How to Get Rid of Spider Veins

How to Get Rid of Spider Veins

Like many people, you may consider the cluster of red, blue, or purple veins that look like spider webs on your skin a cosmetic nuisance — an unfortunate side effect of aging or pregnancy that you need to cover up with clothing or makeup.

But spider veins could be more than cosmetic. They may be the visible signs of an underlying circulation problem known as venous insufficiency. Whether for aesthetic or health reasons, however, there’s no need to simply cover up your spider veins.

Our team at Advanced Vascular Solutions, led by Dr. Hadi Shalhoub, offers innovative treatments to get rid of spider veins, and we describe them here.

About spider veins

Spider veins are visible clusters of damaged blood vessels. They appear as blue, red, or purple lines most often affecting the skin on your legs, but they may appear on other areas of your body, too, such as your face. 

The visible blood vessels may be damaged veins or capillaries, which connect your arteries to your veins. Although scientists are still investigating what causes spider veins, they theorize that they’re related to varicose veins and venous disease. 

Varicose veins develop when blood pools and stretches the vein, damaging the vein walls as well as the valves that help push blood back to your heart and lungs. These visible veins may develop because of poor circulation throughout the veins in your legs, which is what we call venous disease.

While spider veins don’t cause harm, if you have leg pain or these visible veins itch, you may have an underlying circulation problem. 

Getting rid of spider veins

Spider veins may be relatively harmless, but there’s no need to let them dictate your wardrobe. We offer two treatment options for getting rid of spider veins. Both are in-office treatments that require no downtime.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is an injection. When administered into your visible blood vessel, the medication in the injection causes the wall of the blood vessel to stick together, stopping circulation at that point. 

Your body reroutes blood through another blood vessel, and your spider vein fades away over the following weeks. Closing your spider vein improves not only the look of your skin, but also your circulation. 

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation also closes the spider vein, allowing your body to circulate blood through other, healthier veins. During the procedure, we insert a catheter into a vein and thread it toward the visible spider vein. We then administer radiofrequency energy through the catheter, causing the vein to collapse and close. 

We provide a local anesthetic prior to your radiofrequency ablation treatment to minimize discomfort.

What treatment is best for me?

We specialize in diagnosing and treating all types of blood vessel problems, including spider veins and venous disease. Before making any treatment recommendations, we conduct a thorough exam and perform an ultrasound to look for areas of poor circulation.

Ultrasounds help us better understand what’s causing the spider web design on your skin so we can provide the most effective treatment. Once we understand the cause, we can talk to you about the appropriate solution for getting rid of your spider veins. 

We can find the source of your unsightly, visible veins and design a plan to get rid of them. Call our office in Sebastian, Florida, or click the “Book online” button to schedule a consultation today.    

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