I Got a Laser Treatment to Treat the Broken Capillaries on My Face

Here is a close up of what broken capillaries looked like on my skin before my treatment. Again, broken capillaries occur when the walls of the blood vessels beneath the surface of the skin are damaged and become dilated (aka enlarged). They can look like webbed spider veins, red splotches, or more enlarged singular veins. They usually pop up around your chin, cheeks, and nose — and I have a few dots around my lips.

What Is PDL?

Before diving in, let's quickly classify the two main types of lasers: ablative and non-ablative. "A fractionated ablative laser vaporizes small columns of skin from the exterior in, so all skin layers are effected," says Dr. Herrmann. "Non-ablative lasers and energy-based devices target deeper structures and spare the skin's surface." An ablative laser is the more "intense" of the two (think: Fraxel) and requires a lot more downtime in order to heal, as well as specific ointments.

PDL is a non-ablative laser.

So how does PDL work? "The laser light targets hemoglobin, a protein which is in red blood cells," Dr. Herrmann says. "It heats it up, and this heat collaterally damages the blood vessel walls surrounding it, which causes them to collapse and disappear. Because we have so many extra vessels in the skin, removing a few doesn't have any negative health consequence."

Does PDL Hurt?

I have a pretty high pain tolerance and have subjected my skin to many a non-surgical procedure (ablative lasers, dermal fillers, Botox, and the like), and to me this laser is not painful. When going in for PDL, you likely won't need to get numbed — each zap of the laser feels like a little snap of a rubber band.

The most annoying part of the process, in my opinion, is the cold burst of air that the machine spurts out to offset the heat from the laser. I wouldn't say the whole thing is particularly painful — rather it takes you by surprise every time it fires. Plus, it only takes about five minutes depending on how many vessels you need to take care of.

What You Can Expect For Downtime

Full transparency: the photos above are from my second round of getting PDL. The first time I got the treatment, Dr. Herrmann used a lower setting on the laser, which unfortunately didn't do the trick. So the second time, she used a higher setting, which did leave me a bit red immediately after and gave me some small red bruises that faded over about a week. This is normal, according to Dr. Herrmann.

"Vessels may also turn darker purple and fade over a couple of weeks," she says. "If redness is stubborn, sometimes we purposefully use higher energy to create small bruises, which usually is more effective at reducing redness." She also noted that you should be careful to only get a laser treatment from a qualified MD or laser specialist, as it can cause skin burns or scars if not performed correctly.

Dr. Herrmann also says, "Sometimes one treatment effectively zaps capillaries, but often a series is needed to knock down more diffuse redness, especially in the setting of rosacea. Redness may also return slowly over time, so future treatments may be recommended."