1
Veins

Broken Capillaries

Get rid of those annoying red veins on your cheeks, nose, neck or chest with Laser treatment. We use the Aura KTP Laser by LaserScope.

Leg Veins

Red or Blue veins on the legs can disappear. You can finally wear shorts and swimsuits again without feeling self-conscious.

What causes these veins?

Many women (and some men) suffer with the embarrassment of spider and varicose veins. Although these veins are primarily inherited, they can worsen after having children, from occupations requiring prolonged standing, from being overweight, doing high impact aerobics, or for no particular reason at all. Spider and varicose veins also can occur due to the hormone fluctuations of puberty, pregnancy and menopause, and from oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. Leg veins can also appear after an injury to the leg or a broken bone. Facial spider veins are found in both men and women and tend to be inherited. However, they also may occur as a result of prolonged sun exposure, alcohol consumption and from the skin disorder, rosacea.

How can spider and varicose veins be prevented?

While the tendency to develop problem veins may be inherited, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce your risk. Use good sun protection to prevent spider veins from forming on the face and neck. To keep leg veins healthy, improve your vascular circulation by exercising regularly with a low-impact aerobic activity such as walking. Maintain a good weight for your body to reduce the pressure on leg veins. Be sure to wear low-heeled shoes and appropriate athletic shoes to prevent injury to calf muscles. Therapeutic support stockings can be prescribed for people who are at risk for varicose veins. Support stockings help push the blood out of the legs and back toward the heart. They are especially important to wear during pregnancy and when your job requires you to stand for long periods of time.

What are the current treatments?

At your initial consultation, Dr. Levy will examine problem veins, discuss any medical concerns and develop a custom treatment approach that best meets your needs. There are several treatment options. Sclerotherapy involves an injection of a special medication into the problem vein. PhotoDermTM VL/PL uses a non-invasive pulsed light source, while VascuLightÅ uses a laser source. Phlebectomy is a micro-surgical procedure (no scars or stitches) and Ligation is a short, in-office outpatient procedure. Dr. Levy has helped many patients by eliminating their spider and varicose veins with these state-of-the-art outpatient procedures. They are safe, effective and the results are...simply wonderful!

Solutions for Facial Veins and Birthmarks

Dermatology of Seattle's vascular lasers provide non-surgical treatment for many common and often embarrassing skin problems. The laser passes right through the top layer of skin to remove the unwanted blood vessels that cause red colored skin imperfections without damaging the surrounding skin (termed "selective photothermolysis"). Facial spider veins, broken blood vessels, cherry or red spots, and portwine birthmarks can be treated right in the office within seconds or minutes. Broken blood vessels need only one or two treatments for permanent results, while portwine birthmarks can be dramatically reduced in a number of sessions. In some patients, laser treatment can greatly reduce the color and size of stretch marks and scars

Broken blood vessels virtually disappear.