Laser Treatment for Spider Veins

Spider veins or telangiectasias are those small red, blue and purple blood vessels that appear most frequently on the face and thighs. These spider veins are not entirely asymptomatic and not only of a cosmetic concern because the veins allow blood to accumulate within the veins and cause itching, swelling and redness. They do get worse and spread to other veins.

The best and gold standard treatment for spider veins is laser. Laser vein removal is an easy, fast, and effective way to treat superficial veins Laser therapy has been used in the medicine for more than 30 years. Advances in technology have helped developed many different lasers. The laser uses a focused beam of light. In the treatment of veins, the wavelength of light is targeted to the pigment in the blood. The laser heats up the small vein and destroys it. The laser beam is focused and does not damage the nearby skin tissue. Over a period of four to six weeks, the vein is reabsorbed by the body and disappears.

During laser therapy, light energy is delivered through a small laser hand piece to a targeted vein, in a series of brief pulses. The light energy is absorbed by the lining of the blood vessels and the blood within the blood vessels. The heat generated causes a coagulation (clotting) of the blood, which is subsequently absorbed by the body. The advanced laser treatments allow the delivery of a precise dosage of energy to each blood vessel.

All individuals are evaluated prior to laser therapy. Spider veins generally do not cause symptoms but are diseased, incompetent veins that spread and affect other adjacent veins. For those who have symptoms, further investigation is done to ensure that they do not have varicose veins. Laser therapy is most effective for the very small spider veins and not used to treat large varicose veins.  Insurance companies do not cover laser treatment because they regard the problem as a cosmetic concern only.

There is no prior preparation required before laser therapy. The procedure is done in a doctor’s office or clinic and usually takes less than 10-20 minutes.

Only the very small superficial veins are treated with a laser. Generally no anesthetic is required for the procedure.  The laser has a specialized chilled hand piece which acts to cool the surface of the skin while the beam from the laser penetrates the skin. Pulses of light energy are then administered in a sequential fashion.

During your treatment, you will feel a slight tingling sensation as the laser fires. If the individual feels any pain, a topical local anesthetic is applied 20 minutes before the procedure.

The majority of the treated spider veins will disappear within two to three treatments. The treatments can be spaced four to six weeks apart. If new veins appear, additional treatments are required for optimum results. The treatments may be spaced every three to four week intervals.

The skin above the veins will have a reddish, cat-scratch appearance. This generally disappears over the next two days

Patients are encouraged to resume all normal activities immediately. Final results may not be apparent for several months. Most patients are satisfied by the results in a very short time.

The risks associated with laser vein therapy are minimal. Your eyes will be shielded during the treatments. Most facilities use state-of-the-art cooling systems, thus the treatments are low risk and relatively pain-free

Depending on the size and number of veins, two to six treatments will be needed.

No, spider veins are only of cosmetic nuisance and not covered by medical insurance or Medicare.