This article was originally published by the Office on Women’s Health.
Spider veins are usually red and may look like tree branches or spider webs. They are usually found on the legs or the face. Spider veins can usually be seen under the skin, but they do not make the skin bulge out like varicose veins do. You may not have any symptoms of spider veins. If you do have symptoms, your legs may feel extremely tired, heavy, or achy.
What causes varicose veins and spider veins?
Your heart pumps blood filled with oxygen and nutrients through your arteries to your whole body. Veins then carry the blood from different parts of your body back to your heart. Normally, your veins have valves that act as one-way flaps. But if the valves don’t close correctly, blood can leak back into the lower part of the vein rather than going toward the heart. Over time, more blood gets stuck in the vein, building pressure that weakens the walls of the vein. This causes the vein to grow larger.
How are spider veins treated?
If your symptoms are mild, your SkinMD Provider may suggest steps to take at home, such as getting regular physical activity or losing weight if you are overweight or obese. Your SkinMD Provider may also suggest compression stockings to wear daily and remove at night to make blood flow in your legs better. These steps may help prevent new spider veins from forming and help manage symptoms of existing spider veins.
If compression stockings do not work or if you have pain or other symptoms that bother you, your SkinMD Provider may talk to you about non-surgical procedures to treat spider veins.
Sclerotherapy
During sclerotherapy, your doctor uses a very thin needle to inject a medicated solution into the targeted veins. As a result, the veins collapse and shrink. Over the next few weeks, your spider veins fade as your body carries away the waste. Multiple veins are treated in one session and you won’t need any downtime — you can get back to your daily routine as soon as your procedure is finished. If you’re embarrassed by the appearance of spider veins, contact a SkinMD Provider today.
Source: https://owh-wh-d9-dev.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/documents/fact-sheet-varicose-spider-veins.pdf
