Spider Veins
When people talk about spider veins, they are talking about those small webs of veins that spread across your legs, they tend to be much thinner than something like varicose veins, and even though they vary in colors, they tend to be more reddish purple than green blue like varicose veins. These types of veins are dilated and smaller/closer to the skin, unlike varicose veins that tend to be thicker and bigger. Also, while varicose veins tend to only be on the front of the legs, mostly near the shin, spider veins mainly plague the backs of the legs, near the knees. But, to be honest, they can be found just about anywhere on the body - including your upper body parts like the hands and face. Not only are they an unsightly vein, but they can also cause medical issues in some very rare cases. Spider veins are a very common occurrence. In fact, a group of researchers did a survey with 1,566 people and found that in all 84% of people in that group had spider veins! If you are curious about causes of spider veins, treatments for spider veins, or other common medical questions about spider veins, you’ve come to the right place. Continue reading below for more information.
What Causes Spider Veins?
To put it simply, spider veins are caused by the backup of blood, just like varicose veins. But, they can be caused by a whole other slew of issues such as hormonal changes, pregnancy, being overweight, not eating correctly, exposure to too much sun, and even injuries on the legs where the veins are injured and cannot heal themselves. For example, if you are in a car accident, and you have an injury to your leg, front or back, and the vein is ruptured, punctured, cut or otherwise injured, and the body cannot heal it naturally, the blood, instead of flowing one way like it’s supposed to, can be back flowed and cause blood pools under the skin. There are some options you can try to get rid of these, but sometimes it all comes down to the dreaded surgery - which also sometimes works and sometimes does not. For treatments of spider veins, continue reading the next section.
Treatment of Spider Veins
Most of the time when it comes to treatment, there are common and more complex ways. If you are obese - lose some of that extra weight. If you stand on your feet a lot - make sure you take a rest, wear the right shoes and try to wear compression stockings or socks. If you sit a lot - make sure that you get up every few minutes and walk around to increase the blood flow. If you are pregnant and get spider veins - they should go away after about 3 months. On the other hand, if you have had an injury to the leg, or these are hereditary, or you have gotten them because of old age, you may want to consider more complex medicinal options. One of those options is surgery. Surgery is usually the last thing that any doctor will suggest, but if you have an issue with spider veins and you want them to go away, surgery might be your only option. Below are a few different options, from really simple to really complex and finally to surgery which is the last option on the list.
Compression Stockings or Socks
These have been around for a really long time. There are 3 types of compression stockings and socks in all. Support pantyhose offer very little pressure, which on one hand, the hose might be what you are looking for in terms of style, but since they offer very little pressure and they tend to be gradient, they will offer little to no treatment for spider veins. The second option are over the counter compression hose. These give you a little bit more pressure. These can be found at any pharmacy or drug store. Socks are also available. The third option is prescription strength hose, these offer the best and most amount of compression (pressure), you will need to be fitted by someone to get the right pair i.e.; you can’t just go and buy these without a professional standing by.
Sclerotherapy
This is one of the most common treatments for spider veins. The doctor will take a needle filled with a liquid chemical and will place it into the vein in question. The chemical will then cause the venial walls to swell, get stuck together and then shut. Obviously this stops any blood flow to the vein, which then turns into scar tissue. Some people say that this is very painful, while others say it’s no big deal. When the vein turns to scar tissue, it will then fade in a few weeks’ time and hopefully your issue will be fixed.
Laser Treatments
Laser treatments can be a very effective form of treatment when it comes to spider veins. Essentially a doctor will send strong bursts of light through the skin, to help burn out the vein discoloration. The vein should disappear after 4-6 weeks. Of course not everyone can get this done, and it also depends on your skin type.
Surgical Stripping & Litigation
There are two types of surgery available; stripping and litigation. In litigation and stripping you will have your veins tied completely shut. Then they will be removed from the leg. This will not cause any blood flow to your legs or body since the bigger veins in your body are the ones that really do all the work in terms of circulation. This does require surgery, and it has to be done in an operating room. Recuperation time takes anywhere from 1-4 weeks. On the other hand PIN stripping is done using a piece of equipment called a PIN stripper. This is inserted into the vein. The tip of the PIN is sewn to the end of one of the problematic veins and essentially is pulled out. This is a pretty simple procedure and can be done in an operating room OR outpatient center.
What Causes Spider Veins?
To put it simply, spider veins are caused by the backup of blood, just like varicose veins. But, they can be caused by a whole other slew of issues such as hormonal changes, pregnancy, being overweight, not eating correctly, exposure to too much sun, and even injuries on the legs where the veins are injured and cannot heal themselves. For example, if you are in a car accident, and you have an injury to your leg, front or back, and the vein is ruptured, punctured, cut or otherwise injured, and the body cannot heal it naturally, the blood, instead of flowing one way like it’s supposed to, can be back flowed and cause blood pools under the skin. There are some options you can try to get rid of these, but sometimes it all comes down to the dreaded surgery - which also sometimes works and sometimes does not. For treatments of spider veins, continue reading the next section.
Treatment of Spider Veins
Most of the time when it comes to treatment, there are common and more complex ways. If you are obese - lose some of that extra weight. If you stand on your feet a lot - make sure you take a rest, wear the right shoes and try to wear compression stockings or socks. If you sit a lot - make sure that you get up every few minutes and walk around to increase the blood flow. If you are pregnant and get spider veins - they should go away after about 3 months. On the other hand, if you have had an injury to the leg, or these are hereditary, or you have gotten them because of old age, you may want to consider more complex medicinal options. One of those options is surgery. Surgery is usually the last thing that any doctor will suggest, but if you have an issue with spider veins and you want them to go away, surgery might be your only option. Below are a few different options, from really simple to really complex and finally to surgery which is the last option on the list.
Compression Stockings or Socks
These have been around for a really long time. There are 3 types of compression stockings and socks in all. Support pantyhose offer very little pressure, which on one hand, the hose might be what you are looking for in terms of style, but since they offer very little pressure and they tend to be gradient, they will offer little to no treatment for spider veins. The second option are over the counter compression hose. These give you a little bit more pressure. These can be found at any pharmacy or drug store. Socks are also available. The third option is prescription strength hose, these offer the best and most amount of compression (pressure), you will need to be fitted by someone to get the right pair i.e.; you can’t just go and buy these without a professional standing by.
Sclerotherapy
This is one of the most common treatments for spider veins. The doctor will take a needle filled with a liquid chemical and will place it into the vein in question. The chemical will then cause the venial walls to swell, get stuck together and then shut. Obviously this stops any blood flow to the vein, which then turns into scar tissue. Some people say that this is very painful, while others say it’s no big deal. When the vein turns to scar tissue, it will then fade in a few weeks’ time and hopefully your issue will be fixed.
Laser Treatments
Laser treatments can be a very effective form of treatment when it comes to spider veins. Essentially a doctor will send strong bursts of light through the skin, to help burn out the vein discoloration. The vein should disappear after 4-6 weeks. Of course not everyone can get this done, and it also depends on your skin type.
Surgical Stripping & Litigation
There are two types of surgery available; stripping and litigation. In litigation and stripping you will have your veins tied completely shut. Then they will be removed from the leg. This will not cause any blood flow to your legs or body since the bigger veins in your body are the ones that really do all the work in terms of circulation. This does require surgery, and it has to be done in an operating room. Recuperation time takes anywhere from 1-4 weeks. On the other hand PIN stripping is done using a piece of equipment called a PIN stripper. This is inserted into the vein. The tip of the PIN is sewn to the end of one of the problematic veins and essentially is pulled out. This is a pretty simple procedure and can be done in an operating room OR outpatient center.