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Novel 532 nm KTP laser effectively, safely treated spider veins
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A novel nd:YAG 532 nm KTP laser was safe and effective in treating spider veins in women with Fitzpatrick skin types I, II and III, according to study results.
Researchers treated 20 women (mean age, 48 years) with Fitzpatrick skin types I, II and III and lower extremity spider veins smaller than 0.75 mm. Nineteen women had four separate sites of spider veins, each measuring at least 5 cm2 (n=79 treatment sites). The women received two treatments of 532 nm wavelength of a dual-wavelength 532/1,064 nm laser (Excel V, Cutera) with a 5 mm-diameter spot, fluences ranging from 13 to 15 J/cm2 and a pulse-duration of 40 milliseconds at 12 weeks apart. At baseline, 12 weeks after first laser treatment and 12 weeks after final treatment, photographs were taken, and two masked independent physicians used a 5-point scale to assess improvement.
Median improvement of 2.5 (one-sample Wilcoxon signed rank test, 95% CI; 1.9-2.9) was achieved by all women. Identification of the posttreatment photos was highly consistent (k=0.85) and accurate (k=0.85) by the reviewers, who also showed consistency in scoring improvement.
“Subjects and the treating physician reported ‘significant’ to ‘very significant’ (~51 to 100%) improvement in 75% and 69% of subjects, respectively,” the researchers reported.
Two percent of sites displayed post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and there were no reported serious adverse events. Patients reported a mean pain score of 2.9 (10-point scale).
“Treatment of lower extremity spider veins less than 0.75 mm in diameter with a novel, high-powered variable pulse-duration, 532 nm KTP laser is safe and effective, with minimal discomfort or side-effects in subjects with Fitzpatrick skin type I-III and non-sun tanned skin,” the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures. Ayse Noyaner-Turley, DDS, MPH, and Bradley Renton, PhD, are employees of Cutera, which provided a research grant for the study.