ROSACEA TREATMENT

Rosacea is the presence of small, widened blood vessels in the skin. They are usually found in the cheeks and on the nose.

The redness will initially appear occasionally, e.g. when drinking alcohol, during physical exertion, in warm spaces or if you are feeling nervous. Next, the blood vessels will permanently expand, which sometimes results in clearly visible lines or stars, and give the skin a lasting redness. Later, infections may occur that appear similar to acne.

Until now, there was never a truly good treatment for rosacea, although it was (and is) possible to keep the problem under control somewhat by gently cleaning the skin and using soothing and/or camouflaging creams. Avoiding certain factors, e.g. heat, the sun, alcohol, stress, spices and some vasodilating medication is also recommended in order to stimulate the blood vessels as little as possible.

TREATMENT WITH THE VASCULAR LASER
Recently, lasers were developed that selectively destroy the blood vessels in the skin without damaging the skin itself. The laser beam penetrates the skin to the level of the blood vessels, where the energy is absorbed by the red colourant in the blood cells and turned into heat that then destroys the blood vessel. The dilated blood vessels will disappear without damaging the surrounding skin structures.

Laser treatments are easy, quick and come with minimal side-effects. The laser calculates the required amount of energy and shines a beam of light on the skin. Some patients may experience a tingling sensation. Due to the heat, the treated areas will temporarily show some redness that may last anywhere from several hours to a few days. This effect can be camouflaged with makeup. There is no need to take time off work.

RESULTS
The treatment will show results after two weeks: the visible blood vessels are entirely gone. By destroying the expanded blood vessels, the redness of the skin will begin to fade after two to three treatments, each with an interval of four to five weeks. If the rosacea should return after a number of years, it is possible to undergo similar treatment again.

Other forms of dilated blood vessels, e.g. spider naevi (star-shaped dilated blood vessels in the face), cherry angioma (red dots all over the body) and port-wine stains can be successfully treated with this laser method.

AM I ELIGIBLE?
Anyone who wishes to remove unattractive, small, dilated and superficial blood vessels in their skin is eligible for this laser treatment. Patients with a lighter skin colour will experience the best results.