ShareThisBy PAIGE HERMAN and MARIE KUECHEL
newbeauty.com
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Redness
Often caused by acne, broken capillaries, sunburn, stress, diet or the result of a cosmetic procedure like a facial or chemical peel, redness in the skin is the body's way of sending a message that it is fighting inflammation and irritation from within.
While it can be soothed with over-the-counter skincare or camouflaged with green-tinted makeup, light-based treatments such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and GentleWaves are effective for reducing persistent redness. IPL delivers a series of light pulses that can feel like rubber-band snaps, with no side effects or downtime.
GentleWaves involves sitting in front of a light source, and this comes with no discomfort, side effects or downtime as well. Both stimulate your skin's natural rejuvenation process, so as an added bonus you'll also see a reduction in fine lines as well as irregular pigmentation. Starting at about $100 per treatment
Rosacea
While the cause of rosacea remains a mystery and we have yet to find a cure, medical help can provide relief from the symptoms. Affecting more than 14 million Americans, this skin condition manifests as redness of the face and is sometimes accompanied by acne-like symptoms.
Over-the-counter and prescription options
Many dermatologists find that starting with over-the-counter lotions containing sodium sulfacetamide may be helpful for treating symptoms of rosacea, although patients with hypersensitivity to sulfa antibiotics and women who are pregnant or nursing should not try this method. Depending on your individual symptoms, a dermatologist can also recommend myriad prescription treatment options, ranging from retinoids and azelaic acid gels to oral and topical antibiotics. Newer, low-dose oral tetracycline antibiotics as well as long-acting doxycyline and metacycline antibiotics are other ways to get your skin out of the red zone by alleviating inflammation. May be covered by insurance, depending on your provider and plan
Light-based treatment
For patients whose schedules don't allow for downtime, light-based treatments eliminate flushing since the specific light spectrums in IPL, pulsed-dye and diode treatments can attack and neutralize the redness of the vessels associated with rosacea.
These light-based treatments are fast becoming the primary rosacea treatment because they are generally downtime-free, although topical and oral medications may need to be continued to manage symptoms and sustain remission.
IPL is generally recommended in a series of three treatments spaced six weeks apart, and maintenance treatments may be necessary every few months to sustain results. Much like any IPL or diode, you'll feel a quick snap and possibly heat. The treated vessels will darken, or look like a bruise, before eventually fading away, but this can be covered with makeup. You may need more than one treatment. Fair skin can develop temporary dark staining or a brown spot after the vessel or vein is treated. This is the result of blood being absorbed back into the tissue and may take several weeks to months to fade away. Starting at about $200 per treatment, may be covered by insurance
Paige Herman and Marie Kuechel are editors of New Beauty, a semi-annual magazine about cosmetic enhancement. Reach them at editors (at)newbeauty.com. For more columns visit www.scrippsnews.com
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