Laser Vein Treatment
Here at A New Image Claremore Pryor laser vein reduction treatments help reduce small or mid-sized veins that appear on the face and body. You may know these as spider veins. These visible blood vessels are rarely a medical problem, but they could make you feel self-conscious. Affected men and women may avoid wearing certain clothing or use a large amount of makeup to try and conceal their spider veins. Laser vein treatments, as with all skin treatments, work best for people who take good care of their health, eat an abundance of fruits and veggies, don’t have a history of blood clots, and aren’t pregnant.
OUR VEIN REMOVAL TECHNIQUE
The time for any given treatment will vary dependent on the size and number of the areas treated. At the beginning of your appointment, you will relax while we clean the treatment area and we can apply a topical numbing cream to decrease any potential discomfort. Next, the handheld laser device is passed over the area so the energy can reach the spider veins through a series of pulses without affecting the surrounding tissues. The blood vessels absorb the energy from the laser, which closes the wall of the vessel. The small spider veins typically disappear immediately. You will leave right after the treatment with no real downtime.
WHY DO WE GET SPIDER VEINS
Varicose and spider veins are actually small blood vessels that have sustained some damage. They develop when tiny, one-way valves inside the veins weaken. In healthy veins, these valves always push blood back to our heart- in one direction. When these valves weaken or are damaged, blood can flow backward and accumulate in the vein. Extra blood in the vein puts pressure on the walls of the vein and they become larger and more visible.
With continual pressure, the vein walls themselves weaken and bulge. In time, we see a varicose or spider vein.
Some people have a higher risk of developing these veins. If blood relatives have them, you may have a higher risk. Lack of exercise and movement in general is a factor and people can get them because they sit or stand for long periods most days of the week. These veins also become more common with age and during pregnancy.
Other factors that may contribute to development of spider veins are sunlight, hormonal changes, or an injury.
HOW WE TREAT SPIDER VEINS
Treatment options range from self-care to minor surgery. Our skin care specialist here at A New Image Claremore and Pryor Laser vein reduction will evaluate you and provide you with options.
Self-care: Tips to improve your circulation include:
- Exercise
- Elevate your legs
- Get up and walk around every 30 minutes if you have a sedentary job.
- Take a break every 30 minutes to walk or sit with legs elevated if you are `tanding for long periods?
- Avoid soaking in hot baths for long periods of time
- Self-care tips can help prevent new varicose and spider veins but cannot get rid of existing ones.
Compression stockings: These stockings apply steady pressure to help move the blood back to your heart and prevent the pooling. The steady pressure also decreases swelling in your lower legs and reduces the risk of getting a blood clot. They will not get rid of existing enlarged veins.
If you want some really fun medical grade stockings see our link for PODSox.
LASER TREATMENTS
Our skin care professionals at Claremore and Pryor laser vein reduction use lasers to treat spider veins and small varicose veins. During laser treatment, your skin care professional uses a small wand to direct the laser light at the vein.
Laser light will destroy the vein without damaging your skin.
Small spider veins may disappear immediately after treatment. Larger spider veins and varicose veins will darken, and you’ll likely see them for 1 to 3 months before they disappear. You may need 3 or more treatments to accomplish complete clearing.
Most patients can return to work and many of their normal activities the next day.
After each treatment, some patients need to wear compression stockings for a short time.
You will need to protect the treated area from the sun for 3 to 4 weeks to help prevent dark spots from developing. Protecting your skin from the sun year round helps to prevent new spider veins and skin cancer.
POSSIBLE RISKS OF LASER VEIN REMOVAL
As with any treatment type of treatment, there are risks associated with laser vein removal treatment. We here at A New Image Laser Centers of Claremore and Pryor Laser vein reduction will do our best to make you comfortable during your treatment, answer any questions and explain the possible risks. The risks are possible but are minimized when the treatment is accomplished by an experienced skin care professional. These include:
- Minor pain during the procedure.
- Localized swelling around the vein site.
- Slight discoloration of skin.
- Bleeding could conceivably occur.
- An infection at the site is always a possibility but very unlikely.
- Minimal scarring could occur.
- Crusting has occasionally been seen during the healing process.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE PROCEDURE
Before the procedure, our skin care professional at Claremore and Pryor laser reduction will usually review the patient’s medical history. This is the time to discuss expectations, potential risks and outcomes of the procedure. Patients also should:
- Avoid sunbathing, tanning beds or waxing for two weeks prior to the procedure.
- Avoid aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements that may increase thin the blood due to increased risk of bleeding.
WHAT TO EXPECT FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE
Patients may not see any significant changes until several weeks after the surgery. Multiple treatments may be required by claremore and Pryor laser vein reduction. Other post-procedure issues include:
- Immediately following your treatment the treated area may be pink or red for four to eight hours.
- You may experience a slight stinging sensation, similar to a mild sunburn in the treated area. This sensation usually subsides within four to six hours. Cool packs or moist cloths may be used to reduce the sensation.
- Mild swelling in the treatment area that may occur usually dissipates within several days.
In addition, patients should:
- Avoid applying makeup or lotion to the treated area for either 24 hours or until all signs of redness and stinging have dissipated.
- Apply a good moisturizing lotion to the treated area twice daily for the duration of the treatments and for at least three months after final treatment.
Call us today for more information at A New Image Claremore and Pryor laser vein reduction.