(slow piano music)
- In this video, I'm going to be talking about
vascular laser treatments.
Firstly I'd like to describe what a vascular problem is.
Vascular problems can occur in many different forms.
Usually we treat those on the head and neck.
A common example would be broken capillaries on the cheeks
or on the nose and these are really superficial
blood vessels which are visible to the naked eye.
Often the underlying cause of these blood vessels
is a condition called rosacea,
or it can simply be due to chronic sun exposure.
Another vascular concern
that we commonly see is poikiloderma.
Which a red brown discoloration on the side of the neck.
Again this is most commonly caused by sun damage.
Other vascular problems that we commonly treat here
are port-wine stains which are red colored birth marks.
Usually occurring on the face
and these also treated with vascular lasers.
With modern lasers we're able to treat
a lot of these vascular problems
quite effectively and safely.
We often use lasers such as the Gemini Laser
which are attracted to vascular structures in the skin.
And not attracted to normal skin structures.
So we're able to specifically target
vascular problems in the skin.
For example, a little blood vessel running across the cheek.
We can actually target that without
affecting the normal skin or causing any problems
in the normal skin.
These vascular lasers work by emitting a very specific
wave length of light that is highly attracted to blood.
But mainly attracted to other structures in the skin.
So we're able to pick up
specifically certain vascular problems in the skin
and leave the normal skin alone.
The laser will essentially heat the blood vessel,
shut it down and you can see this immediately
during the procedure.
And the normal skin surrounding that
will be left unaffected.
When you come in for your first consultation,
your doctor will take a history from you
and ask you questions surrounding the concern that you have.
These may relate to your past medical history
or medications that you might be on.
As these might be the underlying cause
of your particular vascular problem.
It's also important to make an assessment
of your skincare regime.
So please bring in your skin care regime
or at least write it down.
So we can actually help assess if these products
are making your skin condition better or worse.
Your doctor will need to examine your skin quite carefully
and if you're wearing makeup.
We'll need to remove this makeup for you
and have a look at the skin.
Usually under some magnification to see
what sort of concerns there might be there.
Once a proper diagnosis has been made we can then
determine whether you'll be suitable for treatment or not.
There are some conditions which cause redness of the face
that are not necessarily related to underlying vascularity.
For example, keratosis pilaris rubra is a skin condition
which is not readily treated with vascular lasers.
However conditions like broken blood vessels,
redness of the neck due to poikiloderma
and other vascular conditions are readily treated
with vascular lasers.
Although the thought of being treated with a laser
can sound a bit scary.
Vascular laser treatment is actually a very controlled
and relatively comfortable treatment.
Which produces excellent results.
The first step of the procedure may involve
but not necessarily involve.
The application of numbing cream.
It really depends on the patient's preference
as well as the severity of the problem we're treating.
The numbing cream helps to numb any sensation
that you might have feel from the laser.
Laser treatment feels like a bit of a hot
and prickly sensation on the skin.
It might be like when you're cooking
and you might get a bit of oil onto your skin.
It might have that a similar sort of sensation.
The laser is fired over the areas concerned
and the operator usually has magnification on
as well as protective eye goggles.
And they're able to see the effect of the laser on the skin
in real time as they're doing it.
Other than numbing cream, we have a lot of techniques
to help reduce any discomfort.
And one of the main techniques is skin cooling.
So either the tip of the laser hand piece will be chilled
or you may have a hose that you hold to blow cold air
over the treatment area.
Now cooling the area has a lot of benefits
other than the reduction of any discomfort.
It also helps to protect the epidermis
or the top layer of skin while the laser
penetrates through that and hits the target
just under the skin.
So you're protecting normal skin at the same time.
In regards to the treatment itself.
There are a couple ways to address the particular concern.
If there are just a few little broken capillaries.
It's possible to use to very small laser beam
and just trace over these capillaries.
Like connecting the dots really.
This has virtually no down time
and has very little discomfort associated with it.
For more widespread vascular problems
such as widespread redness of the cheeks.
Either due to broken capillaries or due to say a birth mark.
Often it's necessary to use a slightly larger laser beam
and stamp over the area in a systematic pattern.
Now this does hurt a little bit more
and can cause more down time
and swelling after the procedure.
After the procedure, what you may expect is a degree
of warmth in the face.
And we help to combat this with some either ice towels
or a cooling device or some cold air blown over the face.
And usually after a few minutes it subsides.
There may be a mild sunburn like appearance which persists
for 24 hours or longer.
Swelling is quite a common side effect that occurs
after the procedure and something that we expect.
The degree of which can vary from just minimal swelling
or no swelling to a large amount of swelling
from more aggressive treatments.
In the case of a very aggressive treatment.
You may find that swelling occurs at the point
where your eyes become swollen over
and you look a bit bee stung.
And the best way to treat this is by sleeping
at a 45 degree angle or in a more of an upright angle.
Often this takes about four days to subside.
Also there's a degree of redness after procedure
and this will depend on the severity
of the procedure as well.
For small procedures, the redness maybe last a couple hours
and for larger ones.
You may have a couple of days of redness.
Occasionally if you are prone to sun spots or freckles.
These may become slightly darker for up to a week
after procedure and sometimes may come off.
If you experience any blistering or scabbing of the skin.
Please give us a call to see whether it's normal
or not in your situation.
If you experience any pain
or discomfort after the procedure.
Please contact us as this is not a normal side effect.
In regards to the number of treatments
we perform for each condition.
This will vary and will depend on the person
and their circumstances.
For broken capillaries, often two or three treatments
are required to get an even result.
The capillaries around the nose can often be very stubborn
or problematic and may require multiple treatments.
At times, they do not disappear after multiple treatments.
And this maybe due to an underlying problem say hay fever
where you're blowing your nose a lot
or whether there's a underlying blood vessel which is
causing these capillaries around the nose.
Generally we require treatment intervals
to be around one month apart but no shorter.
Some vascular conditions such as port-wine stains
may require up to 23 months
and even after that time may not fully resolve.
Complications can occur with vascular laser treatments.
Although with proper patient selection
and also settings of the laser.
These are rare.
I'll briefly go through these complications with you now
and these are not intended to alarm you.
But just to inform you of the possibilities before you
decide whether you undertake the procedure or not.
One of the unusual complications that occurs is infection
of the skin after treatment.
This can be due to a reactivation of herpes simplex virus,
cold sores say around the mouth
or in the other areas of the face.
If you have a history of cold sores or herpes simplex.
Please inform your doctor and often we are able to prescribe
prophylactic medication to help prevent these outbreaks.
Skin reactions can also occur after the procedure.
These may occur more commonly in people
with very sensitive skin
and may appear to be like a rash
or sort of a breakout after the procedure.
Darkening of the skin is a complication that can occur
after the vascular laser treatment.
It usually occurs in those with olive or darker skins
or those people who have active tans.
So if you do have an active tan,
it maybe worth while delaying treatment until such a time
where your skin lost its tan.
Darken of the skin post laser treatment is a problem
that is readily treated with lightening serums.
And usually goes after some months.
Lightening of the skin after laser treatment
is a rarer complication and usually indicates
some sort of scarring.
To put things in perspective,
scarring is extremely rare complication
and something we don't generally see here.
So after your laser treatment.
It's important that you look after your skin properly
to get the best results and to minimize complications.
Usually we ask you to put some sort of cream on the face.
Whether it be some pantone cream,
which is simply nappy rash cream
or some sort of enriched moisturizer.
It's important to stay out of the sun
and wear sunscreen on a daily basis.
Vascular lasers are highly effective and can significantly
reduce any redness or vascular problem of the face and neck.
(slow piano music)