If you are wondering about varicose veins or spider veins and how they form, we are here to help.
Within the circulatory system, veins are responsible for carrying oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart from other areas of the body. Normally, one-way valves in veins prevent blood traveling from the legs to the heart from succumbing to gravity and flowing backwards. However, when these valves malfunction, blood pools within the vein, enlarging it and creating the telltale signs of varicose and spider veins that can be seen through the skin.
Varicose veins are commonly seen in the lower leg area, and may be a blue or purple color, and appear to be bulging from just below the skin’s surface. Varicose veins are oftentimes accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms like aching and swelling.
Spider veins are smaller, less intense versions of varicose veins. They may also be discolored, but the network of enlarged veins is more likely to resemble a spider’s web than the thick, gnarled knot of varicose veins.
For those who have spider or varicose veins, you may wonder if there is any treatment out there that can banish them away. There is. The treatment of choice for those unsightly enlarged veins is called sclerotherapy.
Sclerotherapy involves injecting a sterile solution, called a sclerosant, directly into the vein. It irritates the vein, causing it to shrink and close, forcing blood to naturally reroute through other, healthier veins. The collapsed vein is reabsorbed into the body. After sclerotherapy, patients should follow their doctor’s recommendations, which may include the use of compression stockings to encourage healthy blood flow in the area.
It is important to note that while sclerotherapy can successfully treat existing varicose or spider veins, if an underlying cause is not addressed, the problem may reappear, albeit in different veins.
Sclerotherapy marks a turning point in the treatment of varicose veins and spider veins. Back in the day, vein stripping was the preferred method of removing veins, and it involved making a big incision through which the vein would be surgically removed. Today, thanks to the development of the sclerotherapy process, varicose and spider veins can be treated in a manner that is gentler on the body, resulting in less pain and a faster recovery period.
If you are sporting unsightly veins that are making you self-conscious and want to hide your legs, sclerotherapy may indeed be just what the doctor ordered, letting you flaunt your picture-perfect legs in shorts and skirts in no time.
To learn more about varicose and spider veins and how to treat them, call The Vein Institute & MediSpa in Kingwood, Texas, today at (281) 312-0208 to request an appointment, or use our online form to request an appointment.
