Usually these are found on the nose, cheeks, and chin, but also can be found anywhere on the face. Lighter skin types are more prone to these. Environmental factors (sun damage, trauma, rosacea, alcohol) and genetics play a part in whether a person gets these or not. The Diolite laser can make a dramatic and instantaneous improvement by closing these vessels, causing them to vanish. Sometimes multiple treatments are needed to get optimal results. Foto Facial (Intense Pulse Light) treatments can be a better option, especially if the vessels are microfine and extremely numerous. Sometimes a combination of I.P.L. and Diolite will give the best results.
What types of pigmented lesions can be treated with the Laser?
1) Lentigines- which are flat brown or black spots similar to a beauty mark
2) FLAT moles that are dark and small
3) Dark brown age or sun spots, that are not larger than the size of a pencil head eraser
What CAN NOT be treated by the laser?
1) Leg Veins–too deep for the laser to penetrate
2) Some purple veins are too deep also
3) Multiple small indistinguishab
4) Light color moles, freckles from childhood or raised moles will not improve.
5) Moles larger than 5 mm ( size of a pencil head eraser) are not treated
6) Recently tanned or dark skin types are not good candidates
7) Conditions such as Melasma or large hyperpigmentation areas will not be treated or improve, these are best treated with Fraxel Laser.
What should I expect during the treatment? The laser handpiece will direct a beam of laser light to the lesion. Each session is 5-15 minutes long. Some patients report feeling a slight stinging sensation during the treatment but NO ANESTHETIC IS NECESSARY. This is followed by some redness that usually goes away in two to four hours. There will not be any purple skin discoloration, no peeling or bruised appearance to the treated skin. Postoperative care is minimal. We suggest that you stay out of the direct sun during the next two to three weeks and use SPF 30.
What are the Results?
The diolite laser is excellent to use for the appropriate vascular or pigmented lesions. Approximately 60-65% of the lesions should clear with one session. 1-2 sessions are recommended depending on the number of lesions present and the desired reduction. The darker the pigmented lesions, the better the results will render. Lasers work by attraction to colors, like wearing a black shirt in sunlight, you will absorb all the heat energy, a white shirt will not absorb light. Many vascular lesions immediately disappear at the time of treatment. Please be advised that vascular lesions can be proliferative, that is , they continue to develop and re-grow as older lesions are destroyed. Final treatment results should be evident within 10 to14 days after treatment for vascular lesions and within 5-10 days after treatment for pigmented lesions. In the meantime, normal daily activities can be resumed with only a slight redness evident at the treatment area. You can return to work that day.
How Do you prepare for a treatment session?We ask that you stop using all exfoliating agents ( Retin-A, Renova, Differin, Alpha hydroxy acids) for 5 days before, and resume these agents no sooner than a week after. We ask that you remove make up and moisturizers before each session.