A Blue Temple Vein. Laser? Sclerotherapy? Risks?

As a vein therapy expert, I use the long pulsed Nd:YAG CoolTouch Varia laser to treat unwanted facial veins. Sclerotherapy is best for varicose veins on the legs. Sclerotherapy to the face has the risk of causing ulcers. When the laser treatment is performed by an experienced dermatologist, there is little risk to the skin.

Hi Jim,

  While sclerotherapy is the gold-standard treatment for treating unsightly leg veins, it is not something that is commonly used - nor should it be - to treat veins on your temples. Your best bet would be a laser treatment of the blue veins with an Nd:YAG laser (1064 nanometer wavelength). You may experience some minimal bruising in the treated areas immediately after the treatment. But, usually, bruising is not a major concern. Also, make sure to choose someone who has lots of experience using lasers, as, if the laser parameters are not set correctly (i.e. they are too high in terms of the energy/fluence), it can burn the skin and cause permanent marks/scars. But, with a good laser and an experienced physician, you can have excellent results.

Hope this helps!

MK

Temple veins (< 2mm) can be safely treated with laser (ND YAG).Other options for larger veins include microphlebectomy or sclerotherapy or both. An evaluation with an experienced vein specialist is best before a decision is made as to which techniques to use - depends on size, distribution, location, depth and skin thickness, among others. 

I feel that a vascular laser such as the Yag laser is safer than sclerotherapy.You may need to have a series of treatments, and the vein may reoccur with time. Sometimes, it is easier to cover up the vein by injecting Juvederm over the vein, into the skin to cover the vein.

I have been doing sclerotherapy of facial veins for years with excellent cosmetic results and with never a visual complication.  There are many published articles as well as chapters of books written on facial sclerotherapy and its technique.  Anything that we do has the potential for complications.  As you mentioned both sclerotherapy and laser can have side effects and both work.  The procedure recommended by the treating physician is often the one which he/she has most experience and training.  That is not to say that one is better than the other.