Laser & Aesthetic
Dermatology

Rosacea is an extremely common condition and can affect up to 20% of the population, depending on the population being studied.  Rosacea is characterized by flushing and blushing caused by the appearance of veins in sun-exposed areas on the face, and the condition may be accompanied by pimples and generalised redness.  Rosacea most commonly affects light-skinned individuals although any skin type can be affected by rosacea.

What causes rosacea?

Rosacea is caused by sun exposure in genetically predisposed individuals who develop extra facial veins in response to sunlight.  These extra veins fill up more rapidly than normal facial veins.  As a result, individuals with rosacea flush more easily in response to many different stimuli including hot and cold weather, alcohol, hot beverages (such as tea or coffee), exercise and emotions.  Removing these extra veins with laser effectively treats the vascular component of rosacea.

How can I treat rosacea?

Dr Rose Mak is an experienced Melbourne-based dermatologist with expertise in treating rosacea.  She takes a holistic approach to treat different components of rosacea.  Dr Mak can prescribe topical medications and sometimes oral antibiotics to treatment the pimple component of rosacea.  Dr Rose Mak is one of the few dermatologists in Melbourne with extensive experience and expertise in using the newest VBeam Prima laser technology to improve the vascular component of rosacea by removing the larger facial veins and generalised redness associated with rosacea.  A series of laser treatments is required to dramatically improve rosacea, although many of our patients already notice significant improvement after one laser treatment.  Studies have demonstrated that vascular laser treatment also help to reduce the inflammation and pimples in rosacea.

What are the benefits of treating rosacea?

Laser treatment of rosacea and facial veins have the additional benefits of improving the fine lines and wrinkles in the skin, as well as improving the skin texture and enlarged pores via the inflammation that follows laser treatment.  By treating and removing the extra facial veins acquired from sun exposure, the skin becomes healthier.

Broken capillaries (medically known as telangiectasia), occur commonly on the cheeks, nose and chin and are especially common in fair skin individuals.  Broken capillaries are a common sign of sun damage, they are frequently associated with rosacea and may also occur in individuals with genetic predisposition.  Melbourne-based dermatologist Dr Rose Mak, has expertise in utilising the VBeam Prima Laser, which is an innovative technology utilising dual wavelengths (595nm and 1064nm) and is highly effective in treatment of broken capillaries. 

Spider naevi are small red spots caused by dilation of small arterioles close to the skin.  They respond extremely well to laser treatment.  At Rose Mak Dermatology & Laser Clinic, we perform treatment with state of the art VBeam Prima pulsed dye laser and usually only a single laser treatment is needed.

Port wine stains are flat red marks present at birth and persist throughout life if left untreated.  Melbourne-based dermatologist Dr Rose Mak treats adults with port wine stains who did not have the opportunity to undertake early intervention during childhood, using the VBeam Prima laser which is the gold standard laser in treating port wine stains and other vascular birthmarks.

Stretch marks (striae) arise from inflammation that damages the elastic fibres of the skin.  New stretch marks are red due to active inflammation brought about by hormonal changes in the skin.  Stretch marks are best treated whilst they are red in order to achieve maximum improvement.  Red stretch marks are in the process of forming and are most responsive to treatment.  Dr Rose Mak performs VBeam Prima laser treatment in her Melbourne CBD dermatology clinic.  This laser is highly effective in removing the redness, by targeting the redness within stretch marks it reduces the inflammation and remodels the deeper skin layer including the damaged elastic fibres thereby improving the texture of the stretch marks.  When the redness in the stretch marks has faded, laser treatments offer less improvement and during this phase, other lasers such as fractionated lasers are used instead. 

Red acne scars and other red scars can be treated with a vascular laser such as the VBeam Prima.  Vascular laser targets the redness within the scar and removes the redness.  In addition, it induces an inflammatory response which remodels the scars.  Clinical studies have shown that this treatment is effective in improving cosmesis of red scars.