Transform your complexion in just minutes with the Candela VBeam

The suggestive appeal of a rosy cheek is undeniable. Whether it’s the result of youth, or a vigorous workout, that pinch of pink helps make everyone look more, well, alive. (There’s a reason why so many women feel naked without a pop of blush to perk up their complexions.) While a hint of color is a plus, an intense full-on flush – whether it’s caused by rosacea or broken capillaries – isn’t. And depending on its severity, it can even make one feel self-conscious and embarrassed.

I fall squarely in the second category. Ever since I was young, my face would shift gears from neutral to tomato-red in seconds – whether it be from exercising, finding myself in an uncomfortable situation, or even eating spicy food. And even though I have a professional background in beauty – I owned an apothecary in Brooklyn for ten years, and began my writing career covering the industry – I believed my aggressively red face was something that could only be treated topically: namely, with concealer and tinted moisturizer.

This is when the Candela Vbeam enters the picture. In brief: it’s a pulsed dye laser (PDL) with a wavelength of 595 nm (nanometers). (The newest Vbeam Prima device offers two treatment wavelengths, 595 nm and 1064 nm, and is slowly being rolled out throughout the U.S.) It treats skincare concerns related to blood vessels (like my rosacea and broken capillaries), and also acne, pigmented scars, pigmented lesions and wrinkles, and photo aging. (In fact, it’s so safe and effective it can even be used on children to treat port wine stains.) But to dig deeper into what Vbeam is all about, and to see how it could relieve my own ruddy complexion, I turned to Dr. Claire Chang at Union Square Laster Dermatology.