Since mid-eighties many dermatologists throughout the world have been using laser treatment for rosacea – a hideous skin disease often encountered by people of the age group between thirties to sixties. Various laser therapies are in use to heal a number of symptoms associated with rosacea. Rosacea is mainly characterized by red vascular lesions (also known as telangiectasias), flushing and redness of the facial area, and rhinophyma or swelling of the nose. All of these traumatic manifestations could be effectively treated with a proper laser therapy.
How Laser Works
Laser treatment for rosacea mainly follows the principle of selective thermolysis. The light energy of the laser is aimed at the affected area, namely the blood vessels or more specifically the content of the blood vessels. Through a noninvasive manner the vascular lesions are removed by destroying them. This unique procedure would not create any collateral damage to the external skin surface. In some cases where the tissues are puffed up due to the accumulation of fluid at the rosacea site, laser therapy is used to vaporize the tissue so that shape of the deformed affected area could be remodeled and the natural look of the organ could be restored successfully. The effectivity of the laser treatment entirely depends on the nature and location of the damaged area, which helps the laser surgeon to choose the appropriate laser technique for a particular patient.
Types of Laser
Nowadays various types of lasers are used to treat rosacea. The principal laser techniques employed in this purpose are:
1) Pulsed dye yellow laser
2) Intense pulsed light source]
3) C02 laser Pulsed Dye Laser
For years experts are using this laser treatment for rosacea. Pulsed dye laser is found to be effective for alleviating some of the common rosacea symptoms like flushing, redness of the skin, visible blood vessels, etc. Through a study it has been revealed that rosacea patients treated with this laser have experienced significant improvements. After two treatments it has been found that the redness of skin is decreased by 40 to 60% while other symptoms like flushing, inflammation, itching, dryness, swelling, sensitivity, etc. also found to be improved to a large extent. Although with pulsed dye laser you might achieve highest degree of success at your neck and facial area, while the torso and areas at the extremities do not usually show much improvement with this technique. This method is safe and imposes minimum risk of having a scar or discoloration. Some advanced models utilize a dynamic cooling system to minimize pain and epidermal damage. It has been found that light skinned people respond more quickly and successfully to this laser therapy as for them the light energy pierces deeply through the skin.
Intense Pulsed Light
This FDA approved advanced laser treatment for rosacea uses a non-laser light source. Intense pulsed light laser is extremely useful in treating some frequent signs of rosacea which include:
• Expanded blood vessels on the facial area
• Long lasting redness of skin
• Frequent flushing
• Pimples and other flare-ups like acne
Although many dermatologists believe that this advanced laser technique is extremely effective in treating rosacea, however, it is not suitable for all patients. As further research is still going on we might predict that this method could become an usher in rosacea treatment.
C02 Laser
This laser treatment method is best for removing excess tissue from bulge areas like swollen nose, thereby correcting the contour of the area. Whole healing process usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks. This treatment method is risk free and quite effective in rosacea treatment.
Things to Consider Before Going for Laser Treatment
If you are thinking of laser therapy as the best option for rosacea, then a few points are needed to keep in mind:
- It is not any permanent solution. Laser treatment for rosacea is meant for mitigating the hideous symptoms for a longer period. But in any case you need to visit a doctor on regular basis to control the triggering factors of this skin disease.
- Make sure that you are fit for laser therapy. If you have suntan or any other ailments like clotting disorder, tendency to develop keloids, insulin-dependent diabetes, or if you have undergone isotretinoin treatment recently then you should not go for laser treatment.
- An expert dermatologist and laser surgeon could help you to choose the best treatment option. A veteran doctor of the concerned field would be able to diagnose your case properly and suggest you the appropriate laser treatment.
Side Effects
Immediately after the treatment with pulsed dye laser patients might experience crusting and grayish spots on the affected areas which could be treated successfully. Intense pulsed light laser might inflict mild side effects like temporary erythema and crusting. Although C02 laser is not known to cause any harm, however, over treatment or inefficient treatment could lead to destruction of nostrils and unwanted deformation. With the advancement of science and technology hopefully one day laser treatment for rosacea would come of age to be regarded as the best treatment option for giving you relief from this terrible skin disorder permanently.
