Laser Vein Treatment in Orange County: Laser Vein Reduction & Sclerotherapy
Laser Vein Reduction
Millions of men and women are bothered by unsightly spider veins and/or dilated blood vessels that appear more commonly on the face, legs, and chest. While they are not considered to be medical emergencies, many people seek medical attention regardless so they may be rid of these unattractive and often embarrassing distractions to their natural beauty. Fortunately, advanced technology allows us to safely and effectively treat the spider veins (or telangiectasia ) without causing any damage to the surrounding tissues. Light energy is delivered through a special hand-piece to the targeted vein. The light energy causes the blood within the vein to coagulate, eliminating the appearance of the targeted vein.
Depending on the number of vessels treated and their location, treatments can be completed in only a matter of minutes and are only mildly uncomfortable. After treatment, you will experience some redness of the areas treated. The majority of treated vessels will be gone for good with only one or two treatments.
Description and Benefits
Treatment is performed with the CoolGlide YAG laser to safely and effectively reduce the appearance of visible leg veins, including shallow spider veins and reticular veins, as well as veins on the face, neck and chest. Laser treatments also correct benign pigmented lesions such as age spots, birthmarks, and tattoos.
Lasers have an advantage over injections in that they’re better at targeting tiny veins that are too difficult to inject. For some of the larger leg veins, Sclerotherapy would be better suited. That is why both treatments are usually used interchangeably.
Spider veins are very small veins caused by a dilation of the small venules under the skin. This occurs when pressure inside the vein increases enough to overcome normal resistance of the vein wall. The ability of veins to resist increased pressure is reduced in women when the body’s estrogen level is reduced.
Reticular veins are small, bluish-colored veins that carry blood to the skin venules and are larger than spider veins. These veins have thin walls and dilate with excessive venous pressure. When this occurs, they become large enough to be unsightly, but are not considered to be varicose veins.
Please Note: This treatment will not stop the development of new veins. It also is not designed for varicose veins that most often must be surgically removed. Varicose veins are usually larger than ¼ inch in diameter and may appear raised with a bluish color.
During The Procedure: Treatment may vary from 15 to 30 minutes. During the procedure a laser light beam is traced over the veins in a series of brief pulses, and this in turn produces a decrease in the size of the vein and eventual resolution of the treated telangectasias (spider veins). The walls of the veins are damaged by the laser’s heat. The body next induces a healing process. The veins shrink and become less visible or disappear altogether.
Contraindications: The following patients are not good candidates – use of blood thinners, afflicted with a serious illness, dark suntans, photosensitivity disorders, diabetes, bleeding disorders, or currently taking photosensitizing medications
After The Treatment
There is no downtime, so you can resume regular activities immediately (as long as the first 24 hours do not include vigorous activities). Pain is generally mild. Swelling and mild bruising can occur, but most always resolve within 1 – 2 weeks. Limiting sun exposure and avoiding hot baths will greatly minimize the risk of complications. It’s recommended that you wear support hose or elastic stockings to keep pressure on veins for several days to several weeks. This will help keep the treated veins closed. Most veins will disappear over the next 2 – 6 weeks.
DO NOT take aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, St. John’s Wort, and high does of Vitamin E supplements for one week after treatment. These agents may increase bruising and bleeding at the treatment site. Tylenol is okay.
Skin Care Regimen: Your skin may feel tender for several days following a treatment. Avoid any harsh skin cleansers and abrasives, and use sunscreen.
Frequency and Follow – Up’s: The number of treatments necessary to resolve your vein concerns depends on the size of the vein and you body’s ability to heal. Veins that are darker or purplish are usually more difficult to remove, and require more treatments. During your consultation, you will be given an estimate of the number of treatments required to obtain optimal results. Treatments can be scheduled at 3 – 4 week intervals. Maintenance treatments may be needed annually. Please contact us to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is a long standing, time tested method of treating unsightly leg veins; commonly referred to as spider veins. In this procedure a type of solution (determined by your provider) is directly injected into the affected veins. This solution causes an inflammation of the walls of the vessel that then allows the unsightly veins to shrink and potentially disappear. Although each session involves multiple injections, the needle is very fine, and pain is generally not a problem. Patients sometimes experience a mild transient stinging or itching sensation which is very temporary. After a session of sclerotherapy is completed results are generally seen in 4-6 weeks. Most patients do require a series of treatment sessions until the veins disappear significantly. An average series of treatment sessions is 4 treatments; each one month apart. Obviously, every patient is different and many require fewer treatments, while others may require more. Patients are able to immediately return to normal activities after a treatment session. It is however recommended to walk for approximately 30 minutes a day for several days after therapy. We strongly recommend avoiding vigorous physical/ aerobic activity or weight lifting immediately after therapy.
Note: Varicose veins which are larger blue/ green bulbous (protruding) veins may or may not be helped with sclerotherapy. There are also a few special circumstances where certain individuals would not be a candidate to have sclerotherapy performed. We strongly recommend full consultation for all patients prior to any procedure. Please contact us to schedule your complimentary consultation.
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