Objective To examine the safety and efficacy of a pulsed alexandrite laser for treatment of leg telangiectasia and reticular veins.
Design Observational study.
Setting Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York, New York, NY.
Subjects Twenty women with skin phototypes I to III and with 54 patches of leg veins measuring 0.3 to 2.0 mm in diameter.
Interventions Each patch was treated once using 1 to 3 passes of a 755-mm, 3-millisecond alexandrite laser. An 8-mm spot and fluences of 60 to 80 J/cm2 were used, with dynamic epidermal cooling.
Main Outcome Measures Subjects underwent evaluation at 4 and 12 weeks for degree of clearance, based on a quartile grading system, and incidence of adverse effects.
Results At the 4-week follow-up, 17 (35%) of 48 treatment sites showed greater than 75% clearance and an additional 16 (33%) showed greater than 50% clearance. By 12 weeks, 33 (65%) of 51 treatment sites showed greater than 75% clearance, and there was greater than 50% clearance in an additional 11 (22%). Hyperpigmentation was observed in 18 (35%) of 51 treatment sites.
Conclusion A single treatment with a 755-nm, 3-millisecond alexandrite laser at high fluence in conjunction with cryogen skin cooling produced excellent clearance of telangiectasia and reticular veins of the leg with minimal adverse effects.
