Spider veins, broken capillaries, and other facial blemishes caused by abnormal blood vessels now may be treated effectively with a specialized type of laser device that can actually pass through the skin without harming it. Laser beams are generated by passing amplified light through a gas-filled tube. The gas used determines the color and properties of the resulting laser beam. The CO2 laser, for example, vaporizes the top layer of the skin, making it ideal for skin resurfacing procedures. To treat blemishes beneath the skin, facial plastic surgeons may use a device called a pulsed dye laser, which produces bursts of yellow light.
Yellow light is absorbed in great concentrations by the red pigment found in blood.
Thus, the laser beam penetrates the skin and focuses its energy in the abnormal blood vessel, effectively destroying it. The pulsed dye laser may be used to treat more severe blemishes as well, including birth defects such as port wine stains and hemangiomas. Red birthmarks, rosacea, and red-nose syndrome also may be treated with this versatile device.