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The pulse dye laser is one of the classic lasers used in dermatology. It uses the 585nm or 595nm wavelength, which is well absorbed by the red blood within blood vessels.
It was initially developed to treat red birthmarks in babies and has been used widely and safely throughout the world for this.
However, it has also been adapted to treat other skin problems where there are unwanted red blood vessels, such as enlarged blood vessels on the face, thread veins and diffused redness/pinkness from rosacea, and to reduce the severity of flushing. It has also been shown to reduce the redness of red scars to help them heal more quickly and improve the quality of scars. It can also reduce the redness of acne spots and has some effect on reducing the bacteria that are contributing to acne, therefore improving acne.
This is a gentle treatment but it is important to protect the patient’s eyes during treatment with goggles.
The version of pulse dye laser at Dermatology Consulting (by Cynosure) uses cold air to cool the skin before the treatment.
The laser beam is very fast (milliseconds) and feels like a very short, warm elastic band snap through the soothing cold air. It is tolerated well even by children without the need for local anaesthetic.
The pulse dye laser is also absorbed by pigment so is not suitable to use on individuals with very dark skin (e.g. dark Asian or African heritage). However these individuals tend not to be troubled by excessive redness. For those with fair skin undergoing pulse dye laser treatment, it is important not to develop a tan during the course of treatment or use a fake tan, as the real or fake tan might be affected by the laser. It is safe to do the pulse dye laser 6 weeks after sun exposure when the tan should have faded.
Traditionally when birthmarks in babies are treated the laser is used at a very powerful setting which causes bruises.
However, for other laser treatments (such as enlarged thread veins on the face, redness of rosacea, red scars or acne) gentle settings are used which do not cause much, if any, bruising or swelling.
When done repeatedly the pulse dye laser also causes slight stimulations of collagen production so it can be used to improve the quality of skin (although at Dermatology Consulting we have other lasers which are more effective for this). Early data from Harvard University also seems to suggest that repeated pulse dye laser treatments, like repeated fractionated lasers, may possibly reduce the risk of certain skin cancer development in the future – but further work is needed on this.
