Laser vein removal
For small surface vessels, facial spider veins, broken capillaries, fine leg veins. The most useful thing on this page is the part that tells you when to see a vein specialist instead of us.
Medically reviewed by Lindsay Short, NP-BC, Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner · last reviewed September 2026
Spider veins or varicose veins? It decides everything.
These get talked about together and they are different problems with different treatments. Getting this wrong costs people money on a result that will not hold.
| Spider veins | Varicose veins | |
|---|---|---|
| Look like | Fine red, blue or purple lines at the surface | Raised, rope-like, bulging |
| Size | Under about 1 mm | Several millimeters and up |
| Symptoms | Cosmetic, no aching | Often ache, throb, feel heavy |
| Cause | Surface vessels, sun, genetics, hormones | Failing valves in a deeper vein |
| Treatment | Laser, what this page is about | Vein specialist, usually after ultrasound |
Why it matters so much: where a deeper vein’s valves have failed, the visible surface vessels are being refilled by pressure from below. Treat the surface and the cause keeps producing more. People end up paying repeatedly for a result that never holds, when the actual problem was never addressed.
If your veins ache, throb or feel heavy, if your ankles swell, or if the skin around your ankle has changed color or texture, see a vein specialist first. We would rather send you than treat you.
How it works, and what it costs
- Laser vein treatment, 3 sessions
- Laser vein treatment, 5 sessions
- IPL for diffuse facial redness
- Consultation
Quoted after we have seen the vessels, because the number depends on how many there are and where. Leg veins generally need more sessions than facial ones.
Vein treatment is quoted after we have seen the vessels, since the number depends on how many there are and whether they are facial or on the legs.
- Quoted in writing before anything starts. You hear the full figure at your consultation, not after treatment and not on the day.
- The consultation is free, with no obligation to book and no charge if you decide against it.
- We do not bill insurance. No prior authorization, no coverage denial part-way through, and no treatment decision made by a plan rather than by your clinician.
- Cherry and CareCredit financing are available, and membership pricing is lower than standard rates.
The laser targets hemoglobin, the pigment in the blood inside the vessel. The energy is absorbed there, heats the vessel wall and collapses it, and your body reabsorbs the closed vessel over the following weeks. Surrounding skin is largely unaffected because it does not absorb that wavelength the same way.
Face and legs behave differently
Facial vessels are the good case. Broken capillaries around the nose and cheeks, and the fine red lines that come with sun damage and rosacea, respond quickly, often one to three sessions, with vessels clearing over two to six weeks.
Leg veins are harder, and anyone telling you otherwise is overselling. They sit deeper, they are under more pressure from gravity, and they respond less predictably. Expect more sessions, a slower fade, and a period where the treated vessel looks darker or bruised before it clears.
Where facial redness is diffuse rather than a set of discrete vessels, a general flush across the cheeks rather than visible lines, IPL usually suits it better, and we will say which you have.
Afterwards
The first 48 hours
Mild redness and swelling along the treated vessels, sometimes a faint bruised look. Cool the area if it helps. Skip the gym, hot showers and saunas for 24 hours.
Weeks one to six
The vessel darkens then fades as your body reabsorbs it. Facial vessels usually clear within this window; legs take longer. Photographs at the start are worth having.
Sun protection, especially on the face
Sun damage is a leading cause of facial capillaries in the first place. Treating them and then not protecting the skin means producing more of what you just paid to remove.
Compression for legs
If we have treated leg veins, compression stockings for a few days help the vessel stay closed and reduce swelling. Not glamorous, and it measurably improves the result.
New vessels appearing later is not the treatment failing. Genetics, hormones, sun and standing all keep producing them, and occasional maintenance is the normal pattern.
Book your free consultationAnswers before you book
What kinds of veins can laser treat?
Small surface vessels: facial spider veins and broken capillaries, the redness around the nose and cheeks, and fine spider veins on the legs. These are millimeter-scale vessels close to the surface. Larger bulging varicose veins are a different problem and need a vein specialist rather than a med spa.
How does it work?
The laser targets hemoglobin in the blood inside the vessel. That energy heats and collapses the vessel wall, and your body reabsorbs it over the following weeks. The vessel does not come back, though nearby ones can appear over time, since whatever caused the first is usually still there.
How many sessions will I need?
One to three for most facial vessels, spaced three to four weeks apart. Leg spider veins typically need more and respond less predictably than facial ones, which is worth knowing before you commit. We assess and give you a realistic number rather than selling a set course.
How much does it cost?
Quoted at consultation. Three- and five-session packages exist, and the right number depends on how many vessels there are and where. We would rather look first than publish a figure that is wrong for most people.
Does it hurt?
A quick snap and a brief heat for each vessel, similar to a rubber band flick. Facial vessels take seconds each. Most people manage comfortably without numbing, and we cool the skin throughout.
What does it look like afterwards?
The vessel often darkens or looks slightly bruised before it fades, and there may be mild redness or swelling for a day or two. Facial vessels typically clear over two to six weeks. Leg veins take longer and can look worse before they look better, which is normal and worth expecting.
When is this NOT the right treatment?
When the vein bulges, aches, or is accompanied by swelling, heaviness or skin changes around the ankle. Those suggest underlying venous insufficiency, a valve problem in a deeper vein, and treating the visible surface vessel leaves the cause untouched, so it refills. That needs a vein specialist and usually an ultrasound. We will tell you when that is what you are looking at.
Will they come back?
The treated vessel does not return. New ones can appear, because sun damage, genetics, hormones, pregnancy and long periods standing all keep producing them. Sun protection helps on the face, and compression helps on the legs. Occasional maintenance is normal rather than a sign the treatment failed.
We will tell you if this is the wrong door
A free consultation looks at the vessels and says whether laser is the right treatment, or whether what you have needs a vein specialist and an ultrasound first.