Blue facial veins can be the bane of many patients existence, but a new laser treatment may help make these unsightly veins a thing of the past.

Treatment with the ND: YAG laser by Cutera is gentler and more effective than other available methods. Fully 40 percent of patients treated with the ND: YAG  require one treatment, and 50 percent require two visits. On average, patients went as long as two years without a recurrence, said David A. F. Ellis, MD, a facial plastic surgeon in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He presented his findings at the annual meeting of the he International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies in Rome, Italy.

The laser treatment offers some distinct advantages over other blue vein therapies. Unlike surgeries, there is no downtime. Moreover, no anesthetic is required. Sclerosing injectables can cause severe skin damage and even blindness, he said,

[Source: press release]