Nope. Lasers are good for treating the signs or rosacea including broken capillaries & background redness. They do not cure rosacea. Rosacea is an intermittent condition. Lasers can place rosacea into temporary remission. The period of remission depends on many factors including your genetics, insight, & compliance.

Lasers are dismal if there is no target to hit. An example is flushing & blushing. This is best treated by a medical dermatologist.

Most patients require 2-4 sessions, depending on the clinical picture. The higher the energy level of the laser, the less treatments required. Other factors that determine the number of sessions include-

• The activity of your rosacea
• How your skin tolerates laser
• Your skin type or skin colour
• Adjunctive therapy
• Implementation of lifestyle factors

In the capacity of how I laser, my aim is to get your rosacea under control in the fastest possible way, using as little treatments as possible.

Yup, your call. In most cases laser treatment works synergistically with other treatments, including tablets. This especially applies to inflammatory papular-pustular rosacea. An exception is ETR or erythrotelangiectatic rosacea, where lasers can be employed as monotherapy.

If you have inflammatory rosacea, my usual practice is to give you a course of anti-inflammatories. This gives better results than just the laser itself. Another bonus is that I can deliver higher settings with a quicker recovery time, as anti-inflammatories decrease post laser swelling. 

IPL stands for intense pulse light, BBL stands for broad band light (also Brazilian Butt Lift). These devices are not lasers but filtered light. 90% of rosacea patients respond better to vascular lasers, 10% prefer IPL. Medicare does not acknowledge IPL as a treatment for rosacea, a rebate only applies to vascular lasers (performed by a dermatologist).

Laser Genesis is a marketing term used to describe long pulse Nd YAg, using the 1064 nm wavelength. It has some merit as this wavelength goes deeper into the skin compared to pulse dye lasers & IPL. The upside of this treatment is that it is super gentle with zero downtime.

Most patients undertake a series of 8 to 10 sessions. Laser Genesis can also generate dermal collagen, in turn reducing pore sizing & wrinkles. My clinical team performs this procedure.

Lasers can help reduce inflammation, conversely lasers can increase inflammation, making rosacea worse. These lasers usually target water & include Fraxel, HALO, erbium & CO2 lasers. These wavelengths generate a tremendous amount of heat, thereby flaring up rosacea. The flipside is that I still employ these lasers in rosacea patients however I –

1. Initiate anti-inflammatories before the procedure
2. Modify fluence & settings
3. Add LEDs & vascular lasers post treatment

In the context of how dermatologists employ lasers, side effects are uncommon. Expected effects include swelling & mild transient bruising if treatment levels are high. We will pre-warn you of this before your treatment. Side effects include-

• Blistering (less than 1%)
• Prolonged swelling (3-5%)
• Prolonged bruising (2-3%)
• Laser demarcation lines or circles (2-3%)

LED or light emitting diodes using devices such as Omnilux, Healite & masks can marginally improve rosacea. They work by reducing inflammation. Lasers offer better results. The most commonly used LEDs emit red light (620-640 nm) as well as yellow light (diode 810-830nm). We have these devices at Cutis, hence if you would like to give it a go, book an appointment with my therapists.

Rosacea patients should consider adjunctive medical treatments with their lasers. These include anti-inflammatory tablets as these have a synergistic effect. I normally prescribe a short course of doxycycline post laser. If you have resistant rosacea, I occasionally prescribe oral vitamin A, namely isotretinoin.

Topicals include Rozex, Soolantra & azelaic acid. I will also give you a skin care guide, including the use of washes, moisturisers & sunscreen.

Lifestyle changes are more important than laser treatment- that is a fact. Your primary goal is to control your pattern of rosacea without the requirement of medications & lasers. My job is to laser cases that are not controlled with simple lifestyle changes. See the section on rosacea tips to understand.

Lasers can add to the overall percentage of rosacea improvement. Adjunctive treatments & lifestyle modifications, even in miniscule amounts count.It all adds up. For example, using the correct makeup may give a 1% improvement, changing your cleanser another 1%, niacinamide 1%, better SPF 1%, proper face washing 1%, quick tepid showers may give you 3% (bonus), & so on. In isolation one percent is not seen, but all everything up, you may get 20-60%.

Rhinophyma is end-stage rosacea. It presents as soft tissue enlargement of the nose & is more common in men. I use a CO2 laser to reshape the nose. This treatment is partially covered by Medicare. More on the specific section on rhinophyma rosacea on this website.

Ever noticed your pores are enlarged when you have bad bouts of rosacea? This is because skin inflammation causes swelling, in turn increasing pore size. The most reliable way to reduce pore size is with thulium 1927 fractional laser resurfacing, followed by 2-3 sessions of vascular laser. Topical anti-inflammatory medications such as niacinamide & azelaic acid can also help.

Remember, lasers are only part of the big puzzle of managing rosacea. 

Most rosacea patients can be controlled on what I term a conventional approach. This includes.

• Anti-inflammatory washes
• Medically prescribed tablets including anti-inflammatories, & vitamin A
• Good skin care including cleansers, SPF & niacinamide
• Diet
• Stress management
• Alternative medicine

For resistant cases who do not respond to normal therapy, I employ novel treatments such as neuromodulators & devices like Tixel. 

For simple rosacea laser treatments, book with my nursing team. They are experienced in the laser management of many skin conditions using an array of lasers & IPL. As a guide, their out-of-pocket cost for laser ranges between $240-$350.

I am more than happy to take on your case. Some treatments are covered under Medicare, however out of pocket costs range between $550 to $690 for vascular lasers (done by me). In most cases I perform one or two sessions of laser, then pass you on to my team. It will save you time and money as I enter the settings.

For Sydney rosacea patients, book an appointment with Lou, our experienced dermal therapist at Dr Van Park’s clinic in the Eastern suburbs.