Laser treatments of facial capillaries are relatively brief procedures that can be performed right in your doctor's office. The most common lasers used to treat facial capillaries are KTP lasers and Pulse Dye lasers. Both work by emitting a wavelength of light that heats the blood inside the damaged vessel. When the heat reaches a certain level, the vessel walls collapse and dissolve. Your physician may prefer to use one type of laser rather than the other or may recommend a particular type based on your skin condition and expectations. Before the procedure itself, your doctor will probably pretreat your skin with a topical anesthetic cream to numb it. For patients who are particularly sensitive to pain, a mild pain analgesic may be prescribed. During each laser treatment session, your doctor will ask you to remain still as he or she carefully moves from one area of your face to another with the laser tool. As the laser beam "zaps" your skin, you will feel a mild stinging sensation-some people describe it as feeling like a hot rubber band snapping against their skin.
After the laser treatment is completed, your physician may apply a layer of ointment on your skin. Dressings (bandages or other wrappings) are almost never required.
If you are like most people, you'll need one to three treatments to get the results you want, generally one every 4-8 weeks for a total of 3-4 sessions. Most sessions average 10-15 minutes, although longer sessions may be required depending on the area of your face affected and the amount of damage to be repaired.
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