Spider veins on the face can be reduced or eliminated entirely with the use of modern laser and light therapies (formally called telangiectasia). The laser’s concentrated beam of light travels directly to the blood pigment, heating it to the point of destruction and eliminating the vein. Due to the laser’s pinpoint accuracy, it is able to destroy the targeted skin cells without damaging any neighboring ones. Within four to six weeks, the wounded vein is reabsorbed by the body and vanishes, leaving a more youthful, even, and healthy looking complexion. Because spider veins frequently recur, further treatments may be required down the road.
Laser treatment for facial veins is a safe and effective option. It’s possible that candidates shouldn’t have a history of bleeding disorders, scarring, or vascular disease. Your skin will be examined to determine which laser is most appropriate for you and to rule out the possibility that the veins you see are in fact varicose veins. Laser therapy works well, however it is not used to treat varicose veins.
Read on for more information about What Is The Best Laser For Spider Vein Removal, My Spider Veins Look Worse After Laser Treatment
What Is The Best Laser For Spider Vein Removal
Both therapies work well with little adverse effects, yet they have certain similarities in pros and cons.
But which is less difficult and better for your veins? Now we will compare the two approaches to treating spider veins.
Sclerotherapy
Spider veins can be treated without surgery with sclerotherapy. The medical practitioner injects a substance known as a sclerosant into a vein, causing the vein to close and dry out. When the body absorbs the vein, it ceases to exist.
Sclerotherapy works best on spider veins that are close to the skin’s surface, such as those found on the legs and hands. Contrasted to laser therapy, it is more cost- and time-efficient. People with darker skin tones also benefit more from sclerotherapy. Light from lasers has been shown to discolor tanned skin.
Laser Therapy
Spider veins treated with laser are more expensive. as well as being felt to be more excruciating than they actually are. However, laser treatments are the gold standard for treating facial spider veins. Several distinct laser therapies exist, including:
Laser and IPL (intense pulsed light) therapies are safe and effective alternatives to invasive and toxic chemical procedures. An external light source is used to target the veins. Depending on the size of the affected area, treatments with an IPL or a surface laser might last anywhere from 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Bruising-like purple discoloration of the skin is the most common unwanted side effect. Redness, swelling, and blistering are also possible, though they tend to be transitory.
The doctor can treat tiny to medium varicose veins with a laser through the skin, much as they would treat spider veins. Multiple lasers’ ability to reach veins through skin layers is a significant advance. While cooling the skin prevents any burning, many patients find it causes greater discomfort than sclerotherapy.
Effective treatment for bigger varicose veins is available through endovenous laser therapy (EVLT). The vein is directly probed with a laser probe. The laser’s extreme heat causes the vein to collapse when the probe is withdrawn, effectively closing off the vein from the inside out. When compared to sclerotherapy, which requires numerous treatments, a single EVLT procedure is more efficient.
What You Do Depends on Your Vein Specialist and Your Desires
Both methods are effective in removing spider veins and leaving the skin feeling soft and looking radiant. Additionally, many people experience both types of vein issues, so it is possible that a combination of treatments might be best.
Oftentimes, the veins’ position dictates which treatment option is chosen. Although laser therapy is effective for smaller varicose veins, sclerotherapy is preferable for larger ones, especially those located in the legs. The best results may require a hybrid strategy at times.
Consult your vein doctor to determine the best course of treatment for you. It’s possible that the optimum treatment option for your vein issues will vary from person to person. For this reason, it is crucial to seek the counsel of a qualified vein specialist. Your doctor will be able to tailor treatment to your specific illness and requirements.
My Spider Veins Look Worse After Laser Treatment
Spider veins, telangiectasias, and reticular veins are the only superficial veins that can be treated for cosmetic purposes. Clusters of tiny, red or purple veins commonly found on the skin’s surface are known as spider veins or telangiectasias. Injection sclerotherapy or transcutaneous laser treatments are used to remove these roughly 1-mm-wide veins.
Achieving long-term success in treating spider veins requires targeting the reticular veins, which are the larger blue veins that feed the spider veins. They’re located in the dermis and range in size from 1 mm to 4 mm. Injection sclerotherapy is the gold standard treatment for reticular veins.
I like to explain spider vein clusters to my patients by comparing them to branches and leaves, and the reticular vein to the tree trunk. To cut down a tree, you must first cause enough damage to the trunk so that the branches die. The tree will regrow its leaves if you try to remove the branches and leaves without also dealing with the feeding trunk. To eliminate spider veins, one must also treat the reticular veins that are feeding them.
When the patient initially comes in for therapy, they should be given an overview of what will happen. It’s crucial to set reasonable goals and educate patients. Some important things to talk about are:
It typically takes three to five treatments to see an 85% improvement in veins. Don’t count on having your veins completely removed.
Because new veins might form and existing ones can reappear, maintenance is necessary every three to five years.
However, it may take up to three months following the final treatment for the veins to stop appearing worse before they begin to look better.
The most typical post-treatment symptoms are discoloration and mattifying of the skin. When a new group of spider veins appears after treatment, this is known as “matteing.”
Compression stockings of medical quality come highly recommended from me.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Promising Therapeutics
Sclerotherapy is a treatment administered via injection that uses a substance to irritate the vessel wall. Still widely used, sclerotherapy has been shown to be more effective than transcutaneous laser treatment. 1 When the wall of a vein made of smooth muscle is damaged, the vein wall hardens and can be resorbed by the body.
Sclerosing agents like hypertonic saline and chromate glycerol are commonly used. Polidocanol (Asclera®, Merz Aesthetics) and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (Sotradecol®, Mylan) are the only two agents approved by the FDA. Salt water (saline), sugar (glycerol), and the soap-like detergents (polidocanol and sodium tetradecyl sulfate) are all examples of these substances.
The doctor may charge more for polidocanol and sodium tetradecyl sulfate, but I find they are worth it. As they are available in a range of concentrations, they are the optimal agents for treating varicose and reticular veins. Spider veins demand a weaker concentration of the fluid, while reticular veins need something stronger. Physicians can employ foam made from polidocanol or sodium tetradecyl sulfate on larger reticular veins, smaller varicose veins, larger varicose veins, and larger tributaries. (I plan to discuss this further in my upcoming DPM Blog on veins in medicine.) Because foam is clearly visible on ultrasound, it can be used effectively in therapeutic procedures. Soap detergents are gentler on the sufferer and won’t burn while washing off excess fluids.
Spider veins on the ankles and medial knees, as well as skin matting, respond effectively to transcutaneous laser treatments. A Yag laser has the best success rate for treating veins. The blood’s hemoglobin or water absorbs the laser’s heat energy when it is delivered as a pulse. Furthermore, the vessel wall is damaged directly by the heat energy. The body might dissolve the vessel once it has been injured. I advise using an ice pack after the surgery and a series of treatments.
Venipuncture causes bruising in patients. The use of Arnica pellets three days prior to therapy can reduce the likelihood of bruises. Take pictures of the area before any therapy is done. Some patients even forget how their legs appeared before they got their treatment. Patients are often blown away when they realize the progress photographs documenting their treatment have made possible.
Patients start sclerotherapy by lying on their side with their legs spread apart in a scissor position. The simplest access to any vein is at the 12:00 position, so that’s where you want to focus your attention. After I finish one side, I turn the patient over so they are lying on their stomach. I start on one side, switch to the other, and end with the patient lying supine. Vein lights and lit magnifiers can help you see the veins that supply the reticulum. You can find these wherever nowadays. Injectable treatments can be administered in a number of ways, and each medical practitioner will have their own preferred method.
The two most important things to remember about these methods are (1) making sure you’re in the vessel and (2) not over-treating. Both using a solution that is overly concentrated for the size of the vessel being treated, or injecting a larger volume of solution than necessary, constitute overtreatment. Both of these are potential risks for aesthetic procedures, as they can cause discoloration of the skin, vein matting, skin ulcers, and necrosis.
As part of the aftercare process, it is recommended that you wear medical-grade compression therapy stockings with a pressure range of 20-30 mmHg for three days. Wearing stockings can be uncomfortable, but the patient can take them off while sleeping or showering. Patients should rest for the first 24 hours after their procedure. They should also protect their skin from the sun by covering up and using sunscreen.
Laser For Spider Veins At Home
Blue light therapy, laser light therapy, and intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy are all treatments that can be done at home or in a spa. As their names imply, these procedures claim to reduce the visibility of spider veins by passing a light or laser across the affected areas of skin. But can we say with certainty that these treatments are effective? To learn more about why light therapy is not an option and why the tried-and-true medical procedures provided by Center for Vein Restoration (CVR) are the only method to get rid of spider veins for good, talk to a vein specialist there.
Spider veins… what are they?
The face, upper thigh, and lower legs are common places to notice spider veins. Spider veins typically range in size from half a millimeter to one millimeter in thickness and flatness. Spider veins, like varicose veins, form when weakened vein valves allow blood to pool and push the vein outward.
A significant risk of developing spider veins is shared by women, the elderly, those who are overweight, and those who have a family history of varicose and spider veins. Spider veins can be made worse by prolonged sun exposure, injuries, certain medical problems, and even just sitting or standing in one position.
Is there a remedy for spider veins?
Light therapy, either at home or at a med spa, may sound more appealing than seeing a trained vein expert if you’re considering treatment for spider veins. Treatments that use a concentrated beam of light or laser to diminish spider veins include blue light therapy, laser light therapy, and strong pulsed light therapy. Some people have reported temporary success using these unproven methods to minimize the appearance of spider veins. But because these light therapies don’t treat what causes spider veins in the first place, the problem veins will eventually return.
Rather, consult a CVR vein specialist about the two methods of sclerotherapy listed below, which can provide long-term relief:
Sclerotherapy using a Foam, Guided by Ultrasound. An ultrasonogram will be used by the vein expert to locate the injured vein before a needle is inserted. In order to close the vein, a foam sclerosant is injected into it. As blood is rerouted to more robust veins, the diseased vein is gradually absorbed by the body.
The use of a laser to remove skin. The method is very much like ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy. The vein specialist, however, will not use ultrasonography but instead will “visually” insert the needle to inject the sclerosant.
No anesthetic is needed for either procedure, and they both cause minimal discomfort at most. Minor cramping and stinging from the needle are possible side effects of each operation, which takes around 30 minutes. The vein doctor will next gently compress the area after the needle has been removed to prevent blood from entering the vein that was just treated.
There are little limits on your daily life after the treatments, so you can get back to work or school right afterwards. Compression stockings can be worn by patients for multiple days at a time at the recommendation of their doctors in order to improve blood circulation.
So, sclerotherapy is preferable than light therapy?
Absolutely, it is the correct response! Even if it takes more than one sclerotherapy treatment to get rid of your spider veins, it’s time well spent. Treatment with light at a medi spa or at home may require the same number of visits. However, they will not provide the same level of assurance as a professional therapy in a certified vein clinic like CVR.
It’s important to remember that medspa services and at-home treatment kits can be quite pricey. Insurance companies may not pay for spider vein removal procedures because of their cosmetic nature. CVR is willing to work with you to set up manageable payment options.
The state of Massachusetts offers CVR as a treatment option for spider veins.
Pamela Kim, MD, RPVI, runs the Center for Vein Restoration office in Framingham, MA. Dr. Kim has considerable expertise treating varicose and spider veins and other vascular problems as a board-certified Vascular Surgeon with additional certifications in General Surgery and Vascular Interpretation. Consult with her right away by calling her.