Laser Surgery and Endovenous Techniques as a Treatment Option for Spider Veins

The latest innovations in laser therapy can be a very good option to treat spider veins in the legs. The laser emits very strong bursts of light onto the vein. This can makes the vein slowly fade and disappear. Lasers are very direct and highly accurate. So the proper laser manipulation by a skilled surgeon will usually only damage the area being treated. Nomatter your skin color, you can be safely treated with lasers.

Laser surgery is highly favored by some patients because it does not use needles or incisions. But despite that, when the laser contacts the skin, the patient feels a “heavy” heat sensation that can feel like a dull sting. Cold compress helps reduce the pain. Laser treatments go for 15 to 20 minutes. Two to five treatments are generally needed to remove spider veins in the legs depending on the severity. Patients can return to normal activity right after treatment, just as with sclerotherapy. For spider veins larger than 3 millimeters, laser therapy is not a good choice.

And yes, like all other medical treatments, there are possible side effects. Here are those:

• Redness or swelling of the skin right after the treatment that disappears within a few days.
• Discolored skin that will disappear within one to two months.
• Rarely burns and scars result from poorly performed laser surgery.

Another method for treating spider veins and the like is with the use of Endovenous Techniques (radiofrequency and laser). As the name suggests, it is actually a method where an entry into the vein is necessary. These methods for treating the deeper varicose veins of the legs, the saphenous veins, have been a huge innovation. They have replaced surgery for the vast majority of patients with severe varicose veins. Laser therapy is not very invasive and can be done in a doctor’s office.

The surgeon inserts a very small tube called a catheter into the vein. Once it is in there, the catheter sends out radiofrequency or laser energy that shrinks and seals the vein wall. Healthy veins around the closed vein restore the normal flow of blood. As this happens, symptoms from the varicose vein improve. Veins on the surface of the skin that are connected to the treated varicose vein will also usually shrink after the therapy. Upon the doctor’s discretion, these connected varicose veins can be treated with sclerotherapy or other methods. A few days after the surgery, you may expect a hematoma or commonly called a bruise as side effect. This will disappear in less than a week.