Most effective lasers for facial veins / broken capillaries

Dear Dr I, Thank you for maintaining such a great informative website. Since discovering your site a few years ago, my skin has gone from strength to strength - no mean feat given that my skin is subjected to scorching Australian summers and I'm now in my early 50s! One of my remaining quibbles is the issue of small but noticeable broken veins especially on my lower face. My local derm has recommended the Quad Star Pro yellow laser. I've read good things about it online, and I do trust my doctor, but as always I can't help but wonder what you think of it? Any comments you have would be greatly appreciated! Cheers, and all the best, Elaine

Ok,  you made my day with your comment. That’s SO GREAT that you feel confident in your skin! We really DO live in our skin our entire lives, so it’s important!  🙂  Great question on laser options for broken capillaries. It definitely can be confusing. Here’s the rundown:

Common and effective lasers for facial veins / broken capillaries:

  1. Pulsed dye laser”:  Originally pioneered by the company Candela and called the VBeam.  They still make the best systems.  The one best known is the VBeam Perfecta.  This is a 595 nm wavelength which is built with enough power and pulse width to be effective.  Very safe with an experienced dermatologist.
  2. IPL  (a laser cousin):  IPLs (Intense Pulsed Light) are very effective for face veins IF the system is powerful enough and the provider experienced. We use this an older IPL  (Lumenis Lume One) because this older system has more power than most current systems. Our Lume gets great results with veins with a 595 nm filter, and we supplement with a YAG for larger nasal veins. In our office, this system is more versatile and more customizable than the VBeam. You can learn more about what a treatment is like, what average costs are, etc on my IPL resource article here.
  3. KTP: This is a 532nm (a green light) Q-switched laser which is effective, but some systems had the complication of leaving tiny divits or tracks in the skin (permanent), if not used perfectly.

I am more hesitant on the last option, for the reasons mentioned. So research the first three with local doctors and dermatologists, and see which you feel most comfortable with.

Hope this helps!   Dr. I

 

 

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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