Spider veins, cleared.
The purple webbing behind the knee. The red threads at the side of the nose. Spider veins affect up to half of adults: small veins whose one-way valves have weakened, so blood pools and the vein webs out. They are rarely harmful, and plenty of people would rather not look at them. We close them with a laser, the 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength of the GentleMax Pro™, no needles, and the body clears them over the following weeks.
Tell us where they are and send a photo if you like. Most of these are quick.
Spider veins on the legs
The purple webbing behind the knee, the thread veins on the thigh and the ankle. The laser closes the vessel and the body clears it over a few weeks.
Broken capillaries on the face
Around the nose and on the cheeks. Facial capillaries are smaller and faster than leg veins, and people are often startled by how quickly they go.
Cherry angiomas
The small red dots that appear on the trunk with age. One pulse each.
Redness that covers the cheeks
Not one vessel but a flush across the face is rosacea, and it is treated as a series: see rosacea treatment.
Bulging, rope-like veins
Larger varicose veins are a different problem. A laser on the skin is for spider veins and small veins (the studies support it up to about 3 mm across); a bulging vein is one for a vein doctor, and we will tell you so.
Needles are not for you
Laser needs no injection. That is one of the reasons people choose it over sclerotherapy, the injection treatment for leg veins.
Three parts. Nobody is rushed through any of them.
We look first
At the veins, their size and the skin around them. Spider veins and cherry angiomas need no doctor's letter; anything that looks like more than a spider vein, we will tell you so.
The treatment
A series of pulses of light along the vessel. Minutes for a small area. It feels like warm snaps; Candela's DCD cooling sprays the skin a fraction of a second before each pulse. The vein darkens or disappears on the spot; clients call it a miracle.
Afterwards
Some redness and bruising where we treated, which normally clears up in a couple of days, and the vein fades over the following weeks. Keep it cool and clean that day: no hot showers, saunas or exercise for 24 hours, no shaving the area for two to three days, and no sun or tanning on it, with SPF 30 or higher every day. Drink plenty of water, and our collagen serum and vitamin C cream help the skin heal.
GentleMax Pro™
You will never have to ask for it by name.
Its 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength was built for veins, redness and broken blood vessels: it passes the skin's surface pigment and reaches deeper than shorter wavelengths, which is why it suits leg veins and darker skin. A 2024 systematic review of 26 studies and 1,991 patients calls the long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG a safe and very good option for leg veins up to 3 mm across, with clearance similar to sclerotherapy.
The same laser, with different settings, does our hair removal and rosacea treatments.
What the GentleMax Pro™ actually is →One visit at a time.
No packages, nothing prepaid. You pay at the visit, for the visit, and you can stop whenever you like.
Leg and facial veins from $400 per 15 minutes, priced by the time the area takes. Small areas often need only one visit.
Paid one visit at a time. No packages, nothing prepaid.
Consultations are always free. Send a photo first if you like, and we will tell you honestly what it will take.
Asked in the room, answered here.
Will the vein come back?
That vein, no: once the vessel is closed and cleared it is gone. New ones can form over the years, particularly if they run in your family or you stand all day, and a single visit handles them.
Laser or sclerotherapy: which is better for spider veins?
Both clear spider veins about equally well. In a randomized trial on 56 women, one leg treated with the long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser and the other with foam sclerotherapy, blinded reviewers found the same clearance after six months; sclerotherapy worked faster and hurt less, the laser needed no injection. Laser suits the finest veins, tangled matting and anyone who would rather avoid needles. We treat veins with the laser only: no needles, no injections.
Does laser vein removal hurt?
It stings: a warm snap with each pulse, softened by the cooling spray. Studies on leg veins describe it as moderate and tolerable, and a small area takes minutes.
Can you treat veins on the face?
Yes. Facial capillaries are smaller and faster than leg veins, and people are often startled by how quickly they go.
How many treatments will I need?
For a small area or veins on the face, often one. For the legs, usually two or more, about six weeks apart, so the body has time to clear what each visit closed; that is the schedule the leg vein trial used. We will tell you after we have looked. New veins that appear over the years are a single visit.
Will I bruise?
You may. Some redness and bruising where we treated is normal and usually clears up in a couple of days.
What is the aftercare?
Keep the area cool and clean that day. No hot showers, saunas or exercise for 24 hours, no shaving it for two to three days, and no sun or tanning on it, with SPF 30 or higher daily. Drink plenty of water, 64 ounces or more a day.
How much does spider vein removal cost?
From $400 per 15 minutes, legs or face, priced by the time the area takes and paid at the visit. No packages and nothing to prepay. Consultations are always free.
Do I need a doctor first?
For spider veins, broken capillaries and cherry angiomas, no. If what you have looks like a larger varicose vein or anything other than a spider vein, we will say so and point you to the right doctor before we treat it.
Can I be tanned?
No. No active tan, no self-tanner and no sunburn on the area, before or for a couple of weeks after. Autumn through spring is the busy season for exactly this reason.
Ready to start, or not sure yet? Either is fine.
Pick a time straight on the calendar, or book an hour to talk it through first, in person, no charge to talk. You pay at the visit, for the visit.