Spider veins! Ugh. They can make even the most confident woman keep her bathing suit in the drawer.
At Northcoast Laser we give those squiggly veins what they have coming to them laser energy! Our lasers can safely eliminate or greatly reduce the appearance of spider veins and broken capillaries, all the way up to 4mm in diameter.
What are spider veins?
Spider veins are small veins on the thighs, ankles, and feet that appear like blue, purple, or red starburst clusters or webs. Unlike varicose veins, where more blood pools and the veins actually bulge upward through the surface skin, spider veins do not raise the skin above them. They simply look bad.
The causes aren’t fully understood. There is a genetic tendency with spider veins; if your Mom had them then you probably do or will, too. It’s thought that weakness in the vein walls may cause pooling of blood, resulting in a visible spider vein.
Injections or lasers?
Sclerotherapy has been used to get rid of spider veins since the 1920s. It involves injecting a saline solution into the vein, which causes the vein wall to shrink and collapse. The body then absorbs the vein over time and it will fade away.
Our laser treatment follows the same plan, without the painful injections. We deliver laser energy through a handpiece that has a cooling tip to protect your skin. The dark pigment in the blood vessel absorbs that laser energy where it becomes heat. This heat makes the vein wall collapse and over time the body absorbs the closed vein. Any blood that was passing through the vein is simply rerouted by the body to an adjacent vein.
When will I say goodbye to my squiggly friends?
The overall appearance of your spider veins will dramatically lessen right after your treatment. But usually it will take from 2-8 weeks for the vein to fully go away.
Number of treatments
Most patients only need two treatments, but everyone is different. Sometimes a vein will go away after one treatment, others after three. Treatments are usually spaced eight weeks apart.
You have enough friends; you don’t need any squiggly blue and purple friends on your legs. Let us zap them away! Call us at Northcoast Laser, 440-639-3223!