Spider veins are thin red lines or weblike networks of blood vessels that appear on your legs and feet. While typically harmless, they can sometimes cause aching, burning or pain, especially if you’ve been standing for long periods. CACVI offers multiple forms of spider vein treatment.
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Spider Vein Treatment Options
Lifestyle changes, including good skin hygiene, weight loss (if needed), and walking can help treat varicose veins and spider veins. Wearing properly-fitting support stockings may also help, especially when the veins cause painful or uncomfortable symptoms.
For those concerned about the appearance of spider veins, there are multiple forms of treatment available. Sclerotherapy involves the doctor injecting the veins with a solution that scars and closes those veins, causing the blood to reroute through healthier veins. The treated spider veins fade within a few weeks. The same vein may need to be injected more than once, but sclerotherapy is usually effective if done correctly.
A second treatment option is laser surgery, which works by sending strong bursts of light into the vein that make the vein slowly fade and disappear. No incisions or needles are used. The treatment is often less effective than sclerotherapy, particularly for larger veins. Side effects may include redness, bruising, itching, swelling and permanent skin tone changes. After treatment, blood vessels fade over several months, but they may not disappear completely. Also, new spider veins can develop in the same area.
What are some factors that cause the development of spider veins?
Varicose veins and spider veins develop more often in women than in men. They increase in frequency with age. An estimated 30% to 60% of adults have varicose veins or spider veins. Factors that can predispose a person to varicose veins and spider veins include heredity, occupations that involve heavy amounts of standing, obesity, hormonal influences of pregnancy, puberty, and menopause, birth control pills, postmenopausal hormonal replacement, a history of blood clots and conditions that cause increased pressure in the abdomen, such as tumors, constipation, and externally worn garments like girdles.
