Spider veins are an extremely common problem for women of all ages. Major factors in the development of spider veins includes child birth, work and recreational stress, estrogen influences and genetic tendencies. Veins contain tiny internal valves that help maintain a one way direction of blood flow. Spider veins are simply varicose veins in the skin. The spider veins are often fed by deeper veins below the skin that have also undergone varicose changes.
Spider veins can not only be unsightly, they can also become uncomfortable creating burning, stinging pain or simply sensations of a “tired leg”.
Treatment of spider veins by sclerotherapy provides a safe effective method of dealing with this problem. Sclerotherapy involves the careful injection of a sclerosing solution into the spider veins to create a controlled closure of the varicosities. Removal of the spider veins in this manner actually improves the venous circulation in the leg, lowers venous pressure in the skin, improves the patient’s comfort and the cosmetic appearance of the leg.
Sclerotherapy is performed as an in-office procedure usually requiring no more than 20 or 30 minutes. After the sclerotherapy session, the patient is placed in special compressive hosiery to be worn for 3-4 days to optimize the effectiveness of the treatment. Results for the sclerotherapy treatments can usually begin to be seen 2-3 weeks following the session. Patients usually require more than one treatment session to achieve optimum results.
