As a clinic specializing in vein care treatment, you can imagine how many questions we get about veins! Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of misinformation out there about veinous conditions and treatment options. So, here is your Spider Veins FAQs. In this article, we’ll focus on being absolutely clear on everything you need to know.
Spider Veins FAQs – the Basics
What Are Spider Veins?
Spider veins are broken blood vessels just under your skin.
What Do Spider Veins Look Like?
Spider veins are usually small, thin red lines that shoot out across your skin like spider webs. They may be flat or slightly raised, but never bulge like varicose veins. Spider veins can also be blue or purple in color.
Who Gets Spider Veins?
Spider veins are extremely common in the United States. They tend to show up more in women than in men. Their appearance also comes as a side dish of aging. For example, nearly 50% of women aged 40 to 50 have spider veins, while 75% of women aged 60 to 70 have spider veins. The numbers are lower for men, but they still increase with age. While around 25% of men aged 30 to 40 have spider veins, this number doubles in men over the age of 70.
Where Do Spider Veins Come From?
Spider veins can be caused by venous insufficiency. That basically means that your vein valves are malfunctioning. Not doing the job well enough now. Instead of flapping closed to keep blood where it needs to be as it moves back towards the heart, they allow the blood to pool or flow backward.
What Causes Spider Veins?
Due to the sheer numbers of people who get spider veins, you may have guessed that a variety of things put you at risk for developing them. These include:
- Heredity
- Standing for extended periods
- Obesity
- Hormonal influences during pregnancy, puberty, and menopause
- Birth control pills
- Postmenopausal hormone replacement
- Conditions that increase pressure in your abdomen, such as tumors or constipation
- A history of blood clots
- Tight clothing like girdles
Spider Veins FAQs – Where and Why?
What Causes Spider Veins on My Nose?
Spider veins occur more often on the nose because it contains hundreds of small blood vessels and capillaries, so there are a lot of places for a malfunction to occur.
What Causes Spider Veins on the Leg?
Spider veins often show up on the legs because the valves are weak and no longer prevent blood from flowing backward while moving up the legs.
What Causes Spider Veins on the Face?
The skin on your face is some of the most sensitive skin on your body. Spider veins occur on your face when the capillaries in the skin become dilated. Poor blood circulation, sun exposure, and aging, damaged skin all contribute to spider veins on the face.
What Causes Spider Veins on the Ankles?
Spider veins develop on the ankles for the same reason they emerge on the legs. Tiny valves that are supposed to push blood back to the heart weaken or malfunction, causing the blood to build up within the vein.
What Causes Spider Veins on the Chest?
Spider veins on the chest occur for the same reasons that they do on the face and nose. Sun exposure is a less likely cause of spider veins on the chest, though, unless you expose that area to the sun a lot. Instead, they are more likely linked to age, hormones, or genetic predisposition.
Why Do Spider Veins Occur?
Spider veins occur when blood pools in veins near the skin’s surface, but researchers are still trying to get to the bottom of why they appear. It’s obvious, however, that heredity, obesity, trauma, and fluctuations in hormone levels are associated with the occurrence of spider veins.
Spider Veins FAQs – Everything Else You Want to Know
Are Spider Veins Dangerous?
Spider veins may be ugly, but they aren’t physically harmful.
Do Spider Veins Hurt?
No. Spider veins are painless. If you have something that looks like a spider vein and it’s causing you pain, make an appointment with a vein specialist immediately.
Can Spider Veins Go Away On Their Own?
No. Unless they showed up while you were pregnant, spider veins do not go away on their own. They rarely cause much of a problem, but they tend to spread and get worse over time. Spider veins can be quickly and easily removed with minimally invasive in-office treatments.
Will Spider Veins Go Away After Pregnancy?
Good news! Yes! If you develop spider veins during pregnancy, they are usually temporary. Be patient, and they will probably go away within three to four months after giving birth.
Can Spider Veins Go Away With Weight Loss?
Extra weight increases pressure in the blood vessels and increases the risk of malfunctioning veins. Although losing weight can improve comfort and prevent further spider vein development, it will not eliminate the spider veins that have already occurred.
Will Exercise Get Rid of Spider Veins?
No. No matter how much you run or how many crunches you do, exercise will not make your spider veins disappear.
Will Spider Veins On My Nose Go Away?
All spider veins require some type of vein removal treatment to make them go away. For a short-term fix, you can use make-up to cover them.
Last Question: Who Treats Spider Veins?
There are all different kinds of providers who can treat spider veins. Spider vein treatment rarely, if ever, requires surgical treatments by vascular surgeons or dermatological surgeons.
That’s because the veins are small and easy to treat, so dermatologists and vein specialists often use sclerotherapy or laser treatments to remove spider veins. Some general, vascular, and plastic surgeons also perform sclerotherapy treatments.
In addition, phlebologists are medically qualified doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating vein disorders such as spider veins, clotting, leg ulcers, vascular birthmarks, and other related vascular conditions.
Did we answer all of your questions about spider veins?
If you have more, don’t hesitate to ask! We’re glad to share with you our extensive knowledge about vein problems. We’d also be happy to set you up with an appointment to have spider vein removal treatment if you’re now ready for clean, clear skin again! Contact us for a consultation today!