2 weeks post op, did laser treatment for my spider veins work? (photos)

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

Before considering laser treatment for leg veins, all feeding veins need to be treated with sclerotherapy. If not, several sessions of laser treatments will be necessary to improve spider veins. There does seem to be an improvement in your second photo; though it is slight, this is normal at your stage of treatment.
If your veins haven't completely resolved after two or three more treatments, sclerotherapy should take care of them. Please consult a board-certified dermatologist who is an expert at vein removal as it takes skill to get the most out of the very effective therapies that are now available.

Two weeks is too early to assess the results of spider vein treatment.  You should wait until about 4 weeks after your second treatment to really assess how you are responding.  Understand, that is not the timeframe to see you final result, just to begin seeing improvement.  This timeframe is not set in stone, but it is a good guideline for expectations.    

There are a couple of answers to your question.Firstly, research has shown that leg spider veins (telangiectasia) are different from spider veins above the heart on the face.Because these leg veins are below the heart, they are affected by gravity. 
Published research has shown that 89% of patients with leg spider veins actually have underlying varicose veins. Therefore to make sure you have the best treatment for the spider veins, any vein specialist who is up-to-date with the research would recommend a high resolution venous duplex ultrasound scan first, and fixing any underlying venous reflux (hidden varicose veins) before trying to treat any spider veins on the surface.
The second point is that experience around the world from phlebologist's who deal only with veins shows that the optimal treatment for leg spider veins is Microsclerotherapy rather than laser. Laser on the surface of the leg has a high chance of burning the skin if turned up to the powers required to get rid of the leg spider veins.
There are a few new techniques such as CLACS that suggest a combination of sclerotherapy and laser. However, when you get away from aesthetic practitioners who treat face thread veins similar to leg thread veins and look at the top vein units around the world, the approach is always look for the underlying problem first with venous duplex ultrasound scan, treat that first and then use Microsclerotherapy for thread veins on the surface.

It does take several weeks for the effects of spider vein treatment to be seen.  That said, sclerotherapy (vein injection) is really the best way to treat them.  If they continue to recur or not go away, then you should be evaluated for venous insufficiency or "reflux".  
Good luck

Thank you for the question! You will not be able to see the final results of your treatment at this point. Laser treatment involves multiple sessions and I'd advise you to wait a few weeks after your second or third session before noting visible improvement. If your veins do not improve, consider an alternative treatment such as sclerotherapy. In the meantime, you may want to ask your physician if you'd benefit from wearing compression stockings to promote healing.  
An in-person exam with a board-certified surgeon is the best way to assess your needs and obtain expert medical advice. Best of luck! 

The next step in care is wearing compression stockings to cover the area for at least 2 weeks and if possible 3 months. Avoid sun exposure and use Scleroquin to reduce post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). Get information about Scleroquin on the link below. It is possible that you may need sclerotherapy if the cosmetic laser does not get rid of these veins.

Laser treatment for spider veins might take more than one session to see improvement depending on each individual's response to treatment. Also, the area that was treated needs to heal properly before treating again. On the other hand, if noticeable improvement is not seen, a combination of treatments to complement the laser option might be necessary. There are various options for vein treatments, and if you have not done it already, you should consider a full evaluation of your legs with a vein specialist that is able to recommend the best treatment for you taking in consideration an ultrasound evaluation of your legs that is almost always part of your initial evaluation by your physician. This diagnostic test will help determine if an underlying venous insufficiency is causing this more superficial changes in the form of spider veins that are very close to your skin.
All the best, 

It is way too early to see the results of the laser treatment for your spider veins. Rarely will one treatment resolve them.  From the posted pictures, it appears that you have had some reaction to the laser treatment.  Allow more time.

Two weeks is still early to judge, and it does appear to have had some effect.  An in-person evaluation would be needed to see full extent.
I like to start with sclerotherapy first, then use laser or microneedle RF for the smaller veins.
Any treatment is designed to remove 50-70% of the veins at any one time in best conditions.  I usually space mine 6-8 weeks apart.
Good luck to you,
Dr. Powell