Side effects are super rare, but include-

• Prolonged swelling >72 hours
• Bruising
• Ulceration- approximately 5% of cases. May take 7 days to heal
• Scarring from the laser- approximately 1% of cases
• White spots or demarcation; especially on the chest. This is not a side effect, but occurs because of background sun damage.

This concept is important to understand; most children below the age of 12 don’t really care about spider angiomas or spider naevi (exceptions do occur, but most will not notice the spots or won’t be bothered by them). Hence we don’t recommend treatment until the child is concerned (most common scenario- parents care, kids don’t). 

For adults, laser treatment is uneventful- goggle on, laser spot on target, 2 shots in 2 seconds, all over. For children, understandably, it can be eventful- especially with bright lights, nurses, & the hum of laser machines. No kid enjoys laser treatment, especially on the face. The long story short- if your child can understand the process we can treat, if they are not bothered or find the event traumatic- DEFER TREATMENT for a few years.

In short, genetics. A predisposition to venous lakes is activated at a specific time in your life. It’s not controlled. 

Spider angiomas & naevi in children & young adulthood do not resolve, however angiomas in pregnancy may reduce, as estrogen levels fall. 

In some cases, spider angiomas in pregnancy will resolve & involute– about 10% to 50% of lesions will do so postpartum. If you are pregnant, I suggest you wait 2-6 months postpartum before making the decision about spider angioma treatment; this especially applies to lesions on the chest (as de-demarcation may occur). 

It is not that lasers do not work, on the contrary, they work too well. Even with a 5 mm spot size, removing spiders on the chest will leave new skin (same color as the inner arm). This will give areas of demarcation which look worse than the angiomas themselves. 

It’s not that it can not be done. We may have to perform 3-5 sessions of fractional lasers (& or vascular lasers) to blend the area in. Think carefully about removing angiomas on the chest, especially if you have background sun-damage.

No. Spider angiomas & naevi are capillaries that are benign & do not require treatment, apart from their unsightly presence. 

A cherry angioma or an early atypical venous lake can look like spiders, however a dermatologist can tell the difference. Management for all three lesions are similar, namely vascular lasers. 

Cost for spider angioma removal is $490 performed by a nurse, performed by a dermatologist, it is $690. A partial Medicare rebate may apply if performed by a specialist. 

Most cases require only one treatment. Angiomas on the chest are tricky to treat, especially on the background of sun damage.

Medicare item number rebate only applies when the lesions are clinically significant & obvious at a distance of at least 3 meters. This distance should be objectively measured, but is dependent on the eyesight of a Medicare review committee.

To book an appointment contact us – Brisbane clinic – Sydney clinic.

Lasers are by far the most effective way of treating broken capillaries. Other treatments include-

• Sclerotherapy
• Diathermy or hyfrecation with pin-point needles
• Excision 
• Intense pulse light or broad band light

No. Creams have no effect on spider angiomas. For super small blood vessels, topicals such as timolol, tranexamic acid & brimonidine can partially collapse vessels.