Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) of superficial veins of the lower extremities is a gold standard for the treatment of varicose veins. Numerous studies have confirmed obvious effectiveness of EVLA over the last quarter of a century. At the same time, this intervention, as well as any thermal methods, is characterized by thrombotic complications, nerve damage, intraoperative destruction of the light guide, etc. We can reasonably assume that literature data on the incidence of complications are most likely underestimated because researchers usually analyze data from active and, as a rule, the most experienced colleagues. In real clinical practice, you often encounter situations when thermal methods do not show their best side, while conventional phlebectomy may be preferable. The authors report 3 patients with postoperative complications and recurrences after EVLA. In all cases, treatment outcomes did not meet expectations of patients and gave them an unfavorable impression of invasive treatment. Patients underwent redo surgery in early and mid-term period after laser ablation. In these cases, conventional phlebectomy was a good alternative to minimally invasive treatment.