For many, spider veins are a cosmetic issue. For some, they’re painful, irritating, and itchy. If spider veins are something you’re tired of dealing with, Coastal Vein Care offers spider veins treatment in Corona Del Mar, CA, and we’d be happy to help you improve not only your health but your quality of life as well.
When to Get Spider Veins Treatment
Many people wonder when they should receive treatment for their spider veins. We often assume that we should only seek treatment when something becomes unbearable, but that isn’t true. It’s important that you look for solutions to your problems as soon as something starts to bother you. By doing this, you’re not only dealing with the problem before it becomes worse, but you’re also creating a better quality of life by tackling the issue when it arises.
Take a look at your legs, feet, hands, and face. Do you have small, thread-like veins that vary in color from a purple to light pink color? If so, you might have spider veins. You should seek treatment for spider veins as soon as you experience any of the following five symptoms.
Top Five Symptoms of Spider Veins
Pain
One of the primary symptoms that prompt our patients to reach out to us is painful veins in their legs and feet. Spider veins occur due to damaged or weak valves in the veins. The result is pooling blood that is unable to flow back to the heart. There are many issues that can cause this, and while they’re usually nothing more than a cosmetic concern, they can become quite uncomfortable if left untreated.
When you touch these veins, do you feel any pain or discomfort? Is it accompanied by pain when you sit or stand in a specific position? If so, you might be interested in spider veins treatment.
Itching
Itching is another symptom that comes with spider veins. This happens because the blood building up in the damaged vessels leaks out into your skin. It causes inflammation due to reduced oxygen reaching your skin. When this happens, the area on and around the veins can become itchy, red, and irritated.
Keep in mind that the skin between you and the spider veins can become very thin, so excessive scratching can cause further damage. We recommend that you do not itch them, and if the temptation becomes overwhelming, spider veins treatment might be the best choice for you.
Burning
Burning and itching often go hand-in-hand with spider veins. When the skin around the veins becomes irritated and inflamed, a burning sensation can occur as well. While this is usually harmless, it can become an overwhelming feeling having to constantly itch and rub the area around your spider veins.
This sensation can also lead to something called Statis Dermatitis, which is a form of skin inflammation that will require treatment to improve. This is commonly developed in the lower legs, and if you feel that you have this, you’ll want to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Numbness
Spider veins and other types of vein disorders affect the circulation in the surrounding areas. When the tissue isn’t receiving adequate blood flow, it causes a tingling sensation and even numbness in that area. Because blood is backing up into the veins, it can cause crowding, which makes it more difficult for other veins to get ample blood flow as well. This is something that often leads to varicose veins, which are essentially a further progressed version of spider veins.
Due to this, it’s important that you seek spider veins treatment if you experience numbness or tingling in your arms, hands, legs, or feet. Some people may even have spider veins in their faces, which is not only a cosmetic concern but a health issue as well.
Discomfort
The most common symptom associated with spider veins is discomfort in the area on and around the affected area. Spider veins can cause a variety of symptoms, but all of them result in the potential for pain due to inflammation. Some people may feel this pain when they stand, while others only when they sit down. It’s important that you don’t live with pain. There are many different treatment options out there to appeal to different lifestyles, and keep in mind that these treatments do not require any downtime.
You can walk in and walk out the same day with spider veins treatment requiring no anesthesia and little to no medication. Overall, spider veins are one of the easiest cosmetic concerns to treat, and it’s important that you take care of the problem before it progresses into something more challenging.
Causes of Spider Veins
Spider veins occur when valves stop functioning properly. Inside our veins, there are valves that prevent blood from flowing backward. The main purpose of our veins is to carry blood back to the heart. When the valves are not working correctly, blood flows backward and begins to pool in the vein.
Over time, this causes bulging veins that branch out against the skin and cause the appearance of spider veins. When you see spider veins on the surface, it usually means that the swollen blood vessels have burst open due to pressure from standing on your feet or sun damage.
Spider Veins vs. Varicose Veins
Many patients don’t understand the difference between spider veins and varicose veins. They are two different conditions, but they are similar in many ways. Both are the result of damaged valves in the veins, but they have different symptoms. Spider veins are much smaller, and they are usually only slightly raised from the skin, if at all. They are blue, red, purple, or yellow in color, and while they can cause discomfort, they are usually painless.
Varicose veins, on the other hand, are lumpy, flesh-colored, and almost always result in pain. These veins are also caused by pooling blood in the veins but are usually a more progressive form of a medical condition called venous insufficiency. If you have varicose veins, you might also be at a higher risk of blood clots.
Risk Factors for Spider Veins
Genetics
As much as 90 percent of people develop spider veins because they have a family history of them. If you have older family members who are dealing with spider veins and have undergone treatment, you may want to consider that as well.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy causes increased blood flow through the body, plus you should factor in the additional weight and pressure on the veins in the leg while you are with child. This pressure can cause those blood vessels to burst, and the spider veins that result can be permanent. Some women notice them immediately following their pregnancy, but they disappear over time.
Age
As we age, the valves in our veins weaken, and the muscles used to help pump blood back to the heart will lose their strength as well. This is the reason why we tend to see spider veins most commonly in elderly or older patients. Many men and women let them go, but if they cause you discomfort and pain, you are never too old to seek spider veins treatment.
Hormone Treatment
Anyone taking hormonal birth control, treatments for menopause, or estrogen supplements, may increase their risk of spider veins. Estrogen is known to weaken vein valves, which increases the likelihood of blood pooling due to the backflow of blood in the veins.
Treatments for Spider Veins
While spider veins are usually harmless, if you experience pain and discomfort, you might seek treatment to eliminate them for good. Even if you don’t have pain, there is a cosmetic stigma around spider veins that may bother you as well. There are a few different treatment options.
Compression Treatment
Wearing compression socks or stockings puts pressure on the veins in your legs, which can help increase blood flow. This is the reason why people who have swelling and water retention in their legs do this as well. It lowers the risk of blood clots in your legs while promoting proper and efficient blood flow back to your heart.
Depending on the severity of your spider veins, there are a variety of different compression items you can wear. Support pantyhose provide light pressure for mild spider veins, but they’re readily available in local pharmacies to purchase over the counter. For more severe spider veins, you’ll want to get prescription stockings that come in varying lengths and strengths. Your doctor will work with you to determine which stockings are right for your needs.
Sclerotherapy
The most effective treatment for spider veins is called sclerotherapy. This involves the injection of a specialized solution into your veins. It causes the vein walls to become irritated and eventually collapse. When this happens, the blood starts to flow naturally again through the surrounding veins.
This therapy is so appealing because it doesn’t require anesthesia or downtime. You will likely undergo a few treatments based on your veins’ severity, but you can walk in and out of each treatment free of pain. Once the treatment is complete, your skin will clear up, and you will no longer have to deal with unsightly spider veins.
Laser Treatment
There are two forms of laser treatment for spider veins. The first only works on smaller spider veins smaller than three millimeters and they must be close to the surface. The doctor uses a strong laser, which causes the spider vein to clot and eventually dry up.
The other laser treatment is called endovenous laser therapy. This is when the professional makes a small incision into the affected vein and uses a laser that causes it to collapse. This will take longer and requires local anesthesia. Overall, we recommend sclerotherapy, and it’s the treatment we provide to our patients.
Preventing Spider Veins
There are certain things you can do daily to help prevent spider veins. Applying sunscreen regularly is a great place to start, especially on your face. Wearing hats and protective clothing will help shield your veins from the sun’s harmful rays. Another great way to limit the chances of spider veins is by staying active and maintaining a healthy weight. Those of you who are overweight are putting excess pressure on the veins, which makes it harder for blood to flow.
One often overlooked cause of spider veins is excessive heat due to the overuse of saunas and hot tubs. Try to limit your use of these as much as possible, especially if you are starting to notice the appearance of spider veins. Lastly, elevate your legs at the end of the day, especially if you’re sitting or standing all day.
If spider veins are irritating you or making you feel self-conscious about your legs, arms, hands, or feet, contact Coastal Vein Care in Corona Del Mar, CA
at 949-627-8392. We’ll schedule you an initial consultation to determine if our treatment is the right choice for you.
