Laser treatment for thin superficial veins and redness

Laser treatment for spider veins, thread veins, blood vessels, or red veins is a good treatment option for thin and superficial veins that have become widened. Skin redness, rosacea and other skin conditions can also be treated with laser.

However, if the blood vessels are bigger than approximately 3 mm, laser treatment may not be the best treatment option. Instead an injection treatment is performed named sclerotherapy.

The laser that is used when treating blood vessels penetrates the skin and coagulates the blood vessels. The heat from the laser energy seals the blood vessels off and eventually they fade away.

Different lasers have different effects

There are four different types of lasers used for spider vein laser treatment. The reason is that different laser lights has different effects. The different lasers that are used for laser treatment of spider veins is Dye laser, Alexandrite laser , KTP laser and Nd:YAG laser.

Briefly explained, you can say that the dye laser and KTP laser works well on fair skin types with superficial veins such as thread veins, broken capillaries, skin redness, flushed skin and the so-called port wine stain.

Nd: YAG laser operates at deeper located, slightly larger blood vessels, mostly on the legs. However, for darker skin types, the Nd:Yag laser is often the only treatment option as the other laser types may burn darker pigmentation.

What type of laser that is used is many times less important for the final result than the quality of the machine itself and the practictioner performing the treatment has.

Laser treatment for spider veins and thread veins is most effective if they are thin and superficially located. However, superficial veins that are large or diffuse spread are difficult to inject effectively.

How spider vein laser treatment is performed

During a spider vein laser treatment, a nozzile adapted to the laser handpiece is used which fires laser flashes against the skin. The practictioner works gradually with one small area at a time. Each laser flash feels like when a small rubber band popping against the skin.

Normally, 1-3 laser treatments is needed with 1-2 months interval in order to achieve a good result. The treated blood vessels will gradually disappear aftert the treatment. However, you should not expect a one hundred percent effective treatment, but usually a significant improvement is achieved.

Temporary side effects is common after spider veins laser treatment

There are common side effects such as blistering, itching, redness and tenderness. This is due to the intentionally burning the laser caused when treating the blood vessels. Most of the discomfort is usually gone within one or a few a days. The more cosmetic side effects may take a few weeks to get rid of.

You can return to normal activities immediately after spider veins laser treatment. However, you should avoid physical training and sauna for a week and do not tan as long as the skin is irritated.

Cost of thread vein laser treatment

The price for a spider vein laser treatment depends on the amount, area and the size of the blood vessels. The approximate price per treatment session is from £200 for minor veins and from £375 for larger veins.

Since laser treatment of thread veins often require up to three treatments, the price above should be multiplied by the number of treatments.