The Procedure
There are several types of lasers that can be used to treat varicose veins and spider veins on the legs and face. Although your doctor will decide which type is best to treat your condition, some of the lasers used to treat veins include yellow light lasers, green light lasers, and other intense pulsed light systems.
Before your treatment proceeds you will be asked to put goggles on to protect our eyes from the powerful laser light.
No local anesthetic is normally needed, though you may opt to have a topical anesthetic cream applied prior to the treatment. A cooling gel may be applied to your skin. Some lasers however have a special chilled hand piece which acts to cool the surface of the skin while the beam from the laser penetrates the skin.
During the laser vein removal procedure, the laser, which emits light of a particular wavelength or color, is directed into the skin to target visible veins (blood vessels). It passes harmlessly through the top layer of epidermis of the skin. The blood vessels absorb the light, which results in heating and destruction of the vein by a process known as thermo coagulation.
The dispersed blood cells, in the form of a bruise, are then carried away by the body’s collecting cells, leaving behind normal skin.
As the laser energy is absorbed by the skin, it heats it up, and creates a sharp pinprick, burning sensation. The discomfort level is moderate, and no anesthesia is required.
There is little heating (and therefore minimal damage) to the surrounding skin. Following laser treatment, damaged vessels are absorbed into the body and little or no trace remains of the spider veins or varicose veins.
When the laser passes over the skin you should only feel a small pinch, or a sensation as if someone is snapping an elastic band against your skin. An anesthetic cream can be provided to ease the discomfort. The skin is soothed by cooling both before and after the laser is applied to protect the superficial layers of the skin from heat damage and reduce the discomfort.
There may be some redness or swelling of the skin right after the laser treatment for veins, but this disappears within a few days. The skin also may be discolored, but this will disappear within one to two weeks. Patients can return to normal activity immediately after treatment.
The laser treatment of veins can take anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour, and depending on the size and number of veins, one to five treatments may be needed to achieve the desired results. Treatments should take place approximately every four to six weeks.
