Spider Veins

What Are Spider Veins and How We Treat Them

Spider Veins Treatment in Denver

Spider Veins Summary

Spider veins are small, visible blood vessels that commonly appear on the legs and face. While they can be of cosmetic concern, they can sometimes be signs of deeper vein disease. At Denver Vein Center, our experienced team will evaluate for any underlying vein condition and provide sclerotherapy to achieve unparalleled cosmetic outcome.

What Are Spider Veins?

Spider veins—medically known as telangiectasias—are small, dilated blood vessels that appear just beneath the skin. They often look like thin red, blue, or purple lines that resemble a spider web or tree branches.

While they are most commonly seen on the legs and face, spider veins can develop anywhere on the body. Spider veins develop when tiny valves inside superficial veins weaken or fail, allowing blood to pool and veins to enlarge.

What Are the Causes of Spider Veins?

Family History
Spider veins, similar to varicose veins, have a strong family history. If one of your parents are affected by vein conditions, your chances of developing vein problems are roughly 40%.
Female and Hormonal Changes
Women who have been exposed to hormonal changes throughout their lifetime, including pregnancy, menopause, and oral contraceptives are more likely to develop spider veins.
Age
We lose tissue elasticity as we age. Not only does this lead to more broken blood vessels, the loss of skin elasticity and subcutaneous fat further exacerbate the look of spider veins.
Underlying Venous Insufficiency
Spider veins may be the "tip of the iceberg" and signs of more serious vein problems called chronic venous insufficiency. Chronic venous insufficiency is caused by weakened valves in your veins and will require more thorough ultrasound exam and medical evaluation.

What Are the Symptoms of Spider Veins?

Spider veins can be purely cosmetic in nature without pain or swelling. In this case, it is ok to leave them alone. However, spider veins may be early signs of chronic venous insufficiency with accompanying symptoms of pain, swelling, leg heaviness, and/or restlessness. In this situation, the spider veins should be really be treated as symptomatic varicose veins with appropriate medical attention. At Denver Vein Center, our team of experts will help differentiate between a cosmetic problem and true chronic venous insufficiency.

How to Treat Spider Veins?

Treatment for spider veins depends on the nature of the underlying venous disease. If there is chronic venous disease, we recommend treating that first as there is extremely high risk of spider vein recurrence if the underlying condition isn't corrected.

After the underlying problem is either ruled out or treated, spider veins are best treated with sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is done by our skilled sclerotherapy nurse with excellent cosmetic outcomes. With 20 years of experience, our sclerotherapist Jonna has treated thousands of patients and patients who did not get desirable results from other places.