How do you tell if laser vein removal worked?

It’s important to distinguish between varicose veins and spider veins when choosing between laser therapy, sclerotherapy, and vein surgery. With two board certified vein specialists, our center uses a combination of visual examination, functional flow measurements, ultrasound, transillumination, and infrared light to map out vein networks prior to therapy. Lasers can be used to treat deep varicose vein insufficiency, vein perforators, and varicose veins. Sclerotherapy is ideal for spider veins and reticular veins. Whereas surgery is reserved for severely incompetent varicose vein segments.


Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Great question but didn't get any idea what part of the body was treated with laser. You are absolutely right that if the vein blanches with pressure its still open. The success of laser depends on the size of the vein and also location (leg veins don't respond well to laser). In addition to that during treatment there are certain things to be careful of like how much pressure is applied to the treatment area. So several things need to be considered. It is very common to require more than one treatment for complete resolution of all the veins since some will go into spasm and then they have to be treated second time. 

Rarely will one laser treatment eradicate all spider veins. From your description some veins are still open.  Each laser treatment injures the vein to seal it and some veins take severas sessions for this to occur.  My experience is that scleortherapy is the best treatment for veins larger enough to accommodate a small needle.