Located in Edmonton, Dérmica offers the ALIVIA photofacial, a redness-reducing treatment to calm and fortify your skin. Photofacials are safe and effective and are always delivered by qualified and experienced technicians. Please review the treatment criteria before booking your ALIVIA photofacial online.
Rosy cheeks or Rosacea?
Rosacea may begin in childhood as a flattering natural blush appearing on the cheeks, but may spread and progress gradually to the other areas of the face, the ears, chest, back, and eyes in adulthood. It typically develops between the ages 30 to 50.
Conditions such as Rosacea, sensitized skin, or simply genetics can cause frequent, consistent redness and broken capillaries on the face. If left untreated these conditions can worsen, or mutate the skin’s texture.
How do photofacials reduce redness and remove broken capillaries on my face?
Photofacials emit light energy into the skin. The light beam destroys specified targets without damaging the surrounding tissue. After that, the blood coagulates and the vessels break into tiny particles that are naturally filtered away through the body’s lymphatic system.
Supplement your redness-reducing treatment at home.
We recommend supplementing your treatments with some home tips as well as quality skincare products. Save 15% on in-store product purchases with any skincare service. Your service provider can recommend products to fit your skin and lifestyle. Professional skincare products will help you reach your skin goals sooner.
Alliviate the RED: Rosacea treatments, symptoms, triggers, and types
As we age, we see Rosacea becoming more prevalent in the faces around us, even perhaps our own.
Perhaps this is because this skin disorder affects an estimated 2 million Canadians. That’s an outstanding figure, considering Canada is home to an estimated 35.87 million people.
ABOUT ROSACEA
Rosacea may begin in childhood as a flattering natural blush appearing on the cheeks, but may spread and progress gradually to the other areas of the face, the ears, chest, back, and eyes in adulthood. Rosacea typically develops between the ages 30 to 50. It affects more women, perhaps because our skin is thinner, but when men develop rosacea, it seems to be more severe. If left untreated and unmanaged, rosacea symptoms become more severe in time, decreasing treatment success rate. Nearly three quarters of rosacea sufferers report feelings of low self-esteem.
Rosacea appears to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, which may include the immune system and a family history. It is unknown exactly what causes Rosacea, however, research shows that Rosacea is a chronic condition without a cure.
Like other chronic conditions, managing triggers that affect this skin disorder paired with treatment can reduce Rosacea symptoms.
SYMPTOMS OF ROSACEA
If you are dealing with Rosacea, you may experience some of the following:
Flushing
Persistent Redness
Bumps and Pimples
Visible Blood Vessels
Broken Capillaries
Burning or Stinging
Swelling
Eye Irritation
Dry Appearance
Skin Thickening
Plaques (overgrowths of skin)
DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ROSACEA
There are four forms of rosacea, which are defined by the following range of symptoms:
Mild: Characterized by occasional or consistent facial flushing and redness. There may some swelling, burning and stinging, roughness, and visible red blood vessels as it progresses to the next level.
Moderate: Characterized by persistent mild symptoms, plus the appearance of pimple-like bumps. Unfortunately, many people mistake moderate Rosacea for acne, and do not treat their condition appropriately until more advanced levels of Rosacea.
Severe (Rhinophym): Characterized by moderate Rosacea symptoms, plus the thickening of the skin tissue and plaque formation in the nose thereby giving an enlarged appearance.
Ocular: Characterized by skin symptoms that also affect the eyes and eyelids. It may cause redness to the surrounding skin tissue but also burning or stinging, dryness, light sensitivity, blurred vision, and watery, bloodshot eyes.
MANAGING ROSACEA TRIGGERS:
Should you decide to treat your Rosacea successfully, you must avoid or minimize the following factors: Weather
Protect skin from sun, wind, and excess temperatures (something we all experience living in Canada). We cannot emphasize how important using sunscreen daily is, even during winter! Throughout the winter months, cover your cheeks and face with a scarf. Wash the scarf/scarves regularly. If possible, replace the scarf every day or every other day to prevent breakouts. Food and Drink
Avoid eating/drinking hot soup and hot drinks, as well as spicy foods. Try to avoid or minimize your alcohol intake. These foods and drinks trigger rosacea as they increase blood flow and promote dilation of the blood vessels under the skin. This may sound like a daunting task initially, but keeping track of dietary triggers from the start of your treatment can help normalize your diet as you teach yourself new eating habits. Intense Exercise
This is not an excuse to skip physical activity! All we are saying is that when exercising, try to avoid over-heating. This may mean you go to the gym more often for shorter periods of time, or perhaps you change the time of day you exercise. Also, exercising near a fan when indoors is a good way to keep you cool during your workout. If you do feel that you overheated, take a cool shower to minimize symptom flare-up. Stress
This one is a bit more difficult to manage for some people. Stress is part of life and learning stress management techniques will do more for your life than reduce Rosacea symptoms. When you’re feeling stress, try relaxation techniques such as deep-breathing exercises, meditation or visualization techniques, where you visualize your stress as an inanimate object of which you mentally “let go”. Additionally, if possible, try to add activities that will help you physically relieve stress, such as going for a massage, or doing yoga.
ROSACEA TREATMENT
At Dérmica, we treat Rosacea with laser treatments.
ALIVIA ME PHOTOFACIAL Description: Dérmica’s Alivia ME Treatment will diminish redness and dissolve broken capillaries on areas of the face and neckline.
Vascular lesions are due to conditions such as Rosacea, couperose skin, sensitized skin, or skin trauma. These types of conditions are characterized by frequent, consistent redness, and visible redness and broken capillaries. They are most commonly found in the facial and neck area. If left untreated these conditions can worsen, or mutate the skin’s texture.
We treat these conditions by emitting a light beam into the skin which is absorbed by different skin lesions. Through selective photothermolysis, the light pulse selectively destroys a specified target without damaging the surrounding tissue, causing the blood to coagulate and the vessel to break up into particles that are naturally filtered away through the body’s lymphatic system.
Alivia ME is performed using Sharplight’s Formax-VP System. This equipment delivers quick pulses of light into the skin, targeting only the selected area. The hand piece also features a contact cooling tip that cools the skin being treated, adding maximum comfort and protection. Time frame: 45 minutes Recommended sessions: 4-6 Downtime required: 24 hrs
Pre-treatment protocols:
Must not currently be on or have used Accutane or any other oral prescription acne medications in the past 12 months
If currently using any products containing AHA/BHA/Retin A/Vitamin A on the area being treated, you must discontinue usage 2 weeks prior to procedure
Must wait a minimum of 4 weeks (or up to 6 weeks for darker skin types) from last tanning (artificial or natural) session
If currently on any prescription medications, check with your physician regarding possible photosensitivity
Contraindications:
Diabetes
Pregnancy
Disorders stimulated by light
Cancer (remission under 2 years)
Epilepsy
Use of photosensitive medication and herbs
Active infection of Herpes Simplex in treatment area
Use of anticoagulants
Potential side effects
Discomfort
Fragile skin
Edema (swelling)
Erythema (redness)
Dérmica MedEsthetics Love, Peace, and Great Skin!
(780) 885-7108
dermica.ca
Data sources
WPR. Canada Population 2015. Retrieved from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/canada-population/
RosaceaFacts. What is happening with my skin and what can I do about it? Retrieved from http://www.rosaceafacts.ca
Chatelaine. Rosacea. Retrieved from http://www.chatelaine.com/health/health-a-z/rosacea/
Canadian Dermatology Association. Rosacea. Retrieved from http://www.dermatology.ca/skin-hair-nails/skin/rosacea/#/
Q: How does the treatment work on superficial blood vessels?A: The applied IPL-DPC is absorbed by the oxyhemoglobin (formed by the combination of hemoglobin with oxygen, present in oxygenated blood) in the blood within the vessel, causing the blood to coagulate and the vessel to break up into particles that are naturally filtered away through the body’s lymphatic system.
Q: What is IPL-DPC? A: IPL-DPC stands for Intense Pulse Light- Dynamic Pulse Control. This treatment emits a light beam into the skin which is absorbed by different skin lesions. Through selective photothermolysis, this light pulse selectively destroys a specified target without damaging the surrounding tissue. The DPC technology means that we can determine the “aggressiveness” of the treatment based on the duration of the pulse; shorter pulses are more aggressive, delivering the light beam in a shorter period of time, while longer pulses are less aggressive as they have a longer period to deliver the light beam. The different range of pulse durations results in a major increase in the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
Q: How many treatments are required? A: The typical regimen is an average of 6 treatment sessions, spaced 6 weeks apart. However, the number of treatments is completely up to you depending on the results you desire.
Q: How long is the recovery phase? Is there any downtime? A: The ALIVIA ME Rx does NOT require any downtime whatsoever! You can come in during your lunch hour and return to work and no one will ever know why you look better than you did in the morning! ;)
Q: How long does a treatment take? A: This depends on the different treatments you would like during your session, however, a full ALIVIA ME photo facial Rx takes 15-30 minutes, after which you can continue your daily routine.
Q: Is the ALIVIA ME Rx painful? A: No, during the procedure, a slight, momentary stinging sensation may be felt, comparable to the snapping of a small elastic band, but not pain.
Q: Is the ALIVIA ME Rosacea Treatment Safe? A: Our Skin Experts are knowledgeable on our technology, AND on the biology of the skin. This increases the safety of all of our treatments. Our treatments are non-invasive and safe, with minimum side effects if any at all. Side effects could possibly include:
Discomfort (stinging sensation up to one hour after treatment)
Change of Pigmentation (most cases occur on people with darker skin and can be avoided by conducting a test patch
Fragile Skin (skin may become temporarily fragile)
Purpura (purple bruising lasting from 5-15 days)
Scarring (may happen on darker skin but still, very rare)
Call Dérmica to book your consultation!
Dérmica MedEsthetics
(780) 885 7108
dermica.ca
