Treat Vascular & Pigmented Skin Imperfections in Toronto, ON
Tried, tested, and true: Vbeam Perfecta has long been considered the gold standard for treating vascular lesions. We use Vbeam at our Toronto area practice in North York, ON to safely and effectively minimize the appearance of skin imperfections that result in discoloration, such as rosacea, spider veins, age spots, port wine stains, and poikiloderma. The Vbeam laser can also reduce the appearance of scars, warts, and psoriasis.
What Does Vbeam Perfecta Do?
Vbeam belongs to a class of lasers known as pulsed dye lasers, or PDLs. It is often termed a vascular laser, due to its ability to treat rosacea, visible blood vessels that are non-essential to circulation (such as broken capillaries and spider veins), and vascular lesions such as cherry angiomas, hemangiomas, venous lake, poikiloderma, strawberry hemangiomas, and port wine stains.
Vbeam can also treat stretch marks, warts, fine lines, keloidal scars, and psoriasis, and may also be used to accelerate the healing process of bruising from other dermatological or surgical procedures.
Being a PDL, Vbeam utilizes dyes to generate coloured laser beams delivered in pulses. Different colors can target different concerns. For example, yellow light is specifically used to collapse blood vessels in the dermis without damaging surrounding skin cells. Accordingly, Vbeam can be programmed to precisely treat specific targets ranging from red blotches to dark spots, making them break down and be naturally flushed out by the body over time.
For treating very fine blood vessels and discoloration due to sun damage, photorejuvenation with BBL (broadband light) may be more suitable. Our providers will be able to advise you more specifically after performing a skin examination.
Who is a Candidate for Vbeam?
Vbeam can be safely used on all types of skin and is gentle enough to treat vascular lesions even on infants. PDL treatments work best on pale skin tones and moderately well on olive ones.
Because the transmission of light energy is blocked by melanin in melanin-rich skin tones, those with deeper skin tones may want to consider other treatments such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or Clear + Brilliant® to improve skin tone and texture.
Vbeam is not suitable for patients who are pregnant, have taken isotretinoin/Accutane within the last six months, or who are on blood-thinning medications. Antiviral medications may be prescribed prior to treatment for patients with a history of cold sores.
What to Expect from a Vbeam Treatment Session
There is typically little to no discomfort associated with Vbeam, though topical or local anesthesia may be applied for intensive treatments on more sensitive areas. You will be provided protective eyewear to wear through the session.
The laser is designed with an Integrated Dynamic Cooling Device, which sprays a cold mist over the treated skin, minimizing any discomfort beyond a warm, tingly feeling as the technician glides the laser across the skin.
Treatment times can vary between 15 minutes to two hours, depending on the size and number of areas to be treated.
Results from Vbeam Perfecta
Immediately post treatment, you may notice that the treated skin appears to be slightly swollen, red, and warm, as if it has been mildly sunburnt. These side effects are temporary and should subside on their own within a few hours to a couple of days. Any mild bruising at the treatment sites should fade within three days.
Treatment results may be visible almost immediately after a Vbeam session, but following this, the extent of results and healing times can vary from case to case, depending on individual patient factors.
As the skin may be more sensitive to sunlight after a Vbeam treatment, it is particularly important to be using a mineral-based, broad-spectrum (i.e. protecting against both UVA and UVB rays) sunscreen with high SPF.
Note that certain pigmentated lesions may appear darker for up to a week following treatment until fresh, spot-free skin becomes visible, and also consider that it may take more treatment sessions to get rid of a port wine stain than to clear away minor age spots.
