Treatment for Leg Veins

Telangiectasia is the medical term for these veins but they are also referred to as cosmetic veins, venous blemishes, venous blushes, vanity veins, venous sprays, sunbursts, or pregnancy veins. Spider veins frequently appear in women in their twenties, but can occur in later years as well, Treatment for spider veins is usually sought because they are cosmetically unacceptable not because they cause the individual discomfort or affect the body in any other way.

As with so many signs of aging, heredity is the major reason for problems with dilation of blood vessels in the legs, although they are aggravated by oral contraceptives, pregnancy, hormone therapies, trauma, high impact jogging and aerobics, and long periods of standing.

Sun exposure is frequently responsible for the appearance of small blood vessels on the face and upper chest, but is not usually responsible for leg veins.

Recent advances in laser technology, as well as better understanding of leg vein pathology and laser physics, hold a promise for improved treatment options with fewer complications. Ambulatory phlebectomy and sclerotherapy remain the gold standards for treatment of telangiectatic leg veins.

Cutera CoolGlide® 1064 nm laser is being used to treat leg veins. This greatly reduces the discomfort of laser
treatment, allowing the use of larger spot sizes and higher fluences than would otherwise be intolerable and so contributes to more effective treatment.

Sclerotherapy is the treatment of choice for leg veins. It not only works for the majority of leg veins but it is also more cost effective than laser therapy Although, very small veins with a blush like appearance are best treated with the pulse dye laser and resistant, large, thick veins are responsive to the VPW laser.