If you are considering rosacea laser treatment, here are some facts that may help you to decide whether this is a good rosacea treatment option for your sensitive skin.

Did you know that one of out every five diagnoses made by dermatologists is for rosacea?

Rosacea is an unfortunately a very common chronic skin problem especially for people over 30. Some people begin to see signs of rosacea around age 25 with flushing and redness of the face.

If rosacea progresses, you will begin to see small red bumps on your face, some of which may look like acne sores. Eventually the face becomes permanently red and the skin thickens.

Although most rosacea sufferers are women, men who get rosacea are more likely to develop rosacea symptoms that cause the nose to become large and thickened.

If you begin to see signs that you may have rosacea, the time to take care of this is right now. Don’t wait! Even though there is no known medical cure for rosacea, you may be able to reverse or even eliminate many of the symptoms.

To do this you will need early rosacea treatment combined with healthy lifestyle and diet adaptations that will help your skin to stop the cycle of inflammation and redness.

Initial Rosacea Treatments

Most dermatologists will initially treat rosacea with medications and topical creams, along with lifestyle and dietary instructions to minimize your rosacea outbreaks.

Sometimes these rosacea treatments, combined with a more healthy natural diet, are enough to get your rosacea under control. Many cases of sensitive skin respond well to a less toxic diet and lifestyle. If not, then your doctor will likely recommend rosacea laser treatment.

Rosacea Laser Treatment

Rosacea laser treatments first were used in the 1980’s, and newer and gentler technologies were developed in the 1990’s. These have shown some promise in treating some of the more severe rosacea symptoms like red bumps, spider veins, thickened skin, and permanently reddened skin.

These do have some risks and side effects for sensitive skin, and so you want to be cautious in your approach, and to work with a very skilled dermatologist to minimize any risks.

How Laser Treatment Works

A laser emits wavelengths of light which act on the swollen blood vessels right below the skin which cause the redness. The laser effectively disintegrates the swollen blood vessels, thus reducing the redness in the skin.

Lasers can also stop the thickening of skin that happens with advanced rosacea which can enlarge the nose and cheeks. In severe cases of rosacea, lasers can help the skin to return to a more normal and healthy appearance.

Rosacea Laser Treatment Side Effects

When you have sensitive skin, it is wise to be cautious before trying any kind of laser or surgical treatments. It is always best to try all the other options first such as a rosacea diet, rosacea home remedies, and rosacea medications FIRST.

The reason for this is because laser treatments are intense. They cause temporary bruising which last 1-2 weeks before fading. You may also experience a temporary darkening of the skin. You may see a lot of swelling and redness on your face for a few days.

In addition, laser treatments are not a rosacea cure. You may need lifelong follow up treatments.

After all this, there is a chance that rosacea laser treatments may not work. And for some people, they may actually make your rosacea worse.

Types of Rosacea Laser Treatment

There are new technologies coming out all the time that are attempting to create the maximum benefits for rosacea patients, with a minimum of bruising, redness and other side effects.

Although some research suggests that laser treatments that induce bruising MAY be more effective, this isn’t an option that will work for many people who are unable to take several weeks away from their job until the bruising heals.

Most laser Treatments for rosacea fall into two categories:

Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) requires up to three treatments, spaced six to eight weeks apart.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a newer technology which bruise less, and which require four to six treatments spaced three weeks apart.

Some new technologies such as a high-energy, long pulse-duration pulsed-dye laser are now emerging which are demonstrating better results, less side effects and less bruising.

Other Considerations for Rosacea Laser Treatment

Most laser treatments for rosacea cost anywhere from $300 to $600 per session. These treatments are generally not covered by medical insurance. As I mentioned before, laser treatments are NOT a rosacea cure, and you will likely need lifelong follow up treatments.

Another important thing to consider is your choice of doctor. You REALLY want to be sure that you choose a very skilled, very experienced doctor who has SPECIFIC knowledge of how to use laser treatment with rosacea. The reason for this is that the doctor needs to create an even skin tone for the entire face. If he or she over treats an area, you will have a white patch on your face!

Rosacea laser treatment may be an effective rosacea treatment for sensitive skin if you have exhausted all other treatment options and still have not found relief from your moderate or severe rosacea symptoms. Educate yourself and be sure to choose an excellent doctor who has all the necessary skills, and who can help you make informed choices about your rosacea treatments. Done correctly, rosacea laser treatments have helped many people to ease their symptoms and to live more happily without the pain and embarrassment that rosacea can cause.

Understanding Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are actually a form of skin scarring, and appear as lines on the body that are off-color, soft, and slightly depressed as compared to the level of the surrounding skin. These marks are usually darker in color when they first appear, and can be purplish or reddish. Over time, they tend to fade to a lighter color. Stretch lines occur because of a tearing of the dermis, which often is the result of rapid weight gain or growth. This can cause the skin to be pulled and stretched beyond its elasticity, and tears occur which cause stretch marks. Pregnancy is often a common cause of stretch marks, even if a woman’s weight gain is not excessive. This is because there are hormonal changes that occur that tend to encourage the formation of these marks.

Areas Often Affected by Stretch Marks

Although stretch marks can occur anywhere on the body, the most likely locations are where the body stores fat. When fast weight gain occurs, these areas are the ones that are most likely to grow quickly, causing the skin to stretch beyond its elastic limits. The abdomen, thighs, buttocks, hips, and breasts are common areas for stretch marks, as are the upper arms. As a general rule, these areas of the body are most affected by weight gain, and as a result, are also most affected by stretch marks. Bodybuilders, weight lifters and teenagers often get stretch marks even in areas that are not generally prone to them because of growth spurts or the bulking up of muscles, both of which can stretch the skin.

Preventing Stretch Marks

Overall, the focus is often on preventing the formation of stretch marks in the first place. Although it is thought that a tendency towards stretch mark may be genetic, there are some things a person can do to help prevent the formation of these marks on the skin. Of course, the most important preventative measure is to avoid gaining weight rapidly. Moisturizers, lotions and creams that contain various extracts and vitamins are also commonly used to help keep the skin elastic and thereby prevent the occurrence of stretch marks. Although lotions and creams can help keep the skin in good condition and may help, they are not a cure-all when it comes to prevention.

Removing Stretch Marks

Although stretch marks are not harmful, they are somewhat unsightly, and as a result, people who get them often look for ways to remove them or at least reduce their appearance. Stretch marks will fade in color on their own, but the texture and stretched appearance will remain. There are creams that claim to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, but in most cases dermabrasion or laser treatments are needed to provide any real noticeable results. Additionally, because the abdomen is a common location for stretch marks, some people rely on a “tummy tuck” to remove stretch marks, since the surgery is designed to remove the skin where coincidentally most stretch marks tend to occur.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the digestive system whose symptoms include bloating, discomfort, abdominal pain and irregular bowel habits. In turn these symptoms can lead to depression. There is no known cure for IBS however one treatment that appears to be coming to the forefront is hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy is a treatment that many people have heard of, but they’re not entirely sure what it is or how it works. Typically a session of hypnotherapy involves a client/patient and a hypnotherapist (or in this modern age a CD or MP3). The session will first begin with some “pre-talk” where the hypnotherapist will explain what to expect from the hypnotherapy IBS treatment. Once this has been discussed the treatment itself will begin.

The hypnotherapy will begin with a hypnotic induction and then a deepener. This ensures that the client is in a trance state. It is difficult to explain a hypnotic trance because it can vary from person to person. Some people get a tingling sensation and feel very light while others feel very still and heavy as if they are sunk into their chair. During hypnotic trance a person is still aware of what is being said to them and they are not asleep or unconscious in anyway. Hypnotic trance is often described as an altered or heightened sense of focus, much like “being in the zone” while playing a sport.

Once trance has been established the hypnotherapist will embed certain suggestions into the mind of their client. In the case of IBS treatment the suggestions may revolve around helping the client to feel less stressed (as stress often makes IBS symptoms worse), more optimistic about the situation, relieve pain and discomfort, and regulate sleep patterns depending on the situation.

It may seem amazing to think hypnotherapy can help treat all these symptoms of IBS but scientific studies suggest that hypnotherapy is the real deal, not just for IBS but for many other issues too.

Back in 1989 scientists at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol ran a study on the effects of hypnotherapy on IBS patients. 33 patients with IBS were treated with hypnotherapy over the course of 7 weeks. Of these 33 patients only 2 patients showed no positive effects. The condition of 20 of the patients improved and 11 were completely free of all their former symptoms. With those kind of results, if hypnotherapy was a drug, then doctors wouldn’t hesitate to prescribe it! Unfortunately few doctors are well versed in complementary treatment.

It’s also interesting to note that the hypnotherapy given to the patients in the study was a group form of hypnotherapy, meaning that the sessions were not catered to individual needs. This suggests that CDs or MP3s recorded by qualified hypnotherapists are highly effective, and they are much more affordable than hiring a hypnotherapist.

To answer the question, “does hypnotherapy work as an IBS treatment?” the answer is a resounding yes! If you are a sufferer of IBS and are looking for relief from your dire symptoms then give hypnotherapy a try today.

You will be truly astonished!