During warmer weather in summer, spider veins can become visible because the blood vessel just beneath the skin become dilated. These vessels can increase in number as you age, and the veins form branching patterns on the face, legs, arms, neck, hands or chest.
During summer, deteriorating collagen and blood vessels near the skin’s surface can make spider veins appear even more prominently. Heat during summer and increased exposure of the skin to the sun causes blood vessels to dilate, which means expand, and the blood also expands as it heats. These processes generate pain and discomfort caused by the swelling veins, and the veins also cause aesthetic issues because of the increased visibility of unsightly veins.
Treatment Options for Spider Veins
Both spider veins and the larger varicose veins are caused by swollen, distended veins that most commonly develop in the legs, but they can appear on the face, arms and torso. These veins swell because of faulty blood vessel walls, weak valves and excess heat that cause smaller blood vessels to dilate and fill with blood, which form what are commonly known as spider veins.
Spider veins are red, blue and purple in colour, and they resemble a pattern similar to a spider’s web.
The causes of spider veins include:
- Heredity
- History of blood clots
- Obesity
- Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy, puberty or menopause
- Using birth control pills
- Working in jobs that require standing in one place — such as checkout cashiers, hairstylists and barbers, teachers, nurses and factory workers
- Developing health conditions that increase abdominal pressure like sepsis, pancreatitis, chronic constipation, hepatorenal syndrome, wearing girdles or compression garments, etc.
Laser treatment for spider veins is an effective way to remove spider veins from the skin. Lasers make the veins collapse, and your blood gets rerouted to bypass the area by way of healthier veins. The treated veins die off and are reabsorbed by the body as waste. The rerouting process occurs naturally when your skin is damaged in an accident or by certain skin disorders.
The Laser Treatment Process
Using laser therapy, your vascular consultant applies the laser to the spider veins in same day procedure. The treatment doesn’t require anaesthesia, however a numbing cream may be applied.
The laser transmits photons that are absorbed by the blood in the spider veins. This action generates heat that destroys the blood vessels of the spider veins. These veins shrink and dissolve, which leaves your skin clear after any scarring fades away.
The risks of laser therapy are generally mild symptoms and possible side effects include:
- Pain and swelling
- Skin discolouration
- Bleeding
- Post-procedure infection
- Scarring or crusting
It might take several weeks, and rarely, multiple treatments are necessary. It’s perfectly normal if you experience the following conditions:
- Swelling in the treated area, which disappears in a few days
- Treated area turning red or pink for 4-8 hours after treatment
- Temporary stinging sensation similar to that of a sunburn, which subsides in 4-6 hours
You should avoid using makeup or lotion on the treated area for 24 hours after treatment or until any redness of stinging stops. Afterward, it’s recommended that you apply moisturising lotion twice a day for about three months to help the area heal.
Proactively Preventing Spider Veins
The best way to manage spider veins is to prevent them from developing in the first place. Some spider veins develop based on hereditary susceptibility, but the following best practices can often prevent spider veins from developing:
- Exercising regularly, which improves blood circulation, a key health benefit that helps to prevent spider veins
- Maintaining your weight to reduce unnecessary pressure on your legs when walking
- Avoiding crossing your legs when sitting to reduce pressure
- Taking breaks when required to stand for long periods of time
- Making your overall health a top priority by eating a healthy diet, avoid excessive alcohol consumption and protecting your skin from too much sun
- Wearing compression hose or socks to keep blood valves in the proper position to prevent blood backflow, which causes varicose veins
Varicose veins also develop swelling and discomfort even if they’re too large to be classified as spider veins.
Vein Solutions are a specialised vascular clinic for treating varicose and spider veins using the most advanced technology available. Most treatments are performed on a walk-in, walk-out basis, with minimally invasive techniques like laser therapy.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation with Dr Dimitri about your cosmetic or medically necessary vein treatments.
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