Your Laser Treatment questions answered

What happens if I have laser treatment?
Laser is essentially light energy of a single wavelength, which is absorbed by the red colour of the veins. The effect of closing down the vessels is usually immediate.

Is it painful?
There is a brief prickling sensation during the treatment which most people find very easy to tolerate or even relaxing.

Will there be any after-effects?
A degree of redness afterwards is usual, but this goes within a few hours.

What is the difference between Laser and IPL?
Laser uses a single wavelength of light energy that is "coherent" which means that the light waves are in synch. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) uses a range of wavelengths; the light source emits a very wide range of wavelengths and the undesirable wavelengths are then filtered out.

A laser handpiece allows precise control of the size of the treatment spot, whereas with IPL a large block of skin has to be treated with each pulse. Comparisons have been made likening Laser to a Smart bomb and IPL to a blunderbuss. While this probably rather overstates the difference it is fair to say that any particular laser is designed for a very specific task which it will perform well, whereas IPL is used for a range of tasks.

Is laser safe?
A well-designed modern laser in experienced hands is an effective and safe treatment. Less refined lasers and improper use of laser or IPL can cause blistering or even scarring.