It is a botulinum toxin.
Botox is the brand name for onabotulinumtoxinA, given by a trained clinician.
Botox vs V-Beam
Botox: An injection that temporarily weakens specific facial muscles, so the lines those muscles make soften. It wears off in about three to four months. It does not fill, lift, or improve the quality of the skin.
V-Beam: A laser tuned to the color of blood. It fades facial redness, broken vessels, rosacea flushing, port-wine stain birthmarks and some red scars. The thing to plan around is whether your settings will bruise the skin or not.
Choose Botox if…
Choose for lines that appear when you move — frowning, squinting or raising your brows.
- Frown lines, crow's feet, forehead lines
- You want no downtime
- You're fine with a visit every 3–4 months
Choose V-Beam if…
Choose for facial redness, broken vessels, port-wine stains or red scars — plan around whether your settings will bruise.
- Persistent rosacea redness or visible vessels
- A port-wine birthmark
- You can plan around possible bruising
Often combined
Can you have both?
They treat different things: V-Beam for redness and vessels, Botox for lines. Space them about 2 weeks apart.
Key differences
● Botox
● V-Beam
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
None
1–2 days
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Minimal
Mild
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
Within days
1–4 weeks
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
3–6 months
1–2 years
Visits neededOne → Every few months
Every few months
A longer series (4–6+)
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$$
$$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
No, wears off
No, fades slowly
What is it?
Botox
V-Beam
What is it?
It relaxes selected muscles.
Its effect on muscle activity is temporary.
It is not a filler.
It does not add volume.
Health history matters.
Neuromuscular disease, swallowing problems, pregnancy and previous toxin treatment should be discussed.
It is a vascular laser.
Brief pulses of visible light are absorbed by hemoglobin in blood vessels.
It treats redness and vessels.
It is used for vascular lesions, persistent redness and some red scars.
Redness has many causes.
The diagnosis should be confirmed first.
Recent tanning matters.
Prior pigment changes, scarring and tanning affect safety.
What it treats
Evidence level
Botox
V-Beam
Strong evidenceMost established uses
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Smooths frown lines and crow's feet.
Hyperhidrosis
Stops underarm sweating for months.
Rosacea
Reduces redness and vessels.
Port-Wine Stains
The standard treatment.
Spider Veins
Clears facial vessels.
Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
—
Post-Inflammatory Redness
Fades red marks.
Keloids
Reduces redness and itch.
Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Rosacea
Small studies show less flushing.
—
Little evidence
Deep Wrinkles
Lines at rest may need filler.
Sun Spots
Other lasers work better.
Not effective
Sagging Skin
Doesn't lift loose skin.
Volume Loss
Doesn't add volume.
Melasma
Doesn't target pigment.
Treatment areas
Treatment areas
Forehead, between the brows, crow’s feet and underarms.
Face, neck and chest; the selected vessels or lesions determine the treatment field.
Skin tones
Skin tone
● Botox
● V-Beam
Lighter skin
Low risk
No pigment change expected.
Low risk
Bruising with stronger settings.
Medium skin
Low risk
No pigment change expected.
Some risk
Temporary darkening possible.
Deeper skin
Low risk
No pigment change expected.
Some risk
Skin pigment competes for the light; conservative settings and experience matter.
How it works
Botox
V-Beam
How it works
Diagram explanation
Placed near nerve endings: A clinician injects botulinum toxin into selected muscles. Reduces signal release: The treated nerve ending releases less acetylcholine. Muscle activity relaxes: Movement-related lines can soften as contraction decreases.
Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.
Light reaches the vessel: Pulsed dye laser light enters the treatment area. Blood absorbs the light: Hemoglobin absorbs energy, producing localized heat. Treated vessels fade: Controlled vessel injury can reduce visible redness over time.
Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.
Before your treatment
Botox
V-Beam
2–4 weeks before
Planning: Timing: Allow at least 2 weeks before an important event; results settle in 10–14 days and bruises may last a week.
4 weeks before: Sun and tanning: Avoid sun, sunbeds and self-tanner on the area.
Before you book: Events: If bruising would be a problem, say so before the first pulse — it changes the settings.
The week before
Preparation: Medicines and alcohol: Ask about fish oil, vitamin E and ibuprofen; avoid alcohol for 24 hours.
A few days before: Bruising and alcohol: Never stop a prescribed blood thinner on your own.
Actives and hair removal: Stop retinoids, benzoyl peroxide and exfoliating acids 3 to 5 days before.
Actives and hair removal: Stop waxing, threading and hair removal creams.
Day of treatment
Botox
V-Beam
Before you arrive
What to bring: Arrive with a clean face, reference photos and clear treatment goals.
Clean skin: Clean skin, no makeup.
Arrival & prep
You say what bothers you while the injector watches your face move.
Skin is cleaned and photos usually taken.
Treatment
The skin is cleaned, then small injections go into the chosen muscles, a few in each area.
The visit runs 10 to 20 minutes. Each point is a sharp sting, then it is over — most people rate it below a blood test. The forehead and between the brows are the most sensitive.
You wear opaque eye shields, with metal shields under the eyelid near the eye.
The handpiece fires overlapping pulses, each preceded by cold gas, with a snapping sound and a smell of cold. Nose and cheeks take a few minutes, a full face 10 to 20 minutes. Each pulse is like a hot rubber band snapped on the skin: sharp, brief, worst on the nose and upper lip.
Before you leave
Small raised bumps like insect bites settle within about 20 to 30 minutes.
Warm, red and slightly swollen, like mild sunburn.
After your treatment
Botox
V-Beam
First 24 hours
Days 1 to 3: A few people bruise, usually near the eyes.
Days 1 to 3: Swelling is worst the morning after and settles over two to three days, with cheeks and under-eyes puffing most.
Days 2–7
Days 3 to 5: Movement feels different — heavy, or a muscle that will not quite fire.
Days 10 to 14: The true result.
Days 3 to 14: Purple turns brown, then green, then yellow, then goes.
Weeks 2–4
Not specified
Weeks 2 to 8: Once the bruise clears, the change from the session becomes visible.
Time to results
Starts in 3–5 days, full at 2 weeks
1–4 weeks per session
How long results last
3–4 months
Months to years; new vessels can form
Risks
Risks
- A droopy upper eyelid
- A heavy or dropped brow
- Unevenness
- A headache or a flu-like day or two
- A lump or bruise that is not settling
- Dry, gritty eyes or double vision
- Most of what happens after a pulsed dye laser is expected
- Dark patches
- Light patches
- Crusting or a blister
- Swelling that is not settling
- A cold sore outbreak
Cost
Per session
In the US it is priced per unit or per area.
In the US, a pulsed dye laser session for the face usually runs $300 to $700, and small single-area treatments such as one cherry angioma or a few nose vessels can be less.
Insurance
Insurance does not cover cosmetic use.
Insurance almost never covers laser treatment of rosacea redness or facial vessels — it is classified as cosmetic.
Questions
Botox
V-Beam
Individual Questions
How long does it last?
Three to four months for most people and areas. The jaw muscle and underarm sweating last longer. Fading is gradual, so movement returns over a few weeks.
Does it hurt?
A sharp sting for a second or two per injection, several times. Most people find it easier than expected and skip numbing.
Will I look frozen?
Only if the dose says so. Amount and placement decide how much movement you keep, and a lighter dose at a first appointment is reasonable. You can add more at two weeks; you cannot take any away.
What if I do not like the result?
There is no antidote, so it has to wear off over weeks to a few months. Some problems can be balanced with a few extra units elsewhere, which is why starting conservatively is safer.
Is it safe long-term?
Decades of medical use at doses far larger than cosmetic ones, with no pattern of lasting harm. The main reported change is treated muscles getting somewhat weaker over years, which is the intended effect.
How many units do I need?
That depends on the muscle and the face, not a standard number. As a rough reference, frown lines between the brows are commonly treated with about 20 units of one common brand. Units are not comparable between brands, so ask which product is used.
Will I have a bruise?
Only if the laser is set to give you one. Purpuric settings burst the vessel and leave a purple bruise for 7 to 14 days, and generally clear more per session. Non-purpuric settings leave you pink and slightly swollen for a day or two and need more sessions. Decide before the first pulse.
Does it treat rosacea?
It treats part of it. Visible vessels and the background flush respond well. The bumps and pus spots do not, and those need creams or tablets. Most people with rosacea use both.
How many sessions will I need?
For facial redness, usually 3 to 5, spaced 4 to 8 weeks apart, then a top-up every year or two. A few isolated broken vessels may need only one or two. Port-wine stains take many more, over years.
Is it safe on deeper skin tones?
It is used on deeper skin tones, with lower energy, longer pulses and more cooling, often with a test spot first. The risk of a light or dark patch is higher than on fair skin, so many providers choose a 1064 nm Nd:YAG instead, because that wavelength is absorbed much less by pigment.
Will the redness come back?
Usually, gradually. The laser clears the vessels that are there; it does not stop new ones forming or change the rosacea underneath. Most people return for maintenance every one to two years, and sunscreen and prescription creams stretch that out.
Does it help brown marks or melasma?
No. This wavelength is aimed at blood, not pigment. Melasma can even be provoked by heat and light, so if pigment is your main concern this is the wrong device.
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