Laser Vein Removal
- Time in clinic
- From about 30 minutes
- Sessions
- One to three, about 4 weeks apart
- Downtime
- Minimal
- Results from
- Several weeks, as veins fade
At our Legian clinic only.
At a glance
Fine spider veins and small visible vessels on the face and legs can be treated with precise laser energy. The laser targets the vessel while protecting the surrounding skin, so the veins gradually fade from view. It is a quick, in-clinic treatment, and most guests return to daily activities straight away.
- Consultation
- Complimentary
- Available at
- Legian
Before your visit
Ideal for
- Small spider veins on the face
- Broken capillaries
- Fine red, purple or blue leg veins
Please note
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or recently tanned, have an active skin infection or take light-sensitising medicine, please wait. Your doctor will say how long. Please allow time for repeat sessions, if they are needed.
To prepare
- No tanning or fake tan beforehand, or the appointment is postponed.
- Tell your doctor about medication and anything that makes your skin sensitive to light.
- Arrive with clean skin and nothing on the area, not even lotion.
- Please mention supplements, medical conditions, past vein treatments and blood thinners.
- Tell us if a leg feels warm or heavy, or its skin has changed.
- Shortly before your visit, avoid waxing and irritating products on the area.
Fewer veins on show
Time in clinicFrom about 30 minutes
A long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser shines through your skin into the vein. The haemoglobin in your blood absorbs the light and turns it into heat, and the heat closes the vein. That heat stays largely within the blood vessels.
Your doctor looks at each vein with you and asks whether it ever hurts or swells.
The settings follow its colour, size and depth, and your skin type, to spare the skin around it. Other wavelengths mainly reach the surface of a vein, but Nd:YAG light also reaches the small vessels that feed it, and other veins take over the blood flow.
On the day
You wear protective eyewear while the handpiece rests on your skin and fires pulses along each vein. Each pulse feels like a brief, warm sting.
Straight afterwards, the vein may look darker, lighter or less visible.
Our doctor for this treatment
Where it can be used
- Nose
- Cheeks
- Chin
- Selected facial areas
- Thighs
- Lower legs
Aftercare
DowntimeMinimal
Until it settles
- For 24 to 48 hours, no hot baths, saunas, steam rooms or hard exercise.
- Use lukewarm water and gentle products until the skin settles.
- Do not pick at any crusting or dry skin.
- Keep out of direct sun and wear sunscreen every day.
- Contact us if anything unexpected develops afterwards.
- Afterwards, use a cool compress if your doctor suggests one, and please do not rub or scratch.
For two weeks, keep out of strong sun, wear SPF 50 or higher outdoors, and skip harsh products such as scrubs, acids and retinol. Keep cleansing gently and moisturising. If swelling or discomfort is unusual or does not settle, please contact us at once.
Day by day
- Day 0 to 1
Expect redness, warmth and some swelling, and treated vessels can look darker at first. On the face, some puffiness and a mild sting or tingle can follow. Small blisters can form.
- First 24 hours
Use a cold compress for 10 to 15 minutes, several times. Pat your skin dry, never rub, and leave off makeup.
- First night
Sleep with your head slightly raised to ease the swelling.
- 48 hours to a week
Please avoid hot showers, saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga and hard exercise.
- Days 2 to 3
The redness fades, and your skin may feel a little dry or sensitive. Purplish marks can show where vessels were treated, and this is normal.
- Days 4 to 7
Bruising fades, and any light scabs flake off on their own. Please do not pick them.
- 2 to 4 weeks
You see fewer broken capillaries and a more even tone. The full result can take 4 to 6 weeks.
Results
Results fromSeveral weeks, as veins fade
A treated vein may darken before it fades over several weeks, and leg veins are slower than facial ones. Once a vein has closed, it can stay closed.
Redness, warmth, swelling or bruising can follow, and these settle gradually. Results vary with the size of the vessel and the area treated.
Questions people ask
It is not meant for large, raised, painful or swollen veins. These may involve deeper circulation and should be seen by a vascular specialist.
Some small facial vessels respond to one session. Leg veins and larger, deeper or more numerous vessels may need two or more.
The laser cannot stop new veins forming, in the same area or elsewhere. If you are prone to broken capillaries, your doctor may suggest a touch-up once a year.
Most people do not. Your doctor can use cooling to protect your skin and make each pulse easier.
A treated vessel often darkens or bruises before your body clears it, just as it clears a bruise. That is expected, and it passes over days to weeks.
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