Spider veins are the smaller cousins of varicose veins – they areย twisty, fine, red, purple, or blue blood vessels that can be seenย through the skin, usually on the face or legs. Unlike varicose veinsย they don’t cause the skin surface to bulge – although they don’tย typically pose a health problem in themselves, they can be equallyย distressing. They typically form a spider’s web-like pattern, and upย to 60% of adults will eventually suffer from them.
What Causes Spider Veins?
Healthy veins transfer blood to the heart and contain one-way valvesย that allow blood to flow in one direction. Spider veins areย formed when problems with these valves cause blood to pool inside the veins. This causes blood vessel walls to weaken, which can result in the twistyย patterns that are characteristic of spider veins.
Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from spider veins, as areย people who spend much of their time at work standing up. Age, being overweight, pregnancy, trauma, and surgery also increase the risk of developing spiderย veins. There is also a genetic component, meaning that someย people are just more likely to suffer from them.
If you want to decrease the risk of developing spider veins, theย following methods are recommended:
-Stay active by walking regularly and keeping your weight under control.
– Additional exercises targeting your leg muscles will help.
– If you have to stand still for extended periods, periodicallyย stretch your leg muscles to help promote blood circulation.
– Limit the level of salt in your diet to reduce water retention.
– Regularly rest with your legs raised to the level of your heart (orย higher). This helps promote healthy blood circulation by stoppingย blood from pooling in the legs.
– Excessive sun exposure can also contribute to worsening theย appearance of spider veins, so wearing sunblock and avoiding too muchย sun will also help.
If you’ve started to develop spider veins, Sclerotherapy and Laserย Vein Therapy are both effective treatment options that can reduce or eliminateย spider veins in the vast majority of cases.
Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online atย yourlaserdev.wpenginepowered.comย to schedule a free consultation.
