What are Spider Veins?

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spider veins

Types of Spider Vein Treatments

With so many causes of spider veins, it’s highly likely you’ll find some on your legs or face. But don’t panic! These veins are benign and easy to banish from your body, because many simple treatments are available.

Many people are predisposed to getting spider veins because of genetics, but other factors like standing a lot, hormonal changes, and a history of blood clots make a person more likely to get spider veins.

What are Spider Veins?
Spider veins are those red, purple, and blue lines just beneath the surface of your skin that you see forming a twisting, turning path, most commonly on the legs and face. They are technically damaged veins, but overall, they are harmless and don’t cause pain.

Spider veins form on the leg when the valves inside those veins stop working properly, and blood no longer flows in the correct direction. This leads to blood pooling inside the veins, which is why they are so dramatically visible through your skin. Spider veins on the face, however, are usually caused by burst blood vessels, usually as a result of sun damage.

How to Get Rid of Spider Veins
There are so many options for spider vein treatments out there. Whether each treatment will work for you depends on your goals and individual situation. For example, some people are not bothered by the visual look of spider veins, so they choose to simply improve their lifestyle by exercising more or wearing support stockings to prevent the formation of further visible veins. Severe spider veins probably will not be improved with these basic steps.

Instead, some people pursue treatment of spider veins in a more medical way, like sclerotherapy. This procedure has been in use for more than 80 years and is considered both safe and effective in treating spider veins on the legs. Sclerotherapy uses small needles to inject a gentle solution directly into the visible vein, and the solution causes that vein to collapse. Later, your body will reabsorb this now-useless vein, making it disappear!

For treatment of spider veins on the face, light and lasers are most commonly used. Similar to how spider veins respond to sclerotherapy, special lights and lasers cause the spider veins to spasm and collapse before the body absorbs them. Depending on how widespread your facial spider veins are, your cosmetic laser provider can choose from different lasers, called non-ablative or ablative lasers.

Non-ablative lasers do not create wounds, but they do stimulate collagen growth, while ablative lasers create small wounds to remove the outer layer of skin. Your medical provider can help to determine which laser type is best for your individual situation.

Who Can Get Rid of My Spider Veins?
It’s impossible to remove your spider veins at home by yourself. Instead, most people seek out special cosmetic medical providers, such as those at a medical spa or laser therapy center. These medical providers are experts in their fields and know exactly what to do to help you get rid of your existing spider veins. If you have specific questions about your spider veins, you should ask your doctor for more information.