Spider Vein Treatment: Better and Less Invasive

Spider veins occur primarily on the legs and face. They do not normally need to be treated as, unlike the varicose veins they resemble, they do not come with the same health concerns. However, treatment is often sought for cosmetic reasons. Whether your reasons for seeking to get rid of them, there are more options today for spider vein treatment.

Spider veins, like varicose veins but smaller, are enlarged veins near to the surface of the skin. They tend to spread out over the skin in a pattern that looks like spider webs, thus getting their name. No treatment is necessary if there is no pain or other symptoms involved. However, they may be indicative of circulation that is poor and that may warrant further investigation.

Spider Veins are often hereditary. They also tend to be seen more frequently as a person ages, as well as with changes in hormones and with pregnancy. Other factors that increase the likelihood of spider veins include being overweight, standing or sitting for long periods of times and exposure to the sun.

While you may not be able to avoid getting spider veins, there are some things you can do to help, short of medical treatment. If you are going to be out in the sun, be sure to wear sunscreen, especially on your face. Begin an exercise program to improve circulation and increase the strength of your legs. This will also help to lose weight and thus may reduce spider veins. Try to avoid things that will constrict the flow of blood to your legs such as crossing your legs, standing or sitting for long periods of time, and wearing constricting clothing. Also, limit salt in your diet and increase your fiber intake.

Sclerotherapy has been the standard treatment for spider veins. This involves the doctor injecting the problem vein with a solution which results in it swelling and sealing closed. Without proper blood flow, the vein becomes scar tissue and eventually fades. This procedure properly performed can result in an improvement of somewhere between 50% and 90%. What is more, it can be done without anesthesia right in the office.

Laser treatment advancements have come to be quite effective in spider vein removal. In many cases, they will fade and, over time, disappear. While there is some heat during the treatment which can cause some pain, the patients can return to their normal activity immediately. This is also the case with sclerotherapy treatment. If you have veins larger than 3 mm in size, laser treatment is not recommended.

More and more, the preferred treatment is becoming laser-assisted sclerotherapy, a combination of the above treatments. In this procedure, the vein is injected as normally done with sclerotherapy. The laser is then applied to the injection sites with the result that healing is accelerated.

If your spider veins are not causing you any pain or you are not experiencing any other symptoms, you do not need to treat them. But many people, women especially, are embarrassed by the look of spider veins. Although they can happen at any age, they are often perceived as being age related and, therefore, carry that stigma. Whether you pursue treatment for purely cosmetic reasons or for health complications, there is no need to wait to have spider vein treatment.

There are a lot of people looking for Spider Vein Treatment and Spider Vein Removal on the internet. You may be one of them – so get searching.