Do you have thin veins that look like spiderwebs or tree roots under your skin? Spider veins are usually a cosmetic problem, but they can be a source of frustration. You can improve the look of your spider veins with a short in-office procedure, although you may need more than one type of treatment for complete removal.
What are Spider Veins?
Spider veins look like tiny blue, red, or purple lines spreading out under the skin. They form in the smallest veins of the body just beneath your skin. Pressure causes the walls of these tiny veins to expand, making them visible on the surface. In many cases, people inherit a tendency to develop spider veins. Women develop them more often than men, and pregnancy is an added risk factor. On rare occasions, spider veins on the legs could suggest a circulation problem.
How to Get Rid of Spider Veins
At Capital Laser & Skin Care, we offer two treatment methods for improving spider veins. Depending on the size and number of your problem veins, we may use one treatment or a combination of the two.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy works on most spider veins, especially those on the legs. During this treatment, your vein specialist injects a sclerosing solution that damages the vein’s walls. The vein collapses, stopping blood flow through the treated vein. Your body will absorb the collapsed vein over time, and blood will redirect itself through other veins.
Laser Treatments
For the tiniest spider veins, also called telangiectasia, we offer laser spider vein treatment. The laser targets the pigments in these small veins, causing damage to the walls of the vein. The vein collapses, and the body will gradually remove it. A combination of both treatments may work best for some spider veins.
How Effective is Spider Vein Treatment?
Not everyone will see their problem veins disappear entirely. Treated veins will fade significantly and become much less noticeable. Most people see enough improvement to consider the short, painless treatments more than worth it. A combination of treatments may be more effective than either one used alone.
Is There Any Downtime After Spider Vein Treatment?
These minor procedures require no downtime. You can return to your usual activities after treatment. Most people see their treated spider veins start to fade within a few weeks. Some will take several months to see results and can keep fading for a year or more.
Am I a Good Candidate for Spider Vein Treatment?
Anyone with spider veins might be a good candidate for treatment. A consultation will allow us to examine your problem veins and determine the best treatment method. You might not be a good candidate if you have certain underlying health problems.
Capital laser and skin care is the best dermatology practice I’ve ever been to. I’ve seen both Dr. Peters and Dr. Tanzi, who are both extremely intelligent, caring, highly skilled, practical – and gorgeous! The staff is excellent – very caring, skilled, excellent training, professional, and easy to talk to. I highly recommend Capital Laser to anyone seeking to take fabulous care of their skin. You will be in the best hands here.
Take the Next Step
Interested in learning more about spider vein treatment? We would love to speak with you. Please fill out the form on this page to request a consultation or call our Chevy Chase, MD office today at 301-798-9699 to schedule your private consultation at our laser and cosmetic dermatology center, located just blocks away from Washington, D.C.
*Individual results may vary.