Leg Spider Veins
 

Leg Spider Veins
Before	After
Female with Spider Veins Before and 9 Months After 4 IPL Treatments

A little beam of light can make all the difference in the world . . .

Whether you're a man or a woman, you may have noticed fine, little red veins on the nose, chin or cheeks that didn't used to be there, or wavy, thin reddish-purplish veins visible on the legs, often clustered on the thigh or below the knee. Spider veins, or telangiectasias, affect as many as 80% of all women, and a large percentage of men as well, as they grow older.
In the past, there was little you could do about spider veins. But now laser technology has revolutionized treatment so that many spider veins can be virtually erased.

Understanding leg telangiectasias

Leg telangiectasias are not varicose veins or deep veins but superficial veins that have become permanently dilated. Besides electrodessication, another common treatment is sclerotherapy, which involves injecting a solution into the vein to make it collapse, but treatment is not always successful.

Leg Varicose and Spider Veins
Before	After
Female with Vericose and Spider Veins Before and 3 Months After 2 laser and 3 IPL Treatments

Understanding laser treatment

A laser produces a beam of highly concentrated light. Different types of lasers produce different colors of light. The color of light produced by a particular laser is the key to the laser's effect on telangiectasias.

Different colors of light are absorbed by specific colors or pigments in the skin; for example, hemoglobin, found in blood, absorbs yellow-green light. The laser's light energy seals the vein shut and the now-diminished telangiectasias is reabsorbed by the body.

The VersaPulse advantage

The VersaPulseŠ Aesthetic Laser used by Central Dermatology Center produces short, adjustable pulses of light to treat a wide range of vessel diameters at various skin depths. The adjustable pulses minimize the risk of the purplish bruising that is the side effect of other lasers.

The special VersaSpot Chilled Tip (TM) cools the skin during treatment, enhancing patient comfort. The entire treatment involves no incisions or injections.

What you can expect

Laser treatments for telangiectasias depend on the quantity, size and depth of the veins. Most patients need between one and three 20-minute sessions. Sessions are usually spaced 8-12 weeks apart and are performed in our office without the costs of hospitalization or general anesthesia.

The laser treatment itself feels like numerous small snaps with a rubber band. Many patients do not require anesthesia during the procedure. Topical or local anesthesia is provided for those who do.

The appearance of the treated area immediately after a laser session will vary from patient to patient depending on the extent of treatment. Immediate after-effects, if any, are minor. They may include redness, light crustiness or tenderness. We will be happy to tell you more about your treatment and what you can expect.