Patients often call us believing that they want LASER or intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments for small veins in the legs. Others have undergone multiple such treatments without resolution of their problem.

While LASER or IPL treatment of abnormal veins is widely available, we rarely recommend these treatments. LASER or IPL treatment may work in a small number of patients, but sclerotherapy usually is more effective, causes less discomfort, and is less costly. Failure of LASER or IPL treatment often occurs due to the presence of veins under the skin, reticular veins, which feed blood to the smaller spider veins near the surface. These larger and deeper veins are not sealed shut by LASER or IPL therapy and cause a rapid recurrence or failure of LASER or IPL therapy.