Broken blood vessels or spider veins

Tomi L. Wall, MD answers: Broken blood vessels or spider veins?

I have got these red marks on my arms. They are quite small and round. I have seen 2 different skin specialists and been given 2 different outcomes. One said they are spider veins and should be treated with IPL; I have looked this up on the net and it does match them. The other said broken blood vessels, and should be treated with Pulsed Dye Laser. Please, can you give me some advise on what would be best to go for as I am really unsure? I look forward to hearing from you.


Tomi L. Wall, MD
1 month ago
By Tomi L. Wall, MD - Oakland Dermatologist

Hi,

Both doctors are correct.  Broken blood vessels are the same thing as spider veins.  The most accurate way to treat them is with a laser designed to target specifically the blood vessels (or the red blood cells in them). There are many lasers designed to do this such as the pulsed dye laser or KTP laser. I think these are a much more accurate way to treat.  IPL can treat them in some cases, but not the treatment of choice.

Hope this helps.

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