Spider Veins

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• Laser Treatment
• Sclerotherapy

Broken capillaries (tiny blood vessels just beneath the skin) can happen anywhere on your body. Frequently, they appear on the thighs and the face, particularly the cheeks, nose, or chin. They appear as fine, red, blue or purple lines after they begin bulging as a result of clots that have formed within them. As the blood passes the clots, it stresses the walls of the vessels, which eventually weaken and stretch or break

Sometimes called spider veins, these dark lines may be unconnected, or they may form a pattern called a sunburst. They appear more often on fair-skinned women than men or darker-skinned women. They can be caused by a number of factors, such as:

• Genetic predisposition
• Birth control pills
• Hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause
• Childbirth
• Occupations or activities that involve prolonged sitting or standing
• Weight gain
• Puberty
• Skin damage from the sun

Fortunately, body and facial spider veins can be treated quite successfully. While some oral supplements and topical creams or oils aim at strengthening capillary walls, the best option for combatting these unwanted dark lines is with laser treatment.

Laser Therapy

Several lasers can be used to treat unwanted blood vessels, depending on their color, size and location. The red, superficial and thin vessels particularly on the face respond best to treatments with the VBeam Perfecta laser. Several treatments are often necessary for complete clearance, especially for larger vessels. Blue vessels can be treated with the GentleLase – its light is absorbed by deoxygenated hemoglobin.

Advantages of Laser Treatment
Treatment with the V-Beam laser is extremely effective and takes only 15 – 20 minutes. The concentrated laser sends an intense yet gentle beam of yellow light to the affected area, destroying the targeted vessels without damaging the surrounding tissues or skin.

Most patients need between 1 – 4 treatments at an interval of 1 – 2 months, depending on the size of the blood vessels.

Side Effects
The laser procedure causes only minor discomfort as the beam is equipped with a cooling spray that soothes the skin. However, possible side effects normally lasting only a few days may include:

• Bruising
• Blistering or crusting
• Redness or rash
• Swelling
• Itching
• Removal or lightening of freckles
• Discoloration (may last from 1 to 2 months)
• Scarring (extremely rare)

Sclerotherapy

During this non-surgical procedure, unwanted spider veins are injected with a sclerosing solution, which cause them to collapse and fade away.  Sclerotherapy typically lasts 15 to 45 minutes. No anesthetic is necessary.