The award winning Excel V™ is the only tunable laser system on the market that combines two ultra-precise, best-in-class laser wavelengths (532/1064 nm) in one device. Delivering precision treatment parameters with unmatched versatility, excel V has the flexibility to treat any case, from superficial and deep vascular conditions to benign pigmented lesions.
The vast majority of people are affected by some kind of skin condition, either chronic or cosmetic, which cause unsightly broken blood vessels, discoloration and lesions to appear on the face and leg. The reality is that these conditions can have a serious impact on quality of life, causing embarrassment, self-consciousness or even depression.
Face
Excel is effective for treating facial discoloration in general. These conditions are known as rosacea (redness on the face that gets worse with environmental exposure), poikiloderma (a reddish discoloration on the neck from sun damage) and telangiectasias (the “broken” capillaries commonly found on the nose and cheeks).
Legs
The Excel V can also treat leg veins, but in general is for the tiniest of veins on the legs. Other treatments work better for bigger veins. The Excel V is most often used in combination with a YAG laser, Sclerotherapy, or other treatments when treating leg veins.
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT VEIN CARE
How does the Excel V laser work?
The Excel has two laser wavelengths. There is a KTP (532 nm) wavelength that treats the redness, brown spots, and broken capillaries at the very surface of the skin. This is the real advance of the Excel V laser. Previous versions of KTP lasers were tiny and relatively underpowered, which limited their effectiveness. The Excel V also carries an Nd YAG (1064 nm) laser for treating larger blood vessels. The 1064 wavelength is nothing new. We have been using that type of laser for years as a work horse for difficult deeper veins. The Excel V has both.
The laser (532 which penetrates shallow and highly targets red and brown or the 1064 which penetrates deeper for larger blood vessels) is absorbed by the abnormal blood vessels and heat seals them up. For brown spots they are heated and broken up.
How is the Excel V performed?
The laser has a little cooling plate for your comfort, and when the laser is fired, you feel a little sting. It is very fast, (it takes less than 1/100th of a second) so the sting is not intense. The laser is passed over the whole area being treated for example, the whole face, or the whole neck. The entire treatment takes 15 minutes typically. You don’t need any medication, shots or numbing cream. It isn’t very uncomfortable.
How many treatments are needed?
Typically we are seeing about 70-80% reduction in broken capillaries after a single treatment and about 50% improvement in redness and substantial reduction of brown spots. The timing between treatments is variable, but usually 1-2 months. Most people will do 1-2 treatments. People with more severe redness will need more. And it doesn’t cure rosacea or other sun, genetic, and environmental conditions, it simply helps control the appearance of them. Sun block is still needed, and various topical should still be used.
What are the downtime/side effects?
Like everything it is a big “well that depends”. But the real world answer is that you will probably be red and puffy 2-3 days. People with very sensitive skin will have more downtime.
Does it hurt?
The laser fires in a small fraction of s second, and the device has a cooling plate to manage comfort. Most people describe it as “little pokes” or “little shocks”. You do not need to take anything for it, and numbing cream isn’t needed.
