So I decided to start treating my red marks from old acne (my dermatologist said it wasn't actually called hyperpigmentation since my marks arered, not brown). I decided to go the route of Vbeam. Got the treatment yesterday - it was $300 for I think about 20 zaps. My marks are all on my cheeks. The treatment was only slightly painful, but then again i'm pretty used to pain on my face with all the peels and other stuff I've had done, plus i have tattoos so yeah. Anyway, I actually haven't been broken out at all for the past week so I thought it would be a great time to treat my marks... I know Im still going to get acne in the future, but I usually only have a few on my face at a time nowadays, which really wouldn't look that bad if it weren't paired with all my marks.... so if i could at least get rid of the marks... ANYway...
So it's been about 29 hours since the treatment and the zapped areas are still quite red and inflamed. Basically they all look like acne/cysts which is really annoying... but it's nothing I haven't seen before on my face, so I could easily go in public if i wanted.... but I haven't yet, since the treatment. The inflammation and redness have definitely gone down since the treatment, but they're still there.
Could anyone else who's had this treatment give me a better idea of how long it takes for your face to go back to normal? My derm said just 2 days, but then the info sheet she gave me said up to a week.. Sooo....
Also, the sheet said to avoid salty foods. Any idea why? Does that contribute to inflammation or something?
She said since my marks aren't that bad (her words, not mine), I should see about a 50% improvement with this treatment... keeping my fingers crossed. if it really is a 50% improvement, i may not even want another treatment... i might just be happy with that.
Anyway, what experiences have y'all had with Vbeam? Recovery time, results, etc.
oh also I took before pics so I'd be happy to share before and after pics if there actually end up being good results
Ihave been zapped by the new model of Vbeam, Vbeam Perfecta several times now. The new model doesn't usually cause hematomas(bruises) nor does it induce as much facial swelling in contrast to the older model yet it yields the exact same results. That said, I needed to get at least 2 rounds in order to see improvement. In terms of your 'marks/swelling' -- It could last a week or it could last a few days. It's hard to make assumptions without knowing what it looks like. I talk with experience because I've had a few to deal with a few bruises/bumps from vbeam before...but they were miniscule and didn't cause heads to turn
Ihave been zapped by the new model of Vbeam, Vbeam Perfecta several times now. The new model doesn't usually cause hematomas(bruises) nor does it induce as much facial swelling in contrast to the older model yet it yields the exact same results. That said, I needed to get at least 2 rounds in order to see improvement. In terms of your 'marks/swelling' -- It could last a week or it could last a few days. It's hard to make assumptions without knowing what it looks like. I talk with experience because I've had a few to deal with a few bruises/bumps from vbeam before...but they were miniscule and didn't cause heads to turn
This is normal and expected. After Vbeam, the areas lasered looked like welts, and resembled cystic acne. It should resolve itself in a few days.
Sweet! Thanks to both of you guys. I woke up this morning and the areas are definitely less swollen which is cool. My derm used Vbeam perfecta so that's good to know it doesn't cause as much swelling.
I'm hoping to see at least some improvement with this first round... it'll be hard to dole out another $300 if I haven't seen improvement yet... we'll see though.
Update: So the swelling and redness are totally down. I had my treatment on Thursday and today is Tuesday, so nearly a week later. No improvement from pre-treatment yet, but I wasn't told to expect anything yet.
I was reading online and read that you're not supposed to use alpha hydroxy acids for 10-14 days after treatment.... my face wash by Mario Badescu has grapefruit extract which is an AHA... I guess it's only on my face for a bit before I wash it off, so not a big deal? I just don't want to decrease the effectiveness of the treatment.
I also started using my Epiduo and Aczone again once my swelling and redness had gone down and the areas looked "normal" again... theafter care sheet from my derm said I could start using products once swelling and redness were down and the skin felt back to normal, but I've read that all retinoids should be avoided for 10-14 days (Epiduo is a retinoid)!!! What do you think? Did I decrease the effectiveness of my treatment by using these products too soon?
I don't think using retinoids or AHAs take away from the treatment, but rather it's just a safety precaution.
V-Beam treatment makes your skin more sensitive in general which would make your skin more susceptible to irritation is all.
Keep me updated on your V-Beam progress! 
Thinking of doing one as well for my red marks.
I don't think using retinoids or AHAs take away from the treatment, but rather it's just a safety precaution.
V-Beam treatment makes your skin more sensitive in general which would make your skin more susceptible to irritation is all.
Keep me updated on your V-Beam progress!
Thanks for those words! I'll keep y'all updated. It's been just over a week now. I feel like the marks have lightened a little already, but i might just be imagining things. We've still got 5 weeks to go for full improvement though, so I'm hopeful.
Hey, sorry I never updated this. The results for the vbeam were underwhelming, but I went for another vbeam in late December to give it another shot (and because I had a nasty break out on the front of my face that left some really bad marks).
My final verdict would be... maybe worth it. I only did two treatments and they were pretty spaced apart. I noticed some improvement in some areas, but other red marks she treated look about the same. Luckily, the marks from the nasty break out really have improved! I'm not sure if that's more due to this or to the chemical peels I was doing just on that spot every few weeks...
Sorry this didn't end up being a more helpful log... I would say that there was at least SOME change in some of my marks thanks to the vbeam... but was it worth the overall $500 I spent on it? Probably not...
Thanks for the info. It sounds like you have post inflammatory erythema, which I think a lot of us on here have and seems to be below the skin. Your results sound like mine with intense pulse light treatment -- mixed. The difference is that IPL only has a few hours of downtime. If I could completely stop my breakouts, I would give vbeam a chance. But, I don't want to suffer through downtime for something that probably won't help me that much long term, anyway.