Long pulsed laser is used to pass an adequate amount of energy through the skin into the blood vessels. When the energy is absorbed by the pigments in the blood, this leads to selective damage to the lining of the targeted blood vessels. The damaged blood vessel will turn dark or disappear immediately, such damaged tissues will be eliminated through our body metabolism.
Laser offers a non-invasive, long term approach to the removal of the vein. It is a useful treatment that can target small capillaries which are impossible to get treated with injectable sclerotherapy or surgical stripping. Under the skilled hand, it has significantly lower risk of bruising, swelling or tissue necrosis that are commonly seen in sclerotherapy.
One should be able to see the immediate disappearance of the veins. Nevertheless, some cases might require 2 to 3 sessions of laser treatment depending on the number of veins, their sizes and location.
This is a very tolerable treatment. Adequate cooling will be applied for both comfort and safety purposes. The sensation of the laser as it hits the skin is described as a rubber band snapped against the skin.
