Featured Dermatologists
William Paronish, M.D.
Nelson Lee Novick, M.D.
Lisa Benest, M.D.
Laura Skellchock, M.D.What are Spider Veins
Unwanted and unattractive blood vessels called spider veins appear mostly on the legs, occasionally on the face, or elsewhere. Spider veins can be short, unconnected lines, each about the size of a large hair, they may be connected in a scraggly, 'sunburst' pattern, or they may even look like a spider-web or a tree with branches. Sometimes they occur on a small area and aren't very noticeable, or they can cover a large area of skin and be quite unattractive.
Any condition or activity that puts pressure on leg veins (such as gaining weight and sitting or standing for long periods of time) can contribute to their development. Spider veins often appear during pregnancy. Other contributing factors include sustaining an injury in the affected area; taking medications that affect hormones, such as birth control pills; advanced age; or a family history of spider veins. Spider veins on the nose or face, which typically appear as unsightly red or pink clusters, may also be related to overexposure to the sun.
Learn more about Spider Veins from William Paronish, M.D. of Evolution Medical Spa.
Treatment of Spider Veins with Sclerotherapy
Despite the advent of lasers, sclerotherapy remains the gold standard treatment and the commonest method for getting rid of them on the legs. Sclero, literally means "scar," and sclerotherapy works by irritating the lining of the unwanted blood vessels to such an extent that they collapse upon themselves and eventually scar over and disappear from view entirely. For this purpose, your doctor can choose from a number of different sclerosing agents, including super concentrated salt solution (hypertonic saline).
Very tiny, dense "mats" or conglomerations of red blood vessels, known as telangiectatic matting is difficult to treat with sclerotherapy and may respond better to laser or other light therapies. On the other extreme, larger varicose blood vessels are best treated by venous stripping and ligation, ambulatory phlebectomy, and the newer, endoscopic radiofrequency surgical technique.
While some patients obtain a satisfactory outcome after just one treatment, optimal esthetic improvement generally require two or more sessions, spaced at four to six week intervals. Each visit can be expected to yield a 50 percent improvement in appearance, but of course the results are highly individual. Unfortunately, eliminating existing blood vessels does nothing to prevent new ones from developing at a later date that will necessitate additional treatments. Persons with diabetes, heart disease or circulatory problems are not considered good candidates.
Learn more about Spider & Varicose Veins from Nelson Novick, M.D. of New York City.
Recovery Time after Sclerotherapy
Some bruising is typical during the first 1-2 weeks post treatment. Support hose may be recommended for several days, depending on the extent of the veins treated. Physical activity may be resumed immediately.
Success Story
"For most of my adult life, I had small red veins around the crease of my nose. They were not very big, but there were a lot of them and this caused the entire area to be very red. I tried to cover it up with makeup, but this only succeeded in giving me blemishes. After one treatment with the laser, all the veins were GONE. They have not returned. And better still, there was no recovery time, no scabs, no redness. This laser treatment is really incredible!"
"I can finally wear skirts again now that those ugly blue veins are gone!" - LR
Learn more about Spider & Varicose Veins from Lisa Benest of Burbank, California.
Treatment of Varicose Veins
How are they treated?
Really large bulbous varicose veins are treated first with the endovascular laser. After this treatment, the smaller veins are treated with a combination of the 1064 laser and different wavelengths of intense pulsed light. If you have only small and mid sized veins, the endovascular laser is not needed to get started.
How do I prepare for the treatment?
First of all, the skin must be sun protected, to prevent any chance of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (darkening) of the skin. In order to get the veins to close down, one should avoid any platelet inhibitors which may be counterproductive to the treatment, for at least a week before until several weeks after the treatment. Common platelet inhibitors include alcohol, aspirin, and NSAIA's (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil®, Motrin®) or any products which contain any of these products. Topical numbing cream is applied before to make the procedure more comfortable.
What do I need to do after the treatment?
After your laser/light treatment, you will need to wear support stockings or pantyhose 24 hours a day for 2 weeks. This will help compress the veins so that they close down better – when they close down and have no blood in them, they are pink and will be be seen under the skin.
Are there any possible side effects?
When the veins close down, it takes time for the blood cells in them to be resorbed back into the body. The veins may appear darker at first, but this is a temporary situation that may take weeks to months to resolve, depending on the type of skin you have.
Learn more about Varicose Veins from Laura Skellchock, M.D. of Integrative Dermatology in Boca Raton, Florida.
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