If you have dark veins under or around your eyes, I highly highly recommend you get the Vbeam Prima Laser Treatment by Dr. Groff in San Diego. I am very fair-skinned, with dark veins around my eyes. I have had them my whole life.
The Doctor, the clinic, the nurses, the instructions, intake, and procedure I am all rating a 5/5. This is the best experience I have had at a clinic.
Background: I am a nurse who has had these dark veins around my eyes. I live in Montana. They have always bothered me, especially since they were so dark even makeup didn't really cover them. They made me look older and tired.
Since I am familiar with procedures and healthcare, I did a lot of calling and reading before booking this appointment. I tried very hard to make an appointment the last few years close to me or locally. Every dermatologist/laser surgeon, eye surgeon/doctor refused to even talk about getting rid of these veins because they were so close to the eyes. Even reading about periorbital/under eye vein treatments showed they were extremely hard to treat and "apparently" dangerous. All of this made me think there were no options, and I had live with these veins.
Back in Oct 2022, I saw a Reddit post of a girl my age who had seen Dr. Groff for under-eye vein lasering. I decided to book an appointment.
Booking the Appointment: I paid a fee to do a consultation over Zoom. This was ideal, since I lived states away. I was asked to send pictures before-hand. (The before pictures I posted here). Dr. Groff was great with a lot of questions I had. I was most nervous about protecting my eyes, and the risk of vision damage. I also wanted to know if the veins come back and how many treatments I needed.
I was informed these veins supply blood to the skin around my eyes... not the eyes. There was no risk of eye damage from lasering them, as there are other veins in this area that will continue to supply blood to the skin. I was informed my eyes would be covered during the lasering to protect them from the laser. They can come back with repeated sun exposure, but some patients never have them come back. I was also told even though the veins were dark, Dr. Groff was confident he could have the veins either completely gone, or the darkest vein under my right eye would fade at least 80% with one treatment. The final results would show at the 2-month mark, as the body takes a bit to get rid of the vein. But there would be a noticeable difference right away.
I was then given a price quote, and told the consultation fee would cover part of the total cost of the procedure.
I was pretty nervous. When I looked up Vbeam Prima, it didn’t seem like this laser treated my issue. But Dr. Groff has a lot of experience and different laser options. I decided to trust that if there was a different laser he thought was better, he would have recommended it. He also told me patients fly in from all over the country just to get this laser treatment from him.
I was able to book an appointment in about a month, and purchased plane tickets.
The Treatment: I booked in the afternoon to make sure if my plane had a delay, I’d still make my appointment.
I didn’t wait long at all. He has a very nice/helpful staff and clinic. A nurse took me back, had me wash my face, and made sure I didn’t have any questions. I had a few, but Dr. Groff was patient and took his time answering all them. I really appreciated this.
I was reclined in a treatment chair and eyes covered with eye shields. The laser would fire at a small section of vein and immediate spray a cooling spray. My veins wrapped around my eyes, up my temples to my hairline on both sides. So it took a few minutes to completely laser each side. It was uncomfortable (like a little rubber band snapping that tiny area each time). Dr. Groff asked me regularly how I was doing during the lasering. It was uncomfortable, but more than worth it. It was kind of emotional seeing my face right after… it already looked so good.
I was told after to avoid the sun the next few weeks, and there was a possibility of some minor redness and bruising.
I was in and out in about 30 minutes, and flew home that night.
After the Procedure: I had no bruising. Redness for maybe a day or two. I did have a little swelling under the eyes for a few days. But honestly, it didn’t even look like I had something done. I also went a a cruise for a week right after… just wore a hat and sunscreen. No issues.
Every week it looks better and better. I swear I look younger and more rested. I’m only 5 weeks post op, but I’m so thrilled I decided to post now. Hard to believe it may still get better.
Dr. Groff is my new dermatologist. I’m excited to get more laser treatments in the future.
