The Best Of Me with CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics | Spider Veins Laser Treatment {Review & Second Treatment Session}

To catch up where we left in my journey to have a spider vein removed at CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics, yesterday was time for my review appointment following my first treatment session. 

I have been monitoring the treated area and taking pictures every week to document to whole healing process and be able to share it with you, but you know, a professional doctor's word gives you more peace of mind. Needless to say I was curious to see what Dr. Bonello had to say about how the vein healed during the past six weeks and what she would suggest next.

Fast forward to 11 o'clock and I was in the treatment room learning that many areas of the vein were completely gone and I probably only required another treatment session, which of course we did. Just to give you an idea of how effective the treatment was, during the first treatment session, 79 laser pulses were needed while for this second treatment session, only 28 were needed; That's less than half the pulses needed the first time!  

Here is how the vein looked over the past six weeks following the first treatment:

Of course, immediately after treatment, swelling was visible and certain parts of the vein were a little darker on the day following the first treatment. After a week, the darker parts were almost gone and by the second and third week, the vein was only slightly visible. For the last two weeks, the vein continued to fade away but of course parts of it were still visible and required further treatment.

Following yesterday's treatment session, this is how the vein looked immediately after treatment:

I will be going in for another review session in 6 weeks' time so be sure to stay tuned for a follow up post!

All opinions and experiences are my own and are in no way influenced by CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics.

The Best of Me with CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics | Spider Veins Laser Treatment {First Treatment Session}

Following my spider vein treatment consultation at CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics, it was time for the first actual treatment session, which I went in for, last Thursday.

Needless to say, I was very excited to see how the procedure will turn out and of course really anxious to see the results. Dr. Bonello asked me if I had any problems with the test patch before she began treating the area and when all was clear, we proceeded with the full, first treatment. 

It is similar to laser hair removal, with a different wavelength, a specialised hand-piece and laser parameters, and a bigger eye for detail. I was told that doctors receive specialised training for the laser treatment of veins and pigmentation. I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't at all painful but for me, it was bearable. I would describe it as a slight burning sensation and of course if it is too painful for you, you can always ask the doctor to rearrange the settings or go a little slower. Since I am treating a small area, the session took no longer than 10 minutes. Here I want to highlight the professionalism of the clinic where firstly, all my appointments are booked with the same doctor and secondly, Dr. Bonello made sure to treat the whole area, even the smallest branches. 

As expected, the area became a little swollen and appeared a little red immediately after treatment. I must admit that I experienced a slight sensation of pain for a couple of hours following treatment but after that, I was only left with a slight swell all over the treated area (this can be seen in the second image below). I was told that this may take up to 6 weeks to return back to normal. To aid healing, Aloe Vera gel is always recommended. What I did notice is that some parts of the spider vein became a little darker upon treatment (which is a totally normal reaction and can be seen in the lowermost image) but other parts have already started to fade away - see the results for yourselves in the pictures below:

That's it for now! Do check back for another post in 6 weeks' time when I have my review appointment.

In the meantime, if you would like to experience this or any other treatment offered at CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics, you can do so by having a look at their website and contacting them to book your appointment. One hour free parking is offered with any treatment booked.

All opinions and experiences are my own and are in no way influenced by CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics.

The Best Of Me with CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics | Spider Veins Laser Treatment {Consultation}

The demand for cosmetic treatments is ever increasing nowadays and I guess no one is immune to striving to achieve a better version of themselves, me included. My latest venture in cosmetic treatments is Laser Treatment of Spider Veins at CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics at SkyParks.

This is not my first time at CHIC where I have already been having my laser hair removal done for the past three years and I have always been satisfied with their professional and impeccable service, from reception to delivery of treatment and ultimately, the actual results.

I wanted to involve you, my readers, in my latest venture and I had asked you on my blog's Facebook page for any concerns and curiosities you might have regarding the laser treatment of spider veins so I could ask them to the doctor during my consultation appointment. Fast forward a few weeks, and last week, on Wednesday, I went in for my consultation and patch test with Dr. Angel Bonello.

CHIC Laser Treatment Room - photo courtesy of CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics Facebook page

Here's a little bit of background information first. So, I first noticed my first (hopefully last) and only spider vein threads on the back of my left knee something around two years ago I think, the culprit being none other than prolonged standing periods at my work place. Of course they annoy me so I had to do something about them.

The spider vein I wish to treat - photo taken by Dr. Angel Bonello

The first thing Dr. Angel did was to assess my concerned area, then we moved on to discussing the questions you asked and the ones I had prepared myself before going on with the actual patch test. This post is only meant to discuss common concerns and what actually went during my consultation; if you have any other health concerns and are considering treatment, they are best discussed during your own consultation with a professionally trained doctor.

So basically, laser treatment of spider veins works on the same principle of laser hair removal - colour differentiation. In fact, the same machine is used for both treatments yet for spider veins, a different wavelength and a specialized handpiece is used. In this case, a 1064nm wavelength (known as NdYag) is employed to penetrate through the skin where the energy from the laser is absorbed by the red cells, causing them to break down. The specialised handpiece is capable of using small spot sizes to target the relatively smaller blood vessels and not the surrounding skin. Whilst in laser hair removal 15mm or 18mm spot sizes are commonly used, in veins 1.5mm or 3mm spot sizes are needed.

A slight sensation of pain may be felt but this of course depends on the individual's pain tolerance. Redness and swelling of the treated area are possible but they are temporary 'side-effects'. One might also notice that the treated vein gets darker after treatment. This is because the broken down red cells clot and it takes the body approximately 6 weeks to get rid of these minor clots. In fact, it is recommended to leave 6 weeks between treatment sessions. Depending on the area to be treated, 1 to 3 sessions are usually all it takes to get rid of spider veins. The good news is that once an area is treated, it is not likely that the veins will re-appear (of course, there might be other areas where new spider veins appear though).

Since the treatment involves the use of laser, it is important to avoid exposing your skin to the sun for 4 to 6 weeks before and after treatment and it is recommended to use products with SPF50. It is also advisable to avoid laser treatment of veins if pregnant. Furthermore, treating spider veins with laser is avoided on tattooed skin and where there are any suspicious moles or lesions.

As for after care and prevention, aloe gel is your best friend to soothe your skin after treatment while doing leg exercises and elevating your legs whenever possible and avoiding prolonged standing may help you lessen the likeliness of spider veins from developing.

Finally, my own experience. The feeling of pain depends on the individual but I have to say that the laser treatment of spider veins hurt much less during the patch test than laser hair removal. The area which was tested swelled up a little bit for a few hours after treatment but it has greatly subsided by the day after and it is now almost back to normal; the redness subsided almost immediately. I did not experience any intolerable pain or discomfort whatsoever during and after treatment. I did sign a consent form prior to the patch test and I was given a sheet explaining the pre and post-treatment care to get the most benefits out of the whole experience.

I hope this post has been helpful to you and do check back in a few weeks where I shall write about my experience for the first treatment session.

Don't forget that you get one hour free parking at the airport when doing a treatment at CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics. For treatment prices, kindly consult the CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics website.

All opinions and experiences are my own and are in no way influenced by CHIC Med-Aesthetic Clinics.