Skin resurfacing lasers excel at removing an ever-increasing number of pigmented lesions. This means virtually anything that differs in color from the surrounding skin, including both spider veins and broken capillaries. Lasers of all kinds produce high intensity, highly focused light at very specific wavelengths. This energy is capable of passing through the skin, causing several specific effects. First, the highly concentrated light is absorbed by the red blood cells in these unwanted vessels. This then instantaneously, produces extremely brief spikes in temperature. The heat injures the vein or capillary walls, causing them to permanently seal shut. These small vessels are then absorbed back into the body in the following weeks and eventually disappear. 

Laser treatment can be used anywhere on the body to treat either type of vessel. The legs are the most common locations for spider veins, usually around the knees or on the calves. Burst capillaries are most often found on the face, typically on the sides of the nose or cheeks. Other techniques are effective, most notably sclerotherapy for spider veins, but laser therapy is arguably the most efficient. In many cases these methods are used together to achieve the best results.