Can Spider Veins Cause a Threat to My Health?

Your veins are critical to your health as they transport deoxygenated blood back to your heart to get oxygen. With so much use, your veins can become damaged, leading to problems like spider veins or varicose veins.

When you notice one of these problems, you may be worried about your health and how the damaged veins look.

At Meridian Plastic Surgery in Meridian, Mississippi, Dr. Lee Thornton and Dr. Mark Elliott are experts in cosmetic surgery procedures. If you're concerned about your spider veins, Dr. Elliott and Dr. Thornton provide several treatment options to boost your confidence.

What are spider veins?

Spider veins are veins close to the surface of your skin because of permanent damage. These veins may appear blue, red, or purple in clusters. Spider veins may appear anywhere on your body but are common in your legs and face.

These veins get their name because of the shape of the abnormality under your skin. They often appear in clusters that resemble small or large spider webs.

Unlike varicose veins, spider veins don't stick out of your skin. They're discolored but don't often cause other symptoms like swelling or heaviness in your legs.

The leading cause of spider veins is problems with the valves that allow your blood to keep flowing in the right direction. When the valves don't work, blood pools in the veins causing them to become more prominent, more noticeable, and discolored.

Do spider veins affect your health?

Unlike varicose veins, spider veins don't typically affect your health. In most cases, spider veins are simply a cosmetic issue.

Most spider veins affect women, but men can still get them. They often occur after long periods of standing and weight gain from pregnancy.

Varicose veins are more of an issue because they are more prominent veins in your body. Spider veins only affect capillaries, tiny vessels close to your skin.

Because the capillaries are so tiny, you typically don't have many symptoms associated with spider veins. However, in some cases, spider veins signify a more significant issue.

Chronic venous insufficiency is an issue that happens to the veins in your legs. Spider veins can be an early sign of chronic venous insufficiency, so if they bother you, getting evaluated is a good idea.

Treatments for spider veins

Spider veins can make you feel self-conscious about your legs and face. Even if they don't cause you harm, you may want treatment.

Dr. Elliott and Dr. Thornton provide several treatments when you're looking to improve the signs of spider veins. Two of the principal treatments we offer include the following:

Laser light therapy

You might opt for laser light therapy when you have spider veins on your face. It's a noninvasive treatment to eliminate spider veins in sensitive areas.

Laser light therapy uses laser energy to heat up and destroy the affected veins. Tiny spider veins may disappear right away, while it may take a few months for larger ones to go away.

We may recommend multiple treatments depending on the areas you need treated. Because it's noninvasive, there's no downtime required for laser light therapy.

Sclerotherapy

Our team offers a minimally invasive treatment option called sclerotherapy for veins in your legs. Your provider injects a chemical solution into the bothersome spider veins during this procedure.

The solution effectively closes off the vein, causing it to disappear over time. It typically takes about six weeks to disappear completely, depending on the size of the spider vein. You may also need multiple sclerotherapy treatments for more aggressive spider veins.

Call our office at 601-693-7742 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Thornton or Dr. Elliott. You can also request an appointment for vein treatments on the website.