Spider veins crawl along the edges of nostrils and cheeks or walk down the  sides of otherwise beautiful thighs. These little trails of pink, purple and blue have many women afraid to show off their legs. Shorts and skirts—no way.

A combination of blood flow and added pressure in the blood vessel wall triggers collapse of the vein leading to unattractive spider veins. Heredity plays the leading role in their development. But standing or sitting for long periods and being overweight also contributes.

Laser therapy blasts away vein trails and clears a path for beautiful skin. But remember, those tiny veins may reappear and grow in new places. With larger veins, health care professionals usually advise a more involved procedure like sclerotherapy.

With many vein removal lasers available, a few that get the job done include: variable-pulsed Nd-YAG, Alexandrite, pulsed dye and long-pulsed.

Skin type determines which laser will deliver optimal results for you. The clinician decides the appropriate wave-length to use depending on the treatment area.

Temporary side effects after laser treatment include welting, redness, swelling and bruising. For optimal results, some people may require 2-3 treatments. Healing time is required in between treatments and may range up to 2 months at a time.