Laser treatment for varicose veins near me

Treatment Overview

A laser is a highly focused beam of light. A doctor can use a laser to treat varicose veins. Laser heat damages a vein, which makes scar tissue form. This scar tissue closes the vein. A closed vein loses its source of blood and dies. After a year or two, the vein is likely to disappear.

Table of Contents Show

Treatment Overview
Simple laser treatment
Endovenous laser treatment
What To Expect
Why It Is Done
How Well It Works
What is the major cause of varicose veins and how can a vein doctor near me help? How can I find a good Vein Clinic?
How much it cost to laser varicose vein?
Is laser treatment good for varicose veins?
What is the success rate of laser treatment for varicose veins?
How long does it take for varicose veins to disappear after laser treatment?

Simple laser treatment

Simple laser vein treatment is done on the outside of your skin. It can treat spider veins and tiny varicose veins just under the skin's surface. Usually, more than one laser session is needed. They are scheduled every 6 to 12 weeks, as prescribed by your doctor. (If you have poor blood circulation feeding these tiny veins, the larger "feeder" vein must first be treated with surgery, endovenous laser or radiofrequency treatment, or sclerotherapy.)

Endovenous laser treatment

Endovenous laser treatment can treat larger varicose veins in the legs. A laser fiber is passed through a thin tube (catheter) into the vein. While doing this, the doctor watches the vein on a duplex ultrasound screen. Laser is less painful than vein ligation and stripping, and it has a shorter recovery time. Only local anesthesia or a light sedative is needed for laser treatment. (For ligation and stripping, general anesthesia is used to put you to sleep.)

What To Expect

You will be able to walk after the treatment, and recovery typically is short. You are likely to be able to return to your normal daily routine after simple laser treatment.

After endovenous laser treatment, you will wear compression stockings for 1 week or more. To follow up, your doctor will use duplex ultrasound to make sure that the vein is closed.footnote 1

Why It Is Done

Simple laser treatment is done for small spider veins and tiny varicose veins. This is sometimes a second treatment step, after a larger varicose vein has been treated with surgery, endovenous laser or radiofrequency treatment, or sclerotherapy.

Endovenous laser treatment is used to close off a larger varicose vein, instead of using surgery to remove it.

Learn more

Varicose Veins: Should I Have a Surgical Procedure?

How Well It Works

Simple laser treatment. Over the past 20 years, this type of laser treatment has become quite safe and effective.

Endovenous laser treatment. Endovenous laser treatment closes veins about 94 out of 100 times. It doesn't work about 6 out of 100 times.footnote 2

If endovenous laser treatment does not close a vein, you will need a second treatment. Depending on what is available in your area, you may have choices between another laser treatment, radiofrequency treatment, or sclerotherapy. In some cases, vein surgery is recommended.

For the best chance of success, be sure to have a doctor with a lot of endovenous laser experience.

Risks

Side effects of laser treatment include:

Skin burns.
Skin coloring changes.
Feelings of burning, pain, or prickling after recovery, from nerve damage (less likely than after vein stripping surgery).
Small or large blood clotting in the vein or a deep vein (less likely than after vein stripping surgery).

The more experience your doctor has had with laser, the less risk you are likely to have. Talk to your doctor about how often these side effects happen in his or her practice.

References

Citations
Khilnani NM, et al. (2010). Multi-society consensus quality improvement guidelines for the treatment of lower extremity superficial venous insufficiency with endovenous thermal ablation from the Society of Interventional Radiology, Cardiovascular Interventional Radiological Society of Europe, American College of Phlebology, and Canadian Interventional Radiology Association. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 21(1): 14–31.
Van den Bos R, et al. (2009). Endovenous therapies of lower extremity varicosities: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 49(1): 230–239.

Credits

Current as of: March 28, 2022

Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal Medicine
Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
David A. Szalay MD - Vascular Surgery

What is the major cause of varicose veins and how can a vein doctor near me help? How can I find a good Vein Clinic?

If you’ve noticed spider veins or varicose veins appearing on your legs, you may be searching for a qualified vein doctor in your area. With locations in Manhattan, New Jersey (Paramus and Clifton), Long Island North and South Shore, Houston Texas and San Diego and San Francisco California, we offer a number of talented vein experts to treat your vein problems.

But first, a bit more about vein disease: Veins are blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart. All of the veins in the leg have valves, one-way doors within the veins that prevent blood from flowing back towards the feet. In many people these valves become damaged over time. When the valves are damaged and leaky, blood travels back down to the feet. The extra blood causes increasingly high pressure within the veins, a condition called venous hypertension. The combination of leaky valves leading to venous hypertension is called chronic venous insufficiency. With chronic venous insufficiency, also known as venous reflux or just venous disease, swelling in the leg veins leads to the formation of new, unhealthy varicose veins and spider veins. These visible veins are signals of an underlying problem – chronic venous insufficiency.

The best way to find out if you have vein disease is to look for an expert vein doctor and see them in person. By looking for a “vein doctor near me,” you can find a number of qualified physicians. Once you see the doctor of your choice in person, he/she can diagnose chronic venous insufficiency. Usually an ultrasound of the legs can help look at your valves and see if they are leaky and you have vein disease. A good vein doctor can look at your veins and explain everything clearly.

If you have venous reflux or vein disease, a vein expert can help you choose the best minimally invasive treatment – laser, radiofrequency ablation or sclerotherapy. If you notice that your legs are swollen, painful, stained or have bulging varicose veins, you probably have chronic venous hypertension and should find a good vein doctor.

How much it cost to laser varicose vein?

Procedure costs Endovenous laser therapy typically sets private patients back $5,000 to $7,000 per leg, while foamed sclerosants cost slightly less.

Is laser treatment good for varicose veins?

Varicose veins are swollen, bulging veins that often happen on the thighs or calves. A laser is a device that sends a thin beam of radiation in the form of light. Laser surgery closes and shrinks the varicose vein and causes scar tissue within the vessel. This seals off the vein.

What is the success rate of laser treatment for varicose veins?

More importantly, the success rates for treatments like EVLT are close to 100% with practically no recurrence down the road. It is also worth noting that while almost 50% of the population above the age of 50 have varicose veins, the success rates using EVLT are the same regardless of your age.

How long does it take for varicose veins to disappear after laser treatment?

How Long Does it Take to Make Varicose Veins Disappear? You should start to notice a difference in the prominence of your varicose veins within one week of treatment, but full results could take weeks to months.