Spider veins not only make you feel self-conscious about your legs, but they can become painful and even lead to worrisome health conditions.

Unfortunately, spider veins will not go away on their own. In fact, they typically worsen over time. There are some things you can do on your own to prevent spider veins, but once spider veins develop, they will not go away naturally.

The good news is that there are excellent treatment options out there. Spider veins can be significantly improved with state-of-the-art vein procedures like laser therapy and sclerotherapy.

What Causes Spider Veins?

Spider veins, and their larger cousins, varicose veins, are caused by blood pooling in the vein. This is a result of a chain reaction within the vein. Valves that are supposed to aid blood in returning upward to the heart become weak. As a result, blood begins to back up in parts of the veins. This causes the walls of the veins to stretch and become weak, leading to additional blood pooling in the vein, bulging, and becoming visible through the skin. Once the vein walls are weakened and stretched, they will not return to their former shape.

You can take steps to prevent spider and varicose veins and perhaps slow their progress with simple lifestyle changes. Avoid sitting or standing for long stretches (it is always healthy to move throughout the day and equally important to take breaks if you stand for long periods), elevate your legs periodically, and talk to your vein specialist about compression stockings.

Spider Vein Treatment

There are very effective treatments for spider veins and varicose veins. Here is an overview, but it is important to discuss your individual symptoms, preferences, and goals with your provider and make a treatment plan that is right for you. With both treatment options, once the veins are destroyed, they will not return. New spider veins may develop over time but can be treated with maintenance treatments.

Sclerotherapy

A very common treatment for spider veins, sclerotherapy involves injections into the affected veins. After the injection, your provider will massage the area. The vein will become damaged, and the body will redirect blood flow to healthy, more stable veins. The damaged vein tissue will then die and be absorbed and removed naturally by the body. Over the course of a few weeks following treatment, the spider vein will fade and eventually disappear.

Sclerotherapy is minimally invasive and uses very fine needles to avoid discomfort. It is highly effective, but you may require more than one treatment to see optimal results. There is very little recovery time, although you will wear compression stockings and we will suggest avoiding long periods of sitting or standing and strenuous exercises for a brief period of time after treatment.

Laser Therapy

Hinsdale Vein & Laser uses the Cutera Excel V to target and treat spider veins. It is gentle enough to be used on visible veins on the body or face. Laser vein therapy uses highly concentrated light energy to damage visible veins. Similar to sclerotherapy, once damaged, the vein tissue will die and be absorbed by the body.

Laser therapy may require multiple treatments, but the results are permanent. Laser therapy may not be quite as effective as sclerotherapy, but it is less invasive, involves minimal discomfort, and has no downtime.

Get Rid of Your Spider Veins

At Hinsdale Vein & Laser, we are highly experienced in treating and eliminating spider veins. We recommend options for vein treatment tailored to your individual needs. Contact Hinsdale Vein & Laser to schedule a consultation and discuss what treatment plan is right for you and your unique goals.