Spider Veins Q & A
What causes spider veins?
Spider veins are a group of enlarged veins that look like spider webs or tree branches which sometimes appear alongside varicose veins. Spider veins are actually a smaller version of varicose veins and have the same cause, weak or damaged valves within your veins. When a weakened valve prevents blood from flowing out of your veins back to your heart and lungs, the blood collects in the vein instead.
Factors that may cause spider veins to form and appear include:
- Age
- Heredity
- Pregnancy
- Weight
- Sun exposure
Spider veins are close to the surface of your skin, so you’re able to see the blood inside them. The blood may appear blue, red, or purple. Although they can occur anywhere, spider veins are most common in your legs and face.
How are spider veins treated?
Spider veins don’t always require treatment unless you experience severe pain or wish to get rid of them for aesthetic reasons, especially if they’re on your face or legs and highly visible. While options are more limited for dealing with spider veins on your face, some ways to alleviate discomfort from spider veins on your legs include:
- Wearing support hose or compression stockings
- Getting daily exercise to increase blood flow
- Avoiding sitting or standing for long periods of time
- Elevating your legs to decrease swelling and improve circulation
- Losing weight to take pressure off your legs
- Laser therapy
- Injections
How does laser therapy treat spider veins?
Laser therapy can minimize the appearance of spider veins by targeting your veins beneath the skin’s surface to seal them off so they disappear. This treatment method is relatively painless and there is a very short recovery period. Generally, the laser has a cooling device that keeps your skin at a comfortable temperature during treatment.
Laser energy uses a focused beam of light to target specific veins that are no longer functioning properly. The laser destroys the vein by sealing it off, and your body absorbs the vein in the following weeks. Depending on the extent of your spider veins, after approximately two to six treatments the area on your face or legs clears up, free of unsightly blue or purple veins.
For more information or to book an appointment, call 800-778-3090 or visit sinyderm.com.
We provide the full spectrum of medical, cosmetic, and laser dermatology at all six of our offices in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Park Slope, Brooklyn, the West Village, and the Upper East Side in Manhattan, Forest Hills, Queens, and Southold on Long Island.