I had my first laser hair removal treatment on my lower legs in late July. I just noticed that I have a few new veins on my legs that were never there. It is actually on the front of the lower leg and it covers about 1 inch in width and 1 inch length… Could this be caused by the laser? I had the laser done at ALC.
Have not heard of this before. Are you absolutely positive they weren’t there before and you weren’t paying such close attention to your legs?
Also, what machine was used? What settings? Did you experience shedding? Can these be bruises or pigmentation?
How old are you? Do you have any veins on other parts of your legs and other areas which wasn’t treated with laser?
I have an article that I saved that may explain this. I will look for it later tonight or in the morning when I get time. hang on.
Dee
I can’t find the article I saved a while back. It may be at my office? However, I did find this article from 2000 that is peer reviewed and very much like the article I wanted to share with you. I am not saying your problem is caused by laser, but will offer this information because it seems closely related to your situation. I’m just curious about this myself. Maybe sslhr can offer a more professional take on this one. Laser is not UV radiation, but I have forgotten where it falls on the light spectrum chart? We had a similar complaint posted here a couple years ago with no explanation if it was related to laser’s heat, thats why this information caught my attention a while back. I’ll continue to look for the article I saved, but since I have moved my office three times in the past year, I’m still a little off balance! Who knows if I’ll find it, but truly, the link to information below is basically the same, except the picture is harder to see.
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/162/1/77
Dee
Thank you for your response. I am positive that this was not there before I had the treatment. I went to american laser centers and they used the amerilase machine at the “highest setting”. Yes I did experience shedding and my legs were red with red dots for about 4 days immediately after the treatment. I am 32 years old. I do have a few other veins on my legs but I know exactly where on my legs that they are. This vein is very squiggly and red under the skin.
Thanks Dee for looking for the article. It is hard to tell by the picture on the article if this looks like the vein I have now.
Is it possible that the settings were too high on the laser? The technician said it was the “highest level”.
The best thing for you to do is to show the doctor in charge this area and ask for an explanation. I would think that they would have noted any “imperfection” in your chart before starting treatment. Yes,of course, we women know every inch of our bodies so I know what you are saying when you say this squiggly,red vein wasn’t there prior to treatment.
I suspect it is short-lived and will resolve.
The other parts of your treatment sound good, especially the shedding part.
Dee
Can you post a picture of this squiggly, red vein?
Thanks for your help on this. I go back for my 2nd treatment in October so I will talk to the doctor.