What are Spider Veins?

Spider veins are also known as broken capillaries. They are tiny, well-defined blood vessels no more than 2 mm in diameter that may appear on the face, legs and ankles. They may appear bluish, purple or red and often form a web-like netting just below the skin’s surface. Spider veins appear more often as people age.

Spider veins, also known as telangiectasias, are usually just a cosmetic nuisance, but as they become larger physiological problems may occur. These problems include: pain, burning, itching, and fatigue that increases with prolonged standing or sitting. The distribution and density of spider veins could raise the chances of venous hypertension, which is the elevation of pressure in the veins. Patients with chronic swelling of the foot, ankle, and lower legs from incompetence of the deep veins of the leg will usually have prominent spider veins as well.

Spider veins are most commonly caused by heredity, most often on the mother’s side. There are several other risk factors, however, which include pregnancy, estrogen medications, prolonged standing or sitting, sedentary lifestyle, and injury to the legs.

Treatment of Spider Veins of the Leg

It is possible to eliminate spider veins and improve appearance; a plastic surgeon can help. Today there are very effective, safe and relatively painless methods available for eradicating spider veins.

Treatment options include sclerotherapy, which is a chemical injection. This is an in-office procedure where veins are injected with a solution, using small needles, which causes spider veins to collapse and fade from view. The procedure typically improves not only the cosmetic appearance but associated symptoms as well. Larger sized spider veins may take months to resolve completely, and this is especially true if they are located low on the ankle or on the foot. Other treatment options that function by damaging the veins include laser and radiofrequency.

Vein specialists have been impressed with the benefits of a new spider veins treatment named Asclera. Asclera is a prescription used in sclerotherapy used to treat spider veins and smaller varicose veins. Asclera is unique in that it has anesthetic properties, making the treatment more comfortable for patients.