Varicose veins are blood vessels, which return blood from the legs to the heart. The real, working venous system for the legs lies deeper, This is good news, because it means that if the surface veins begin to clump up and bulge, they can be removed or destroyed without ruining circulation to the leg.

Spider veins, the more delicate red or blue tracings that can pop up on the skin’s surface like spider webs, are a minor form of varicose veins and can precede development of the more unsightly variation or cause cosmetic concerns of their own. Sun exposure can make spider veins worse by breaking down collagen under the skin.

Both varicose and spider veins result when valves designed to keep blood from running backward away from the heart and back down into the leg fail or become loose and flabby — allowing backwash, which stretches veins and even slowly leaks into ankle and leg tissue, causing swelling.

During treatment, Intense Pulsed Light or laser light is absorbed by the blood in these veins, heating and destroying the blood vessels. Over time the destroyed veins are reabsorbed and disappear.