Treatment of spider veins with the 595 nm pulsed-dye laser

Background: Previous attempts to treat spider veins with the conventional 585 nm pulsed-dye laser with a 0.5-ms pulse duration have been relatively ineffective. Recently, a new pulsed-dye laser that is tunable from 585 to 600 nm with a pulse duration 3 times longer than previously available lasers has preliminarily been shown to be effective for treatment of spider veins. Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of multiple treatments with the tunable long-pulse dye laser in treatment of spider veins of the lower extremity. Methods: Ten female volunteers were treated in two separate areas containing blue or red linear spider veins less than 1.5 mm in diameter. Treatments were administered with the pulsed-dye laser with a 1.5-ms pulse duration and 595-nm light at fluences of 15 and 20 J/cm 2, and each subject received a total of 3 treatments at each site, administered at 6-week intervals. Photographs were taken before and 6 weeks after the last treatment. Results: Computer-based image analysis showed clearing of more than three fourths of veins after 3 treatments with 15 or 20 J/cm 2. Side effects were minimal and the treatments were well tolerated. Conclusion: The 595 nm, 1.5 ms pulse duration, pulsed-dye laser is safe and effective for treating blue or red spider veins of the lower extremities less than 1.5 mm in diameter in nontanned patients with Fitzpatrick skin types I and II. Multiple treatments improve on the results obtained after a single treatment. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;39:746-50.)