Vein Vein Go Away

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Vein Vein Go Away
September 10, 2007
Holly O'Neill
Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

Spider veins (or to use the proper name telangiectases) are unsightly and embarrassing and affect about 80% of women and men as they grow older. As the body ages blood vessels degrade, becoming saggier and more visible on the skin's surface. Aging, sun damage, hormonal changes, pregnancy, birth control pills can all contribute to unsightly spider veins. Now using medical lasers, ugly, broken, red and purple veins can be a thing of the past.

Laser treatment of broken veins works by utilizing light and energy.The laser targets oxy-hemoglobin in the blood, heating it to a degree where it damages the lining of the blood vessels to the point where they won't carry blood any more. The damaged vessel then scars down and disappears.

If removing these veins sounds a little alarming, do not fear - they are not essential to the circulation of blood around the body. "Removing these veins makes no difference to circulation. The little veins on the surface actually, if anything, slow the transit of blood from the feet back into the heart," explained Dr Thomas Rohrer, director of Laser and Dermatologic Surgery at Boston University.

The most common areas for treatment are the face and legs. "When we treat veins on the face, the most common places are on the cheeks and edges of the nose," said plastic surgeon Dr Michael Clinton from Birmingham, Alabama.

Usually only one treatment is required to eliminate veins appearing on the face, though some new ones may appear after time. "In general you get substantial improvement with one treatment. But there is always the chance of recurrence and new veins coming out," said Californian dermatologist Dr Gary Lask. "Additional treatment may be required to get the maximum amount of improvement and get rid of new lesions." Dr Clinton agreed: "After 4-6 weeks - when we evaluate what the first treatment has accomplished - we may do a little touch-up. It is usually much less than the first treatment. On the face, they do very well and rarely require a second treatment."

On the legs, it can take a little longer to get the desired result. "On the legs, if we get a 75% response rate I think we have been successful," said Dr Clinton. Legs often require some touch-ups to get maximum response.
Removal of spider veins by laser treatment is a relatively risk-free procedure, and much less painful than sclerotherapy. Dr Rohrer explained: "Sclerotherapy is a less complete method of destruction than with laser. Often with sclerotherapy old veins come back. Laser is a much quicker procedure, and we have had no scarring with it." Dr Clinton agreed: "Sclerotherapy is painful, bloody and compression bandages must be worn. Those things don't happen with laser treatment."

Laser treatment of veins is quite painless. "Sometimes it can feel like the snap of a rubber band," explained New York dermatologist Dr Arielle Kauvar. In experienced hands the lasers used are also quite safe. "Pulsed Dye lasers are the same laser we use for removing birthmarks on little babies. So they are very safe lasers.And very simple to use," said Dr Lask.

There are some side effects from using lasers, but most are temporary and cause only a little discomfort. "some systems can cause bruising and some can cause scabbing and crusting, which may require an antibiotic cream for a few days," said Dr Lask.The bruising mentioned is called purpura. "It is not truly a bruise, just a reaction the blood vessel goes through," explained Dr Clinton. Any bruising experienced on the face will start to lighten and fade within 5-7 days; on the legs it takes a little longer - 10-14 days.

Recovery measures after treatment from laser vein removal are virtually non-existent. There are no special garments to be worn or activities to be ruled out. "I recommend to my patients that they massage their legs with their favorite lotion 2 or 3 times a day. I believe that helps the purpura resolve faster," said Dr Clinton. "There are bruise creams that patients have said they think help. I am not convinced that it makes as much difference as just the massage process does."

"Avoid trauma for a week or so," recommended Dr Rohrer. "Stay out of direct sunlight for about 3 weeks. Because of the higher energy used on leg veins, if they get a lot of sun afterwards, they can be more prone to temporary hypo-pigmentation."

As with using lasers for resurfacing or hair removal, it is important to carefully evaluate which laser is appropriate to be used on different skin types. "The GentieLASE (Candela Corp., Wayland, MA) you can use on many different skin types. We've used it on African American and Mediterranean skin types. You simply have to reduce the amount of power you use," said Dr Clinton.