Spider veins

Spider veins are the thread-like colored veins most often seen on the surface of the skin. They are most often not as painful as enlarged varicose veins but they are still liable to bleed and worsen without treatment. Spider veins occur most commonly in the legs but are often seen in the face and elsewhere. These spider veins, medically referred to as telangectasias, will not worsen to the point where they will ever become the large bulging varicose veins.

Spider veins, unlike varicose veins, most often do not occur in response to increased pressure except for the pressure created by nearby varicosities themselves. They often arise from the presence of the female hormone estrogen which is most likely why these spider veins are seen more commonly in females. Women also are known to have more development of spider veins when their body estrogen levels are elevated such as when they are pregnant when taking oral contraceptives, and obviously when on estrogen replacement therapy.

 

The Procedure

Injections of medications into veins are known as sclerotherapy. It has been a successful method of treating both spider veins as well as varicose veins since the 1600s. The medicines used in sclerotherapy act upon the inner lining of the vein walls to gradually cause them to seal shut and stop the flow of blood through them. This method of treatment of treatment may be employed to treat the large ropey varicose veins and the smaller spider veins as well. Today, sclerotherapy is, without question, the most popular method employed by vascular specialists worldwide, to help eliminate unwanted veins.

 

Results

Most veins will disappear completely. Some of the small reticular veins can be more difficult to treat and may not resolve. People who are on oestregen and who do not wear their stocking can develop telangiectatic matting. These are fine capillaries that look like a blush in the skin. For most people this resolves spontaneously over three to six months.

The treatment and elimination of the varicose and spider veins allows the venous side of the circulatory system to be improved. By eliminating these veins, the blood is forced into other better functioning blood vessels to be returned to the heart. The blood that was pooled in the varicose and spider veins is no longer stationary and stagnant, as the veins have been sealed shut and removed from the circulatory system. After the veins have been eliminated patients whose symptoms were related to the venous congestion and insuffiency often experience relief. This is because without that stagnant blood swelling up the varicose and spider veins, your legs should feel less heavy and tired. Of course if your leg pain is not due to venous problems vein treatment will improve the appearance of the leg but may have no bearing on how the leg feels. Examples of leg pain not caused by varicose or spider veins and thus not relieved by treatment are sciatica, arterial problems (hardening of the arteries), and arthritis .