Spider Veins
What are Spider Veins?
Spider veins by definition are referred to as Telangiectasias. These small dilated blood vessels are near the surface of the skin, measuring between 0.5 and 1 millimeter in diameter and can appear as red, blue or even purple bursts that spider out on the skin. Spider veins most commonly occur on the legs but are also found on the face or other areas of the body where their vein walls have been weakened and stressed due to insufficient blood flow.
These dilated blood vessels may be short, burst-like patterns, about the width of a human hair that form “sunburst” like patterns on the body. Everybody is different and depending on the severity of your condition, your lifestyle, health issues and physical appearance such as color of your skin, spider veins will look different on everyone. Some patients may have light spider veins covering an entire leg, others may have small groupings or patches.
While not life threatening, if left untreated spider veins can lead to larger dilated blood vessels called varicose veins which are more raised and rope-like, often lying closer to the skin surface. Spider veins are most easily treated with sclerotherapy injections creating over a 90% improvement of your appearance and greatly reducing spider veins. It’s best to treat spider veins as early as possible to avoid any additional developments of the more serious conditions such as varicose veins, thrombosis and phlebitis or even skin ulcers.
What Causes Spider Veins?
Similar to the causes of varicose veins, the cause of spider veins can be due to Age, Gender, Pregnancy, Heredity and Lifestyle or Occupations. All have an effect and can cause stress on the vascular system.
While spider veins appear in both men and women, more frequently than not they are associated with women. Female medical issues like hormone replacement, birth control and pregnancy contribute to weakening the circulatory system.
What are Facial Spider Veins?
Facial Spider veins known as rosacea have various theories about the disorder’s origin. Facial blood vessels dilate too easily and the increased blood near the skin surface makes the skin appear red and flushed. Various things — called trigger factors — can increase this redness response. Acne-like bumps appear, often in the redder area of the central face. This may be due to factors related to blood flow, skin bacteria, microscopic skin mites (Demodex), irritation of follicles, sun damage of the connective tissue under the skin, an abnormal immune or inflammatory response, or psychological factors. These veins although often treated with lasers, it is usually a topical laser which is much different than what is typically used on leg veins due to the delicate nature of the face.
Can spider veins be prevented?
Spider veins just like varicose veins cannot be prevented. There is however several measures you can take to help minimize spider veins and also speed up recovery after treatment.
- Wearing compression stockings to support your lower legs and help minimize the development of unwanted blood vessels.
- Maintaining a healthy weight. Extra weight puts stress on your circulation.
- Exercising regularly, especially cardio-based workouts to promote healthy circulation.
- Wearing low-heeled shoes. Gravity is the enemy of our vascular system. High heels put unneeded stress on your circulation.
What is the Best Way to Treat Spider Veins?
The best course of treatment for spider veins in the leg is sclerotherapy or foam sclerotherapy. This simple in-office procedure takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes per session. Involving a series of injections into the targeted vein called Sclerotherapy works by injecting a small amount of medication known as a sclerosing agent into the damaged vein. This will create a minor inflammatory reaction inside the vein causing it to collapse. Your body is smart, it will then naturally redirect your blood flow through healthy veins and not only improve your appearance but the health of your circulatory system.
What is the first step to getting rid of Spider Veins?
The first step to elevating the pain and embarrassment of spider veins is to schedule a FREE Vein Consultation with one of our vein treatment experts at Kass Clinics. Your free vein consultation will include:
- A thorough discussion with a vein treatment expert
- A preliminary exam of your problem areas to best diagnose your vascular issues.
- Determining the best course of treatment to most suit your specific needs.
- If necessary scheduling a venous ultrasound to determine deeper vascular conditions.
- A review of your health insurance coverage and payment options.
