About this treatment
What causes visible blood vessels and couperose?
A network of blood vessels runs beneath the skin. Weather, stress, heat, hormonal fluctuations, alcohol or a hereditary predisposition can widen them. Sometimes the vessels lose their elasticity and stay permanently open: visible veins on the cheeks, around the nose or on the décolleté, or a diffuse redness. We call that couperose; rosacea adds an inflammatory component.
What is rosacea, and does it differ from couperose?
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that goes further than visible blood vessels. Alongside widened vessels and persistent redness, flare-ups with bumps or pimples can occur, often on the cheeks, the nose, the chin and the forehead. Couperose refers mainly to the visible vessels and redness; rosacea also involves an inflammatory component. The photofacial and the Nd:YAG laser address the vessel dilation and the redness first; the inflammatory component of rosacea sometimes calls for additional medical treatment. Read more about our rosacea treatment.
How do we treat it?
We work with the photofacial (IPL): an intense light pulse aimed at the red blood cells in the capillaries. The vessel heats from within and seals shut, while the surrounding skin is spared. For deeper or larger vessels we also use the Nd:YAG laser, which reaches the deeper skin layers. The treatment takes 20 to 40 minutes. After the session the skin may be slightly red and a little swollen; this usually fades within 1 to 2 days.
How many sessions, and how long does it last?
For fine, superficial vessels one session is often enough. For more extensive couperose or rosacea we advise 2 to 3 sessions, 4 to 6 weeks apart. The treated vessels do not return; the body can form new ones over the years. A yearly maintenance session and daily SPF 50 keep the result stable.
