Laser treatment for varicose veins: What does it involve? Does it work?

“Varicose veins are unsightly, bad for your health, and sometimes even painful. We spoke with experts to find out all about laser treatments and which types are best for removing them.”

Before we begin discussing treatment, we need to know exactly what varicose veins are and how they form. “Varicose veins are veins that have dilated, have withstood higher than normal pressure for a considerable time, and have gradually transformed: they increase in diameter, elongate, and become tortuous,”, Dr. Javier Pérez Diez from Clínica Premium Marbella explains. “"These changes cause the blood traveling through these veins to gradually decrease its speed on its way to the heart, and, in many cases, the direction of the blood flow is reversed.".

“These are varicose veins of approximately 2-4mm, located beneath the skin, so they are often not visible to the naked eye and must be searched for with a special light,”, Dr. Javier Pérez Diez informs us.

Dr. Javier Pérez Diez recommends us, For telangiectasias or spider veins, "the external vascular laser, the Nd:YAG laser, emits a high-energy light that penetrates the skin until it is absorbed by the hemoglobin in the varicose vein, closing the diseased vessel." She tells us, however, that each laser pulse produces a slight discomfort, although this is usually well-tolerated by patients.

For reticular varicose veins, Premium Clinic Marbella recommends us “"Foam sclerotherapy involves injecting a substance into the varicose vein, which then closes and dries it out, causing it to disappear." It is usually combined with external laser treatment, requiring one to five sessions, depending on the case. The cost of these sessions ranges from €90 to €180, depending on the treatment duration.