ADVATx Laser: The Ultimate Solution for Inflammation, Rosacea, & Acne

A common skin condition that causes flushing or long-term redness on your face, rosacea has plagued me for much of my life.

Classified as a inflammatory skin disorder, alongside facial flushing it can cause enlarged blood vessels and small red (or pus-filled) spots known as bumpsosacea. Those of us living with rosacea generally have periods of no symptoms followed by unsightly flare-ups which can be triggered by anything from food to medications, heat and one of the main causes of inflammation, stress.

Peaking in my teens, and with no knowledge of the condition or how to treat it, I resorted to plastering on Mac’s Studio Mix Ultra Matte Foundation (and the occasional Dream Matte Mousse) in a desperate attempt to diminished my perpetually blotchy, bumpy cheeks. Thankfully, it was the time of The Simple Life and Juicy Couture, when orange skin and three layers of foundation was all the rage and far preferable to a red face.

As the years went by, my rosacea, along with my layers of foundation, started to fade, only popping up occasionally, like a bad boyfriend you can never fully get rid of. While the occasional IPL session did the trick of bringing my complexion back into harmony (if only that worked on boyfriends), I have never been the biggest fan.

Out of all the painful treatments I’ve tried as a beauty editor (of which there have been many), the pinging sensations of IPL is one of the most intolerable. Imagine your aesthetician pinging a very painful elastic band on your face, over and over again, and thats what IPL feels like. It may be a personal thing but I would choose the pain of needles over IPL anyday.

The problem is, no other treatment can target rosacea as effectively, or so I thought. While I had been white knuckling it for the better part of a decade, a new treatment has been making it’s mark on the beauty scene.

ADVATx (otherwise known as Advalight or Advaclear) is laser technology designed to restore the dermis and epidermis to its former, highly functioning, glowy glory. A non-ablative resurfacing treatment, what makes ADVATx stand out from other lasers on the market, is the way it can address numerous skin conditions on most skin types and doesn’t have any downtime.

Rachael Myers, Senior Medical Aesthetician at 111 Harley St explains "ADVATx is the ideal laser for someone with a busy lifestyle because it involves no downtime whatsoever. It is approved for 25 indications including acne, rosacea, scars, spider veins, melasma, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and pore size to name a few. It's quickly become one of our most in demand lasers at the clinic due to its versatility and convenience."

A mid level treatment targeting acne, rosacea, texture and tone irregularities, Haemangiomas (also known as ‘strawberry marks’) and those all important signs of ageing, ADVATx is an industry game changer. But how does is work?

ADVATx uses PulSync technology consisting of two lasers, one is emitting 1064 nanometre (nm) and the other is an 1319nm, and both lasers share a Q-Switch to generate a pulsed train of light. These pulsed trains are synchronised and simultaneously sent through a non-linear crystal, which combines the wavelength of the respective 1064 and 1319 photons to generate high-powered yellow and infrared laser energy that targets general redness, blood vessel abnormalities, pigment, and acne without damaging the skin.

In layman's terms, laser technology is attracted to reds and browns. ADVATx uses laser wavelengths to heat and eliminates unwanted vessels which are filled with red blood. While other laser treatments also do this, they are painful, causing swelling and/or bruising that can last days (hence my IPL experiences), unlike ADVATx.

Ideal for conditions such as rosacea, it is also extremely effective at treating acne, targeting and killing bacteria on the skin and shrinking pores whilst normalising the sebaceous glands activity. So effective is it a treating the condition, that recent clinical studies showed a whopping 85% of patients experienced a significant reduction in active acne. Pretty impressive stuff if you ask me.

With that in mind, I could’t do my job as beauty editor without offering myself up as a guinea pig and trying the laser for myself (It’s tough job but someones got to do it). I booked in with Rachael Myers, Senior Medical Aesthetician at 111 Harley St to take me through my first ADVATx experience.

Cleansed and prepped I lay back in on the bed while Rachael applies a cool gel to my face before gliding the ADVATx tool back and forth across my skin, focusing the pulse on different sections of my face before moving on to the next. A relatively quick treatment it took around 30 minutes to treat my whole face.

Is ADVATx painful?

Compared to IPL, ADVATx is a dream. Whilst not 100% pain free, it was generally a pleasurable relaxing experience. However it does ramp up a little in areas that are red or inflamed, meaning that pain levels will vary according to your current skin condition, improving with each session received.

Rachel recommends an average or 3 to 4 sessions to being with (varying according to your skin needs), followed by a session every six months to maintain results.

What did we think?

ADVATx is lauded for its immediate improvements and ‘on-the-table’ results, so unlike many laser treatments you can leave the clinic pretty much as you arrived…well, thats if you don’t count the beautifully glowing skin and a more even complexion. And while there is the recommend aftercare of sun protection and hydration for the next 24hr, its something we should all be doing on a daily basis anyway.

Before + after with ADVATx, 111 Harley Street

Whats more the down time ADVATx is non existent, which means you don’t need to worry about diary planning or booking time off work to hide away. Another major tick in its favour if you ask me.

With it’s ability to reduce inflammation, improve the skin barrier and even the complexion, without the worry of downtime (or the pinging sensation of IPL), I know what treatment I will be booking in for next time my rosacea pops up to say hello.

To book your ADVATx treatment visit 111harleystreet.com