Treatment of facial veins with laser and light based treatments

Facial redness and spider veins are a common cosmetic and medical complaint. These are particularly common in rosacea suffers. Common associations are seen with sun damage, a fair complexion, stress, spicy foods and fluctuations in temperature which exacerbate rosacea symptoms. As with many conditions, genetics plays a role too.

Numerous treatments are available but laser and light based treatments are the gold-standard treatment options. Commonly used lasers are ktp and pulse dye lasers for red veins and nd-yag lasers for blue veins. The smaller wavelength lasers work well on superficial spider veins whereas, the longer wavelength lasers are effective for the ablation of slightly deeper and larger veins. Pulse duration must also be matched to vessel size; the larger the vessel diameter, the longer is the pulse duration required to treat the vessel.

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Fighting Wrinkles With Lasers Scientifically Unraveled

Laser pulses enable skin rejuvenation, as research at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has shown. Laser treatment introduces heat into the skin. Under the influence of heat shocks of 45°C, skin cells produce more collagen. This is the protein that gives the skin its firmness and elasticity. Susanne Dams describes this process in the dissertation for which she gained her PhD degree from the Biomedical Engineering Department at TU/e.

Laser treatment is quite common in the practices of beauticians and dermatologists. Although the technique has been widely used for many years, its impact and the underlying processes are still to be unraveled.

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Shining a light on acne

Laser treatment may be the new panacea for acne.

It isn’t just the young stars of the Harry Potter movies who are plagued by zits – a huge number of more mature celebrities are cursed with problematic skin. Kate Moss, Cameron Diaz, Madonna, Uma Thurman, Billie Piper and Victoria Beckham have all been spotted (sorry) with outbreaks. Adult acne is increasing and a recent study in the US shows that 25 per cent of women aged 30-40 will suffer from the condition.

“It’s a major psychological problem,’’ says Tony Chu, professor of dermatology at the University of Buckinghamand medical director of the West London Dermatology Centre. ''I have had patients who have cancelled their weddings as the stress made their skin worse.’’

Stress is a major cause of the spot epidemic. “Acne is caused by hormonal changes normally onset by puberty,” says Prof Chu, “but it’s now seen in adults who lead more stressful lives.’’

Pharmacist Shabir Daya from online pharmacy Victoria Health agrees. ''Stress stimulates the production of male hormones. The major culprit is dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which increases the production of the skin’s natural oil, sebum, clogging the pores.’’ The bacteria associated causes acne to thrive in these conditions, feeding on the sebum and irritating the glands, which leads to spots.

The standard prescription is an antibiotic and a vitamin A cream to unblock the pores. For tough cases, stronger medications such as Roaccutane (isotretinoin) are used, which take four to six weeks to take effect and can clear about 50 per cent of lesions. However, they might have side-effects such as dry skin, eyes and lips, raised blood fats and sugar.

Prof Chu is pioneering the use of a different approach – the N-Lite (or Regenlite) laser. It was developed for general skin rejuvenation but when one patient with severe acne found her lesions virtually disappeared after two weeks, a clinical study was set up at Hammersmith Hospital.

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Freeze off that fat instead of melting away your flab with a laser

The hottest craze from America is to chill it to death!

Treatments based on the concept of melting away fat cells with heat based lasers have become commonplace. But the hottest new weight-loss procedure to arrive in the UK does the complete opposite - it freezes hard-to-shift flab to death.

Fresh from the U.S., this innovative machine goes by the name of Zeltiq, and uses a cooling method called cryolipolysis to target, chill and break down fat cells.

Developed by boffins at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, Zeltiq has proved a massive hit across the pond since being introduced a year ago - and now it's coming to the UK.

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Buzz off, wrinkles: An anti-ageing cream with an electric charge isn't as shocking as you think

Have you heard the latest buzz? Forget fancy ingredients with unpronounceable names, what's getting the beauty business excited right now is something a little more, well, current. Electrical micro-current, to be precise.

Kate Moss recently confessed that she was addicted to a hand-held anti-ageing gadget called Tua Viso (£179, tinarichards.com).

It uses electrical micro-currents to lift facial muscles and stimulate new collagen in a similar way to traditional CACI electrical facelifting treatments.

Meanwhile, Parisian beauty guru Dr Veronique Simon has arrived in London with her patented anti-ageing mask, which uses micro-currents to push collagen into the skin for a replumped look which A-listers and foreign royals are queuing up for.


Using similar technology, but for home use, Estee Lauder recently launched Perfectionist Power Correcting Patches (£80 for eight pairs of patches), which contain a paper-thin battery to deliver a gentle micro-current of energy to drive anti-ageing peptides deeper into the skin and 'dramatically reduce the look of eye lines and wrinkles in just 20 minutes'.

But the newest and most innovative use of 'bio-electricity' is also the most astonishing - it comes in the form of a cream.

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My Anti-Aging Gadgets - Do They Work?

Rosina at Middle Ageless writes:

I've been asked many times for my opinion on the various gizmos I use to keep my skin looking young (at least the skin on my face...) so here goes!

Baby Quasar, Anti-aging Lightstim, DPL freestanding anti-aging light.

Yes, I have all three. I'm crazy.

What they are: Antiaging lights produce visible and invisible red or amber light from LED units positioned on the head. These lights are claimed by the manufacturers to generate new collagen and elastin by stimulating the skin's fibroblast cells. In doing so, they purportedly reduce wrinkles, diminish pores and lighten age spots. These lights are a less intense version of professional IPL units used in medi-spas.

The likelihood of their working: Not that great therapeutically but possibly effective in a preventive sense. Hundreds of women swear by them however, and I wouldn't want to be without mine because it feels like it is doing something positive for my skin. The EDS forums are a great source of info on these lights.

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Zap away summertime skin problems

Want to peel off in the sun but worried about skin blemishes? Victoria Lambert has some hi-tech answers to spots, lines and moles.

With its cloudless skies and soaring temperatures, summer should be the time to peel off a few layers and bask. But for those with unsightly or worrisome skin conditions, the hot weather is just a nightmare. Where is the fun in flashing flesh that's marred by spots, pigmentation, lines or moles? Here are some hi-tech solutions to summertime skin problems.

Broken veins and capilliaries? Try Fraxel

Italian cosmetic surgeon Dr Mario Luca Russo suggests a session with a Fraxel laser, which can remove broken veins and blemishes in as little as five minutes. "It is even good for wrinkles," he explains. "The light from the laser is absorbed by the haemoglobin and water in the blood of the vein, converting it to heat. We call this a thermal injury. If the vein is tiny, it will evaporate quickly, causing the vein to shrink and collapse, disappearing very fast. If the vein is larger, you can expect the blood to coagulate – making it appear darker than before. Gradually it will get reabsorbed by the body. In that case, it can take about a month to disappear."

If you want to go in the sun after a Fraxel treatment, he warns, ''do wait for seven to 10 days for your skin to heal or it will be very sensitive. And always use a high factor suncream, regardless of what you have done, to protect your skin from ageing.'

Cost: from £250 a session, depending on the size of the blemished area, at The Rejuvenation Clinic, London (0870 243 2230, www.therejuvenationclinic.co.uk)

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