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Treatment of spider veins with the 595 nm pulsed-dye laser
E F Bernstein1, J Lee, J Lowery
1Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-5541, USA. Bernste1@jeflin.tju.edu
Background:
Previous attempts to treat spider veins with the conventional 585 nm pulsed-dye laser with a 0.5-ms pulse duration have been relatively ineffective. Recently, a new pulsed-dye laser that is tunable from 585 to 600 nm with a pulse duration 3 times longer than previously available lasers has preliminarily been shown to be effective for treatment of spider veins.
Objective:
Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of multiple treatments with the tunable long-pulse dye laser in treatment of spider veins of the lower extremity.
Methods:
Ten female volunteers were treated in two separate areas containing blue or red linear spider veins less than 1.5 mm in diameter. Treatments were administered with the pulsed-dye laser with a 1.5-ms pulse duration and 595-nm light at fluences of 15 and 20 J/cm2, and each subject received a total of 3 treatments at each site, administered at 6-week intervals. Photographs were taken before and 6 weeks after the last treatment.
Results:
Computer-based image analysis showed clearing of more than three fourths of veins after 3 treatments with 15 or 20 J/cm2. Side effects were minimal and the treatments were well tolerated.
Conclusion:
The 595 nm, 1.5 ms pulse duration, pulsed-dye laser is safe and effective for treating blue or red spider veins of the lower extremities less than 1.5 mm in diameter in nontanned patients with Fitzpatrick skin types I and II. Multiple treatments improve on the results obtained after a single treatment.