Altus Coolglide Laser Therapy for Leg Veins
The Cool Guide Laser developed by Altus Medical Corporation uses a long pulse YAG laser beam to deliver pulses of light energy to treat leg veins, facial blood vessels, and to remove unwanted hair. Leg veins range from tiny, superficial “spider veins” to large, blue “varicose” veins which are blood vessels that are abnormally dilated that appear swollen, twisted and can be painful. Laser therapy with the Coolglide laser can be a good option for treating unsightly leg veins that are resistant to sclerotherapy.
The Altus Coolglide laser can treat deep, large vessels of more than 0.5 mm to up to 4 mm diameter due to its longer wavelength. The advantage of this laser is its ability for deep penetration and relatively low absorption by melanin, so it can be used on all skin tones. The laser produces heat near the blood vessel which causes blood to clot in the vessel and thus destroys the blood vessel.
Coolglide Laser therapy treatment can be uncomfortable so a topical anesthetic may be used to lessen the stinging sensation during the procedure.
Side effects are rare but can include some reddening or swelling of the treated skin for the first 24 hours, mild bruising, and rarely, blistering.
Results are typically seen within 2-6 weeks with final results apparent in a few months. No procedure should be viewed as permanent. Most of the blood vessels that are treated with the laser are completely eliminated. Some blood vessels, however, require several treatment sessions to be eliminated. The vessels may appear gone immediately after the procedure, and then "reappear" several days later. This should be expected for some blood vessels. New vessels can also appear in the treated areas as part of the natural aging process. This should not be viewed as recurrence of the treated vessels.