What's the best way to get rid of spider veins?

We must first say that we are biased towards lasers because that's what our practice focuses on. With that said, we find that to a large extent the question of whether the better treatment is laser or sclerotherapy depends on a number of questions.

The first is how large the veins are.

The second is how many there are.

One post claims that sclerotherapy is more expensive than lasers. We find that this depends on the provider you go to and the number of injections required. There is another post that claims sclerotherapy is less painful tham lasers. We have been told the opposite by many of our patients so are not sure that it's clear which is more painful.

One thing is clear for our practice. Generally speaking, the larger the spider vein, the more heat that is needed to close it and the more painful the treatment. We cannot say if the same is true for sclerotherapy. To determine the best treatment option, you should plan to evaluate laser options as well as sclerotherapy options. Once you have a good idea of the pros, cons, and prices for both, it will be easier to make a decision.

Sclerotheray is the gold standard for the treatment of spider veins. It is a series of injections into the vein.

Sclerotherapy beautifully reduces spider veins. For stubborn veins or patients who shy away from needles then laser is a great alternative.

Sclerotherapy is the gold standard for vein removal. The sclerosant [injectable irritant] causes damage to the cells that line the blood vessel and the subsequent fibrosis seals it shut.

Lasers can work by heating and damaging the vessels, but in several comparison studies, sclerotherapy worked better, faster, with fewer sessions making it less expensive. In my experience, lasers also hurt more.

Current laser technology is very effective for treating spider veins on the face and legs. The Nd-YAG laser is my preferred laser for this. It is effective, quick and relatively less painful than the injections used in the past. If you also have varicose veins in addition to spider veins, these usually need to be removed by a vascular surgeon prior to treating the spider veins, otherwise the laser won’t be as effective.

The best combination for getting rid of spider veins is injection with a safe, effective sclerosing solution called Sotradecol as well as the new powerful 1064nm Nd:YAG laser. Most patients can eradicate spider veins in 1-3 treatment sessions.