If you suffer from acne, you are far from being alone.  Acne affects 5.6 million Canadians, nearly 20 percent of the population.  Unfortunately,  acne usually strikes during the teenage years, a fragile time in one’s life.   For nearly half of all sufferers, acne lingers into their thirties. 

excel V+ deeply penetrates the skin to thermally and selectively destroy sebaceous glands that are excessively active, subsequently reducing inflammation.   Furthermore, the healing process is aided by collagen, which is crucial in the long-term treatment of acne. 

Studies have proven excel V+ 1064nm Laser Acne Treatment to be effective for all types of acne,  from mild to severe,  inflammatory to non-inflammatory acne.   Additionally,  studied patients showed no recurrences of acne five years from the initial treatment.

Bruises form when small veins and capillaries under the skin break.  Red blood cells leak out of these blood vessels, collect under your skin and therefore cause that bluish, purplish, reddish, or blackish mark. 

Bruises go through several changes in color as the body begins to repair itself.  The color changes mean that your body is metabolizing (breaking down) the blood cells in the skin. 

Skin bruising can sometimes be slow to heal and can last for several weeks before resolving.  This can impede on your ability to return to work or social activities.  Cosmetic injectable procedures to the face, such as filler injections are often associated with bruising. Fortunately, excel V+ allows us to treat the bruise as soon as it is detected.

Rosacea is a challenging condition that affects 400 million people worldwide. Often mistaken for a sunburn or rosy skin, rosacea presents with redness, visible blood vessels and tiny red bumps that can be compared to acne and often worsens over time.  Common triggers include:  spicy foods, extreme weather conditions, alcohol, stress and genetics.

Studies have shown that over time the redness tends to become more persistent, and visible blood vessels may appear.  Left untreated, inflammatory bumps and pimples often develop. 
In severe cases, the nose may become swollen and bumpy from excess tissue.

In surveys by the National Rosacea Society (NRS), nearly 90 percent of rosacea patients said this condition had lowered their self-confidence and self-esteem, and 41 percent reported it had caused them to avoid public contact or cancel social engagements.  The good news is that well over 70 percent reported medical treatment had improved their emotional and social well-being.

An angioma is a benign growth that consists of small blood vessels that may occur anywhere on the body. 

Spider angiomas are small, bright-red spots made up of a central dilated blood vessel surrounded by thinner, dilated capillaries that resemble spider legs. 

Cherry angiomas are harmless small, red bumps on the skin that are caused by broken blood vessels, giving them their red appearance.  They are likely due to aging and although harmless, can be aesthetically bothersome to those that suffer with them.

The most effective way to treat angiomas is through the use of Nd: YAG Laser treatments.  The excel V+ creates pulses of concentrated laser energy allowing the angioma to absorb the wavelengths, generating heat and destroying the blood vessels without causing damage to the surrounding skin.

It is difficult enough to suffer from acne, but when acne fades away and scars don’t, we are left with a constant reminder of what once was.  Scars form when acne creates deeper lesions in the pores.  The skin rebuilds collagen to repair these lesions.  Unfortunately, these repairs solidify and form raised scars.  Without adequate collagen, deep scars are more likely to form.  Approximately 80 to 90% of atrophic acne scars (where there is a small impression or dent in the skin) are due to a loss of collagen.  The occurrence of scars and blemishes are significantly reduced with improved collagen production.

The excel V+ penetrates the deeper layers of the skin to encourage collagen and elastin production to repair and smooth the acne scars.

A hemangioma is a type of benign (non-cancerous) tumor in infants.  This abnormal cluster of small blood vessels appears on or under the skin, typically within one to three weeks after birth.  Typically, there is no mark or only a very light birthmark on the skin that brightens in color and increases in size over the baby’s first 2-4 months of life (proliferative phase).

Poikiloderma is a condition that is associated with long term sun exposure. 

Skin thinning (atrophy), redness from enlarged blood vessels (erythema) and color (pigmentary) changes are commonly seen on the areas most frequently exposed to the sun, such as the neck and chest. 

Photosensitizing chemicals in perfumes and cosmetics have been identified as a possible cause of poikiloderma of Civatte.  A genetic predisposition may also exist.  Fair skin as well as hormonal factors are also thought to play a part.  

Poikiloderma presents as a diffuse redness, which has made it difficult to treat in the past.  excel V+ has changed that! It works wonders on both the red and the brown components of poikiloderma.

Diffuse redness is general facial redness caused by fine blood vessels (dilated capillaries), resulting in overall redness rather than well-defined vessels. The most commonly affected areas are the nose, forehead, and cheeks.

It is often hereditary, is far more common in lighter skin types and is commonly one of the signs of rosacea.

A Port Wine Stain birthmark (nevus flammeus) is a vascular malformation, involving post-capillary venules that produce a light pink to red-violet discoloration of the skin.  Port Wine Stains occur in approximately 3 out of 1,000 live births. 

Due to the fact that malformations occur on the face, PWS greatly affects the patients psychosocial health.  Studies have shown lower self-esteem and problems with interpersonal relations in PWS patients. 

Studies have also shown that aggressive treatment of infants and young children at earlier ages improves port wine stain clearance.

Signs of aging and sun damage leave unwanted freckles and age spots, causing the skin’s appearance to look dull, uneven and aged.

Brown spots, also known as hyperpigmentation, are attributed to an overproduction of melanin, a pigment contained within the dermal structure.

Hyperpigmentation can take several different forms, including:

• Age spots – small, darkened areas on any part of the body that is frequently exposed to the sun, such as: the backs of the hands, arms, shoulders, chest, back and face
• Melasma – appears on the face and arms as large, dark, irregular-shaped areas that often develop during pregnancy due to hormonal changes

excel V+ uses wavelengths of light on the brown pigmented lesions. The skin pigment absorb the light, causing these pigmented areas to dry up and flake away while leaving surrounding skin tissue unharmed.

This procedure also treats the following types of pigmentation irregularities:

• Freckles
• Lentigines (sun spots)
• Moles
• Melasma
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

Photoaging is a combination of browns and reds and must be treated simultaneously to alleviate both chromophores.  For global color correction, Laser Genesis has gained worldwide popularity for achieving brighter, more uniform skin without downtime.

Periorbital veins are superficial veins which start at the bridge of the nose and travel below or above the eye to join venous branches on the lateral forehead and scalp.  Typically, periorbital veins are barely visible to the human eye.  However, when visible, they are often a cause of cosmetic concern for patients.

Despite the fact that they usually don’t cause discomfort, they can be bothersome in their appearance.  Treatment for periorbital veins in the past included micro-phlebectomy (surgical removal of the visible vein).  Micro-phlebectomy involves having to puncture the skin around the eye to remove the vein.  This is a very delicate procedure and can potentially lead to scarring.  In addition, some veins may be too small to remove with surgery.  Luckily, non-invasive treatments like excel V+ are now available to treat protruding periorbital veins without leaving scars.  The end result is a happy, confident patient who did not have to undergo surgery!

SPIDER VEINS

Broken blood vessels on the face are enlarged blood vessels that occur just below the surface of the skin.  They are often web-shaped in appearance, hence the name spider veins.  Spider veins are smaller in size, red or blue in color, and most commonly occur on the face and legs.  They may be systemic but are often a result of aging, sun damage or pregnancy.  

Physician’s have been calling the excel V+ a “magic eraser” as it quite literally erases the blood vessel right before your eyes.  In a study published in the Journal Dermatologic Surgery, it was demonstrated that the 532 nm KTP laser system provided faster, more efficient clearing of targeted lesions and improved patient comfort in comparison to the 595 nm pulsed-dye laser. 

* N. Uebelhoer, DO, M. Bogle, MD, B. Stewart, CCRC, K. Arndt, MD & J. Dover, MD, FRCPC, FRCO; A Split-Face Comparison Study of Pulsed 532-nm KTP Laser and 595-nm Pulsed Dye Laser in the Treatment of Facial Telangiectasia and Diffuse Telangiectatic Facial Erythema.  Dermatol.  Sur.,  33:441-448 (2007).

RETICULAR VEINS

Reticular veins are visible veins that appear below your skin.  They don’t usually protrude, but can be unsightly. 

These veins are sized somewhere between spider and varicose veins. They are usually blue or purple, appear on the back of the knees, inner thighs, or near the ankles, and can sometimes cause pain or discomfort in the lower legs.  While reticular veins don’t always cause physical pain, they are often a source of self-consciousness. 

VARICOSE VEINS

Varicose veins are the bulging, rope-like veins that protrude from the skin.  If you have varicose veins, it is best to seek out a vein specialist, as these types of veins are not well treated with vascular lasers such as the excel V+.

Vascular birthmarks are caused by abnormal growth or formation of blood vessels and cells.  There are two main types of vascular birthmarks:  hemangiomas (strawberry birthmarks) or vascular malformations.  Hemangiomas are caused by overgrowth of the cells providing the lining for vessels in the affected area.