What are spider veins?
In some women, spider veins—those small clusters of red, blue or purple veins that appear on the thighs, calves and ankles—become noticeable at a young age. For others, the veins may not become obvious until much later.
Causes of spider veins
A number of factors may contribute to the development of spider veins in the legs, including:
- Heredity
- Hormonal shifts
- Occupations or activities that require prolonged sitting or standing
- Pregnancy
- Weight fluctuation
There are effective, safe and relatively painless methods available for reducing spider veins.
Spider vein treatment procedure steps
Your spider vein treatment procedure may include the following steps:
Injection
The common method of treating spider veins in the legs and ankles is called sclerotherapy.
During treatment, a sclerosing solution is injected into the affected veins. The injection irritates the inside of the vein, and over time the vein will collapse and fade from view.
If you have multiple spider veins, the treatment will require multiple injections to collapse all the veins.
Bright light and magnification may be used to ensure maximum precision while injecting the sclerosing solution.
Post-injection
After treatment, the area may be dressed with compressive tape or stockings, or an elastic Ace wrap for a period of time.
The veined area often looks a bit bruised initially, and the color slowly fades over the course of a few weeks.
Some people can have a bit of brownish discoloration (hyperpigmentation) occur to the area during the healing process. This hyperpigmentation fades as well, but may take months.
Laser treatment option
Spider veins may also be treated with a laser.
In this method, an intense beam of light is directed at the spider vein, which obliterates it through the skin.
More than one laser session may be needed to obtain the desired results. Sometimes, laser therapy is used in combination with sclerotherapy.
Spider vein treatment recovery
During your recovery from spider vein treatment, you may be instructed to wear support hose to help your legs heal.
The treated sites will appear bruised and you may feel some cramping in your legs for the first day or two after treatment. This discomfort is temporary and usually doesn’t require prescription medication.
Although every patient heals at a different rate, most are back to normal activities quickly.
You will be given specific instructions that may include how to care for your legs following treatment, medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection and when to follow-up with your plastic surgeon.
You can expect that your spider vein treatment recovery will follow this general time line:
Within one week
- You may be instructed to wear support stockings for three to six weeks
- You should avoid squatting, heavy lifting and running
- The tape, cotton balls or any other dressings (if used) will be removed from the treated areas when recommended by the plastic surgeon
- The treated sites will appear bruised
- You will be discouraged from sitting or standing in one place for more than an hour or two
- You will be encouraged to walk
Within one month
- The bruises at the treated sites will diminish
- You will begin to feel more comfortable wearing leg-baring fashions
- You can resume most exercise
- One month after the first treatment, spider veins are distinctly lighter, yet still somewhat visible
- You will be discouraged from sitting or standing in one place for more than an hour or two
After two months, your veins treatment should have completed its healing. At this point, you and your plastic surgeon will decide if any additional treatment is necessary.
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