IS LASER TREATMENT INDICATED TO TREAT UNWANTED VEINS?
The public and the media are literally fascinated with LASERS. A LASER machine generates highly energized light waves that destroy biological tissues by generating excessive temperatures. In medical terms this is called thermolysis. First, for varicose veins LASERS are not an option at all and possibly they will never be as the excessive energy needed to destroy big veins would inflict severe damage to the skin and other surrounding tissues resulting in unacceptable scarring. Theoretically, therefore, only the spider veins could be treated. While there are several LASER machines approved by the FDA, the existing experience is too small and short to widely recommend it. Also, they may be beneficial for venules not more than 1mm in diameter and spider veins are often associated with feeder vein that are far bigger and which will need to be injected as well. The much publicized PHOTODERM is based on a burst of high energy noncoherant flash bulb light and the SCLEROLASER, COHERENT and the
