface area is being treated. Treatment for your nose, for example, takes five minutes. Treatment for your entire face takes about thirty minutes.

You may experience mild discomfort in the form of a very quick hot tingle. The sensation is very tolerable, and numbing creams are not necessary.

The areas that you have treated will quickly become red and slightly swollen, like a hive or bug bite. Make-up can be applied immediately after treatments to camouflage redness.  The swelling resolves gradually in a few hours to a few days.

Pigmented growths like age spots may become darker and may peel during the first week. Many of the blood vessels are closed (invisible) immediately after treatment. Over the following four to six weeks the vessels start to heal and red lines may reappear. A series of treatments is necessary for permanent removal.

We’ll wait four to six weeks between your treatments to allow complete healing of the injured vessels.

Most patients will achieve satisfactory long term removal or lightening of vessels with just three treatments. Patients with very thick, long-standing, or dense mesh-like vessels can require more.

Once a vessel is fully treated, it will not return. You will develop new vessels slowly over time at the same rate as before treatment. Some patients prefer to return as often as every six months for maintenance. Other patients prefer to wait a few years before a touch-up treatment.

Tip:  Your results will last longer if you use sunscreens with UVA/UVB filters DAILY.  Click here to purchase our favorite SkinMedica sunscreens.

• You may experience bruising only if you’re on blood thinners or if you have thin skin.  This dark purple spotting resolves slowly over one to two weeks
• If you have numerous vessels treated under the eyes you may experience five to ten days of lower eyelid edema (puffiness)
• There are rare reports of blistering, scabbing, and scarring
• Pigment changes such as hyperpigmentation (darkening) and hypopigmentation (lightening) are rare
• Occasionally, very thick vessels will not respond or will leave a temporary shallow crease when removed
• Some hair reduction may occur in the treated areas

As with any medical or surgical treatment, there is always the chance of unforeseen consequences.

• Avoid tanning and you’ll reduce the risk of blistering and pigment abnormalities to less than one percent
• Start treatments when your skin is at its palest
• Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen products, vitamin E, and herbal remedies one week before your treatment in order to avoid the possibility of bruising
• Contact your physician immediately if you get a blister after treatment. Proper management of blisters is essential to prevent scarring