Laser Vein Therapy uses the CoolGlide™ and KTP532 Lasers for the removal of unwanted, unsightly blood vessels on the face, legs, and venous malformations like portwine stains, venous lakes and bright, red cherry angiomas.
Both lasers for vein treatment are safe, fast, gentle and effective method for removal of unwanted blood vessels. In just a few treatment sessions (in some cases only a single treatment session) using the gentle power of lasers, you can greatly improve the appearance of skin which is disfigured by unwanted blood vessels and broken capillaries.
- How does Cutera CoolGlide™ laser removal of unwanted blood vessels work?
- How does the Cutera CoolGlide™ differ from older laser systems?
- How does Cutera CoolGlide™ blood vessel treatment differ from laser hair removal?
- What areas of the body can be treated?
- What are the benefits of laser removal of unwanted blood vessels compared to alternative treatments?
- What are the risks of laser removal of blood vessels?
- How many blood vessels will grow back, and how fast will they grow back?
- How many treatments are needed?
- Am I a good candidate for laser removal of unwanted, unsightly blood vessels?
- Which types of vessels respond best to treatment?
- Reasons to consider for vascular laser treatments
- What causes unwanted blood vessels?
- Does it hurt?
- What will happen after treatment?
- Why do the blood vessels sometimes look more obvious for several weeks after treatment?
How does Cutera CoolGlide™ laser removal of unwanted blood vessels work?
The Cutera CoolGlide™ laser is a noninvasive light therapy device specifically designed to eliminate undesired blood vessels from all parts of the body. The Cutera CoolGlide™ laser generates a pulse of intense, concentrated light, which is directed through a small, cooled hand piece, which is gently applied to the treatment site.
This laser energy passes through the skin to the blood vessels, which you wish to have eliminated, where the energy is absorbed by pigment in the blood, causing selective damage to the lining of the target blood vessel without damaging the surrounding tissues and skin.
The deeply penetrating long wavelength of the Cutera CoolGlide™ allows us to target blood vessels which other; shorter wavelength lasers cannot safely reach. The laser is pulsed, or "turned on", for only a fraction of a second. The duration of the pulses is carefully determined so that laser energy will be absorbed by the blood vessels without transferring excessive heat to the surrounding skin.
The blood vessels destroyed are reabsorbed by the body and the flow of blood is directed back down into the deeper vessels, where it belongs.
The surface of the skin is protected by cooling gel pads applied immediately before and after treatment and by a gold plated cooling head which glides over the skin (CoolGlide™) half a second before the laser beam. This selectivity helps to protect the skin, while effectively treating the unwanted vessels.
The Fourth Generation Cutera CoolGlide™ laser uses the longest available, deeper penetrating 1064 nanometer wavelength. Cutera CoolGlide™ reaches even the unsightly blue vessels which are .5 to 3 mm in diameter and up to 4 mm below the skin surface. The system's unique design allows us to customize treatment, according to the size and color of your unwanted blood vessels, your skin color, and location on the body.
Cutera CoolGlide™ laser treatment is a safe, fast, gentle and effective method for removal of unwanted blood vessels. In just a few treatment sessions (in some cases only a single treatment session) using the gentle power of lasers, you can greatly improve the appearance of skin which is disfigured by unwanted blood vessels and broken capillaries.
How does the Cutera CoolGlide™ differ from older laser systems?
The long 1064-nanometer wavelength of the Cutera CoolGlide™ makes it possible to safely and effectively treat all people -- including those with tanned, very dark or even black skin.
Like all lasers, the CoolGlide works more efficiently on light colored skin -- so to minimize the number of treatments you need, try not to have a fresh suntan when you come in for treatment.
The gold plated ClearView™ cooling head on the CoolGlide laser provides an extra margin of safety and comfort, allows the operator a clear view of the area to be treated, and does not require pressure on your skin.
In addition, Dr.Ohri uses Syris Light illumination system. This cross-polarized, magnified, halogen illuminated device allows her to clearly visualize even your finest blood vessels, including those that cause unsightly redness but which individually are invisible to the naked eye.
With Cutera CoolGlide™ laser the power and the duration of the pulse of laser energy can be precisely adjusted to best suit the diameter and color of the unwanted blood vessels on different parts of your body. Some older laser systems lack this degree of fine control.
How does Cutera CoolGlide™ blood vessel treatment differ from laser hair removal?
When it is used for laser hair removal, the Cutera CoolGlide™ selectively targets the melanin pigment in the hair shafts. This heats up the hair follicle, which dies and falls off in one to two weeks.
For removal of blood vessels by Cutera CoolGlide™ and KTP532, the intense beam of laser light is absorbed by oxyhemoglobin (bright red blood cells) causing decomposition or destruction by heat of unwanted blood vessels leaving the healthy skin intact. The body's immune system kicks in and absorbs the destroyed blood vessels in the next 2-3 days on the face and 1-2 weeks on the legs. The flow of blood iw redirected back down to the deeper blood vessels where it orignally shoud be.
What areas of the body can be treated?
With the Cutera CoolGlide™ laser, the most common areas for treatment are blood vessels on the thighs, lower legs and ankles. Cherry hemangiomas which are little red dots on the trunk, arms and legs, and spider veins on the face, upper chest and port wine stains are other commonly treated lesions.
What are the benefits of laser removal of unwanted blood vessels compared to alternative treatments?
The primary benefits of laser removal of unwanted blood vessels are:
- Larger areas may be treated with less discomfort than with sclerotherapy or vein stripping.
- The CoolGlide™ combines speed, comfort and long lasting results.
- The CoolGlide™ works on any area of the body where you wish to have blood vessels removed.
- Small blood vessels, which are difficult or impossible to treat with sclerotherapy respond very well to Cutera CoolGlide™ vascular laser.
For blood vessels larger than 3mm in diameter, injection sclerotherapy is prefered over laser treatment.
Cutera CoolGlide™ laser removal of unwanted blood vessels offers long lasting results with minimal discomfort and little or no downtime after the treatment.
What are the risks of laser removal of blood vessels?
Bruising can occur occasionally when treating vessels on the legs, which are 2-3 mm in diameter and usually resolves within 1-2 weeks without needing any treatment.
Short-term side effects may include a reddening of the skin over the treated vessels or local swelling which typically lasts less than a day, although it may infrequently last a few days.
Occasionally there can be increased or decreased pigment in the treated area. This is seldom a major cosmetic problem, and generally resolves after several months. Even a single blister (rather like a tiny sunburn) is unusual, and generally will resolve within a week or two with some Polysporin or Aquaphor.
The light from the Cutera CoolGlide™ Laser does not cause skin cancer.
How many blood vessels will grow back, and how fast will they grow back?
The re-growth of blood vessels after treatment by laser is highly individual, and depends both on your genetic background and also on medical conditions , medications you may be taking (like prednisone, for example) and on external factors like jobs requiring standing or walking for long periods of time and sun exposure (which can speed up the appearance of new vessels on the face and legs -- so this gives you one MORE good reason to protect yourself from the sun!)
Support stockings are useful to retard the growth of large, deep vessels and varicose veins for people who stand on their feet for long hours.
How many treatments are needed?
The number of treatments will depend on:
- the desired degree of blood vessel reduction
- hormonal status
- area being treated
- medication (for example medicines like prednisone and plavix can increase superficial blood vessel growth)
Typically, one or two treatments are needed for facial vessels; and three or four treatments may be needed on the legs. Treatment can be done every 6 weeks on the face, and every 3 months on the legs. Cherry hemangiomas (red dots on the body) usually only require one or two treatments.
Some people start with the area, which troubles them, the most, then when they can see the results they often return to have other areas treated.
Additional "touchup" treatments on small troublesome areas can be arranged at relatively low cost. There is no safety limit on the number of treatments a person can have.
Am I a good candidate for laser removal of unwanted, unsightly blood vessels?
The unique design of the CoolGlide™ laser, and the long wavelength, allows treatment of people with all skin colors. A smaller number of treatment is needed when the skin is light colored -- so to get maximum effect from each session avoid coming in with a fresh suntan or sunburn, but even people who have black skin can be successfully treated with the Cutera CoolGlide™.
Children can be treated, for example if they have a congenital hemangioma or have some spider nevi on the face or other parts of the body, but the child must be old enough (for example, 10 years old) to understand and cooperate with treatment. Tiny lesions, such as spider hemangiomas sometimes only require 2-3 pulses of the laser, and even very young children are able to co operate with this sometimes.
CoolGlide™ laser removal of blood vessels is not just for "cosmetic" problems. Patients with unsightly blood vessels on the face and other parts of the body because of medications (for example, prednisone) can benefit from CoolGlide™ laser treatment as can patients who have problems with unwanted blood vessels because of congenital conditions like port wine stains and disorders like lupus, rosacea and dark blue or red venous lakes on lips.
Which types of vessels respond best to treatment?
Blood vessels you can see with the naked eye tend to respond best to Cutera CoolGlide™ laser treatment. Small broken capillaries on the face respnd to the Aura i kTP vascular laser. Leg vessels larger than 3 mm in diameter, and vessels which are considerably elevated above the surface of the skin, respond better to injection sclerotherapy or surgical removal.
Reasons to consider for vascular laser treatments
- How much are you bothered by your unwanted blood vessels?
- How much are you bothered by the time you spend concealing your unwanted blood vessels?
- How uncomfortable do your facial or other unwanted blood vessels make you feel when you are dealing with other people?
- Do your unwanted blood vessels (for example, on you legs) inhibit your choice of clothing or limit the activities that you engage in (for example, swimming)?
- How uncomfortable do your unwanted blood vessels make you feel when you go to work?
What causes unwanted blood vessels?
A vascular lesion is formed by abnornally large or numerous blood vessels located directly under the surface of the skin. These vessels may be visible through the skin or result in a red appearance of the skin. Spider veins (telangiectasia) are the most common vascular lesions.
- Unwanted vessels on the surface of the skin of the legs are to some extent an inherited tendency, and become more common with increasing age. They can also be made worse by sun exposure, and sometimes become more prominent after pregnancy. They can in some cases be made worse by or be associated with varicose veins
- Unwanted blood vessels on the face (sometimes referred to as: broken capillaries) are more common in people who have a tendency toward acne rosacea; and are often made worse by sun exposure. As with unwanted vessels on the legs, there is sometimes a family history with a similar problem.
- Telangiectasia on the face and other parts of the body can sometimes be associated with medications like prednisone and other corticosteroids, and with certain skin diseases like lupus.
- Some children are born with port wine stains or other types of hemangiomas, or these may become apparent as the years go on. Some of these hemangiomas can be improved or even eliminated by Cutera CoolGlide™ and KTP vascular laser.
Does it hurt?
The laser emits only light. You may feel a tingling or snapping sensation like a rubber band. There is no bleeding and no open wound is created.
When treating leg veins, we often find it helpful to apply a vibrating massager within 1-2 cm of the area being treated. This vibration analgesia usually distracts the nervous system enough that discomfort is prevented or greatly reduced.
EMLA™ anesthetic cream is occasionally used in very sensitive areas or by those who think they have a very low pain threshold. It should be applied 45 minutes before the procedure. Most people do best with vibration and cooling gel packs, and do not bother with EMLA anesthetic cream.
Most people find it helpful to simply take two or three Tylenol and/or Advil 2 hours before coming in for treatment. Some women who find that they are less sensitive after their menses prefer to schedule their treatment sessions to avoid the premenstrual and menstrual time. Make sure you are not hungry or thirsty when you arrive for your laser appointment, because people who are hungry or thirsty tend to be more sensitive.
What will happen after treatment?
Redness often fades in 2-3 days. It would not be uncommon for the skin to be slightly drier that evening and to require more moisturizing lotion.
The treated blood vessels, in particular on the legs, may appear slightly more obvious or a bit darker. There can be isolated superficial bruising which generally resolves within a week or two without needing any treatment.
Why do the blood vessels sometimes look more obvious for several weeks after treatment?
After the blood vessels are treated with laser energy, they sometimes swell up slightly, and the body moves in to begin the job of removing the treated vessels.
Sometimes portions of the vessels will seal off immediately, and a bit of blood stays behind in the treated vessels, causing temporary red or purple coloration. If this happens, the blood in the vessels is usually reabsorbed along with the vessels themselves by the body's immune system over a period of several weeks without needing any additional treatment.
Postoperative care is minimal. Your doctor may ask you to use an anti-bacterial ointment on the treated area for a short period of time and will suggest that you stay out of the sun during the healing process.
Final treatment results shoud be evident within 10-14 days after treatment for vascular lesions and within 2-3 weeks after treatment for pigmented lesions. In the meantime, normal daily activites can be resumed with only a slight redness evident at the treatment area.
