Laser Treatment for Rosacea
What laser treatment options are available?
The two most popular laser treatment options are known as:
- Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL)
- Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
This type of procedure is used to treat the persistent redness and dilated blood vessels of the skin, as well as the thickening of the nose and cheeks, that can manifest as part of Rosacea
How much do they cost? How many do I need?
For laser and IPL laser treatment, sessions runs from $300 to $600 apiece.
Effective laser therapy often takes up to 3 treatment sessions, which are spread out apart 6 to 8 weeks.
IPL treatment usually requires an additional 1-2 sessions but are spaced apart every 3 weeks.
It is often necessary to engage in lifelong follow-up treatments as well in order to keep flareups down.
How do these lasers work, exactly?
The laser will emit tiny wavelengths of light which target the blood vessels right below the skin. The heat from this energy is collected in the vessels, and disintegrates them. This is done because swelling of the blood vessels is partially what creates the redness of the face.
Lasers are also used to stop the building up of extra tissue that can create a largeness in the nose and checks.
One thing to note is that these laser technologies will usually cause a temporary bruising of the skin on the face. There are new technologies which do not cause the bruising, however they do not work as well as the others. The bruises last 1 to 2 weeks and then fade away.
Will they cure my Rosacea?
There is unfortunately no straight cure, only treatments, for Rosacea. Virtually all individuals who get Pulse Dye Laser or Intense Pulse Light treatment for Rosacea see some form of improvement. How much depends on many things – your skin type, how advanced Rosacea is, if you’ve been treating it beforehand, and of course, the skill and experience of the doctor performing the laser work!
Comments
Comment from Carita Rayam
Time: January 31, 2010, 9:31 am
I just want to thank you a great deal for this informative blog. I have already bookmarked your webpage, when can free up some time I am going to have to do some extensive browsing of your site. Well back to work with green tea weight loss
Comment from Shawna
Time: April 2, 2010, 11:32 am
Thank you for your help! I’m quite likely to be going in for lasers treatment here in a bit. I hope it helps cure my rosacea.
Comment from Mike H.
Time: April 16, 2010, 12:26 am
I have tried every acne treatment in existence (or so it seems!) and had no luck. Do you think these IPL or PDL laser treatments for rosacea would also help someone who technically doesn’t have rosacea, but just “regular” acne, so to speak?
Comment from Jason Murray
Time: April 20, 2010, 9:15 pm
Whoa, this is pretty awesome stuff. I’ve been diagnosed with rosacea and there’s talk about using these PDL/IPL laser treatments. We’ll see how it goes. It sounds freakin’ painful, which I’m not too excited about. Nevertheless, I’m too excited about these red splotches on my face either, so, lesser of two evils.
Anyhow, sweet blog. Thanks.
Comment from Teresa Ellis
Time: April 21, 2010, 3:25 am
Actually, the most common place you can get acne is the face and neck, BUT – truth be told, you can get acne all over your body, like the arms and back, even your chest. I think most people think of acne as a face thing. A lot can be done by cleaning your face well of dirt and oils. Naturally, I’m guessing after reading this article on laser treatments for rosacea, acne, etc, that laser treatments can do something also for people with simple acne and not necessarily rosacea? Is this true?
Comment from Evan
Time: December 4, 2009, 10:28 pm
Nice blog you have here. I’m always searching online for Acne information and articles that can help me. Thank you for putting this resource together