Treatments
Laser Vein Removal
Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a technology used by cosmetic and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes, including hair removal, photorejuvenation (e.g. the treatment of skin pigmentation, sun damage, and thread veins) as well as to alleviate dermatologic diseases such as acne. The technology uses a hand-held flashgun to deliver an intense, visible, broad-spectrum pulse of light, generally in the visible spectral range of 400 to 1200 nm. Various cutoff filters are commonly used to selectively filter out lower wavelengths, especially potentially damaging ultra violet light. The resulting light has a spectral range that targets specific structures and chromophores (e.g. melanin in hair, or oxyhemoglobin in blood vessels) that are heated to destruction and reabsorbed by the body.
Thread veins, also known as red veins or broken capillaries, can be caused by exposure to extreme temperatures, sun exposure, pregnancy, alcohol or it could be hereditary. Contrary to belief, the blood vessels are not ‘broken’ but due to damage they have become enlarged and so are visible on the skins surface.
PL uses an Intense Pulse Light system to directly target the enlarged blood vessel and cauterising it, making it unable to carry blood and allowing it to collapse and be flushed out by the body’s natural defences. The advantage of this technology is that the vessel can be targeted directly without damaging the healthy surrounding cells.