Kentville, NS Summerside, PEI
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Home Veins elōs™ laser spider vein treatment

elōs™ laser spider vein treatmentNo needle into the vein.

Combined radio frequency and light energy heats fine surface veins through the skin, so the vessels the needle cannot reach can still be treated.

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Performed by a vascular surgeonRoyal College certified, seven years of specialist training Ultrasound and consult in one visitYour scan is read with you the same day Treating veins since 2007Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

Who it is for

Is this right for me?

The short answer is that the ultrasound decides. Here is how we think about it.

This is the treatment for the finest surface vessels: small, flat, superficial veins, including certain spider vein patterns and isolated reticular veins. Because nothing is injected into the vessel, it reaches veins too fine for a needle.

Suitability depends on vessel colour, calibre, depth, location, symptoms and the skin around them, as well as your skin type, recent tanning and pigment history. Your practitioner assesses all of that before treating anything.

It is a surface treatment. It does not diagnose or treat a blood clot, venous reflux, venous insufficiency, a vascular malformation, arterial disease or large bulging varicose veins. Those need a medical vein assessment, starting with duplex ultrasound.

Symptoms we treat

  • Aching legs
  • Heaviness
  • Swelling
  • Night cramps
  • Visible bulging veins
  • Skin changes or discolouration

Any of these, with or without veins you can see, is worth an assessment.

The procedure day

How it works

Step by step, so there are no surprises on the day.

  1. Step 1

    Your skin and vessels are assessed

    Vessel type, depth, colour and location are reviewed along with your skin type and any recent sun or tanning.

  2. Step 2

    The area is cleaned

    Arrive with clean skin: no make-up, lotion or self-tanner on the area.

  3. Step 3

    Cooling and the applicator

    Contact cooling is applied at the skin surface while the applicator delivers laser and radio frequency energy to the vessel beneath.

  4. Step 4

    You feel brief warmth

    Most people describe brief warmth, a pinch, or an electric-like snap. Tell the practitioner about anything sharp, focal or escalating while it is happening.

  5. Step 5

    The vessel responds

    Treated vessels may darken immediately, then clear gradually.

  6. Step 6

    You leave without stockings

    No compression stockings are needed after elōs™ treatment, and there is no downtime.

Appointment length varies with the person, the vessel and the area being treated.

Getting ready

Before your appointment

A few practical things that make the day easier.

Stay out of the sun

Avoid tanning, meaningful sun exposure, sunburn and self-tanner before your appointment.

Arrive with clean skin

No make-up or lotion on the area to be treated.

Tell us what has changed

Report any change in medication, health, pregnancy, mobility, travel or circulation, and any recent vein or skin procedure.

Driving

No sedation is used and there is no downtime, so you can drive yourself.

What happens afterward

Recovery

What to expect, and when.

  1. Day 0

    No compression stockings and no downtime. Treated vessels may look darker before they fade. Avoid excess heat, hot tubs, steam and friction while the area is warm or tender.

  2. Days 1 to 3

    Temporary redness, warmth, tenderness, mild swelling or bruising may occur and should gradually improve. Cleanse gently, and do not rub, scratch, pick or exfoliate the area.

  3. Weeks 1 to 2

    Visible improvement may be delayed. Resume make-up, shaving and active skincare once the area is no longer sensitive.

  4. Weeks 4 to 6

    Improvement can show after a single session, and most people have one to three. Another session is only scheduled once the previous response has been reviewed and the approved interval has passed.

Being straight with you

Side effects and suitability

No treatment is right for everyone, and this is what we tell patients before they decide.

Possible side effects

  • Temporary redness, warmth, tenderness, mild swelling or bruising.
  • Darkening of the treated vessel before it clears.
  • Matting, or new fine vessels near the treated area.
  • Less commonly: burns, blistering, prolonged redness or swelling, pigment change, infection, altered sensation, scarring, or an incomplete response.

Contact the clinic if symptoms are unexpected, worsening, or last longer than you were told to expect.

When it may not be recommended

  • You are pregnant.
  • There is infection, open or inflamed skin, sunburn or recent tanning in the area.
  • You have impaired sensation or healing in the area.
  • Your medication or anticoagulation has recently changed, or you have an implanted device.
  • The veins are larger, bulging, symptomatic, feeder or recurrent vessels: these are not automatically appropriate for cosmetic laser treatment and should be medically assessed.

What to expect

Results and evidence

What the treatment does, and what the published evidence says about it.

Visible improvement can show after a single session. Most people need one to three. A treated vessel may clear partially, remain visible, or recur, and some vessels need a different approach or a medical vein assessment instead.

No compression stockings are needed afterward, which is the practical difference most people notice compared with sclerotherapy.

What the research says

Endothermal ablation, the group of treatments that includes endovenous laser, is recommended as first-line treatment for confirmed varicose veins with reflux in the NICE guideline on varicose veins (CG168). A randomised trial comparing laser ablation, radiofrequency ablation, foam sclerotherapy and surgical stripping was published by Rasmussen and colleagues in the British Journal of Surgery in 2011.

[CLIENT TO CONFIRM: Dr Davidson to approve citation. Suggested: NICE CG168, Varicose veins: diagnosis and management; and Rasmussen LH et al., Br J Surg 2011]

Paying for it

Cost and coverage

The question most people arrive with.

Payment options depend on what is being treated and why. Some vein care has public coverage and some does not, and we would rather tell you plainly at your consultation than have you guess. What applies depends on the clinical picture, and that is exactly what the ultrasound establishes.

Cost, coverage and financing

elōs™ laser spider vein treatment, answered

Questions

The questions patients ask us most often.

How is this different from sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy injects an agent through a needle into the vessel, so it needs a vein big enough for the needle. elōs™ works through the skin, so it reaches the very fine veins a needle cannot. Many patients do best with both: sclerotherapy for the larger feeders, laser for the fine surface work.

What does it feel like?

You may feel brief warmth, a pinch, or an electric-like snap while contact cooling is applied. Report anything sharp, focal or escalating while it is happening.

How many sessions will I need?

Improvement can show after a single session, and most people have one to three. The number depends on the vessels and how they respond.

Will I need compression stockings?

Not after elōs™ treatment. Compression is only used when it is part of your individual plan.

Can it treat my bulging varicose veins?

No. Larger, bulging, symptomatic, feeder or recurrent veins are not automatically appropriate for cosmetic laser treatment. They may indicate reflux or another venous problem and should be medically assessed first.

Is it suitable for every skin type?

No. Your practitioner assesses skin type, tanning and pigment history alongside the vessel itself, because the risk of pigment change is not the same for everyone.

Can I have treatment if I take a blood thinner?

It requires individual review, because bruising and bleeding risks vary. Do not stop or change a prescribed medicine for a treatment unless the prescriber tells you to.

When can I exercise again?

Avoid strenuous exercise, excess heat, steam and friction while significant warmth, redness, swelling or tenderness remains, then resume gradually.

When can I book my next session?

Not until the previous response has been reviewed and the approved interval has passed. Your practitioner assesses how the vessels responded before scheduling again.

Does it treat the cause of my veins?

No. It is a surface treatment. If there is reflux underneath, that is a separate problem and needs an ultrasound assessment.

Also at the vein clinic

Related treatments

Vein care is rarely one treatment on its own.

A liquid agent is injected into the vein through a fine needle, making it shrink and disappear over the weeks that follow.

A painless scan maps the veins in your legs and shows how blood is actually moving through them, and your surgeon reviews it with you in the same visit.

A laser closes a diseased vein from the inside, through a single entry point, under local anesthetic, in about one to two hours.

Tired of achy, heavy legs?

Book an assessment and your surgeon will tell you plainly whether this is the right treatment for your legs.

Call 902-678-2121 Book a consultation

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