Removing Visible Veins with Lasers

Veins appear blue in color because they bring deoxygenated blood from various parts of the body back to the heart. For many Asians who have lighter skin tone, it is normal to have visible veins on our body, especially on the face, arms and legs.

Some people may also notice small veins appearing on the face or legs as they become older. These spider veins are small, damaged veins that can be blue, red or purple. They can appear in the form of webs, branches or even just faint lines that run across the face or leg. These spider veins are usually benign and don’t cause any discomfort to the person.

Most visible veins are benign and are not a cause for concern. However, if the veins are prominent on the face and legs, they can look like bruises and are not visually appealing.

Causes of visible veins

Some possible causes of visible veins are:

REGULAR EXERCISE When we exercise, our blood pressure increases as a result of circulating more blood in the body. Over time, this can widen the veins, making them look more obvious.

HOT WEATHER Just like undergoing regular, strenuous exercises, hot weather can increase blood flow in the veins, making them look more obvious over time.

SKIN TONE Naturally fair and have translucent skin allow light to pass through and allow veins to become more visible through the skin. As such, fair-skinned Asians are more likely to have are more likely to see blue or purple veins through their skin.

BEING OVERWEIGHT The excess fatty tissues that exert constant pressure on the veins may result in enhanced vein definition, especially in the legs.

WEARING TIGHT CLOTHING Wearing tight clothing may restrict blood flow and place pressure in your veins, making them more visible. This often occurs around the waist, thighs, and legs.

Combing laser treatments to reduce appearance of veins

At Radium Medical Aesthetics, we use a combination of Dual Yellow Laser with a wavelength of 578nm and a long-pulsed Nd:YAG with a wavelength of 1064nm to effectively target visible veins of different colors and sizes. This can range from veins of about 0.1mm on the face to larger veins on the legs up to 3mm and colors such as blue, purple and red capillaries.

By combining 2 laser treatments with different wavelengths, our vein removal treatment can effectively diminish the appearance of broken capillaries and veins under the skin. These 2 specific wavelengths can penetrate the skin to treat the skin discolorations without injuring the superficial layer of the skin and the surrounding tissue.

How does the treatment work?

During the treatment, the doctor will apply brief pulses of lasers on the targeted veins or capillaries. The high-intensity light energy will be absorbed by the blood vessel. The heat generated by the lasers will also cause a coagulation of the vessels, which then seals the veins off. After a few weeks, the vein will be resorbed by the body and diminish from the skin surface.

There is minimal risk because the blood flow simply shifts to other veins.

How many sessions are required?

You should be able to see some lightening of the veins after 1 session. For a visible reduction of veins, you will typically require 3 to 5 sessions with an interval of about 4 weeks in between treatments.

Is vein removal treatment safe?

This is a non-invasive treatment that does not break the skin surface. It is a very convenient and comfortable treatment that have very mild side effects that may include temporarily skin redness and scabbing. Such side effects should disappear within a few hours or a few days.