Treatment of leg veins with the long pulse dye laser using variable pulse durations and energy fluences

Background and Objectives: Attempts at using the pulsed dye laser (PDL) operating at 585 nm wavelength and 0.45 milliseconds pulse duration to treat leg veins have been notably unsuccessful. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and complications of the 595 nm long PDL in the treatment of leg veins. Study Design/Patients and Methods: Fourteen patients with 38 lesions were treated using a long PDL equipped with a cryogen spray cooling (CSC) device. Variable pulse durations ranging from 1.5 to 20 milliseconds and energy fluences from 10 to 20 J/cm(2) were utilized depending on the size of treated vessels. All patients received two laser treatments at an interval of 2 months. Results: Of patients with veins type 1A and type 1, 6 (100%) and 3 (13%) had complete clearing, respectively. patients with veins type 1 and type 2, 18 (78.3%) and 2 (22.2%) lesions showed excellent response, respectively. Hyperpigmentation was the only observed complication lasting several months in 57.9% of treated sites. Conclusions: The long PDL operating at 595 nm is a safe and effective treatment for leg veins, especially in type 1 and type1 vessels. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.