Vbeam Laser, the scoop!

Due to what I believe is a combination of mild rosacea and overzealous use of a Buf Puf as a teenager, I had quite a few broken capillaries on my cheeks, chin, and nose. For a good part of my twenties, I accepted my facial redness as something I'd just have to live with. I tried all kinds of different skincare products, from anti-redness creams with supposed 'capillary-strengthening' ingredients such as horse chestnut, licorice root, vitamin K, etc. to a variety of prescription creams, gels, and lotions. The thing is, once the capillaries are visible, no cream is going to get rid of them. So then I set out to cover them with all kinds of green-tinted day creams, concealers, bases, and finishing powders. Yes, green does indeed cancel red, but then you have to cover the green with more makeup, which only added to my skin problems. I spent a lot of money and wasted a lot of time, so I was thrilled when Vbeam laser became an option for me.

'It's like little rubber bands, snapping on your face'

How many times have you heard this phrase used to describe laser procedures? Well, I'm here to tell you Vbeam is a hell of a lot more painful than that. It's really more like thick rubber bands (that are on fire) being pulled back really far, and then snapped hard on your face. At first you think, this isn't so bad, but after 5 minutes or so of being zapped all over at a rate of about one snap per second, you literally feel like you've stuck your face in a hornet's nest. The laser machine itself makes a lot of strange sounds, and you hear a 'splat-crunch' noise with every shot. I do get some comic relief when the technician, whose first language is French, tells me to 'watch out!' as she does more sensitive areas (such as the tip of the nose) as if I should jump off the table and run away or something. I usually end up laughing and I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm crazy. Anyway, afterwards, you feel the burn for at least a half hour and you may have bruising or swelling. I only have bruising sometimes, but I always have the swelling, which goes away after a few days. The difference is visible almost immediately, but it takes about a month to see the full result.

So why do I do this? It sounds terrible and unfortunately (as with most beauty treatments) it does hurt, but the results are still well worth it if you suffer from facial redness and rosacea. Along with vaporizing all those tiny broken blood vessels that make skin look uneven, it also diminishes fine lines and shrinks the pores. I love the way it gives me a clear, snow-white porcelain complexion. My skin is less oily and I rarely have breakouts. So far, this is my tenth Vbeam laser treatment. The first time, I did a series of 6 treatments, once a month. Now I just do touch-ups once or twice a year.

So if you're tired of wasting money on ineffective or temporary solutions like 'redness relieving' creams, 'calming' lotions, and green concealers, I highly recommend Vbeam laser. It is a proven, effective, and safe treatment. At $225 CAD per session, the results are worth every penny.