Even though they are generally not harmful or dangerous to your health, you may not like the way spider veins look on your skin.
If you want to do something about your unwanted spider veins, Beach Cities Vein and Laser Center can help. Our team of experts is dedicated to providing you with comprehensive care, including an accurate diagnosis of your spider veins and a variety of treatment options to best meet your needs.
What Are Spider Veins?
Spider veins are a mild form of varicose veins. They are small, damaged veins on the surface of your skin. Although they are not often painful or harmful, many patients choose to pursue treatment options to reduce their visibility and achieve smoother, clearer-looking skin.
Those who do experience related symptoms describe sensations that include burning, itching, or aching, particularly after standing or sitting for a prolonged period of time.
Spider veins form just below the surface of your skin. They are most commonly found on your legs, specifically the outer thighs, backs of your knees, and ankles. They also form on other areas of the body, including the face.
These types of veins can be red, blue, or purple, and they often appear as thin weblike bunches. Unlike varicose veins, which are large and lumpy, spider veins are commonly smaller in size and are generally flat.
What Causes Spider Veins?
Any kind of problem in your veins that prevents proper blood flow can eventually lead to the formation of spider veins. Your veins are designed with a one-way valve to prevent blood from flowing backward while it is pumped throughout your body.
Any damage or weakening of your blood valves can lead to unwanted leakage and pooling. Over time, this causes your veins to become enlarged and can even cause your blood vessels to burst.
Do Certain Risk Factors Increase My Chance of Developing Spider Veins?
Although anyone can develop spider veins, certain factors can increase your chances of having them.
Women are far more likely than men to develop spider veins, particularly when they experience changes in their hormones. Pregnant women often experience a widening and enlargement of veins due to fluctuations in certain hormones that eventually lead to the appearance of spider veins.
Certain demographics are also more susceptible to spider veins. As you get older, your blood vessels weaken, increasing your chances of potential damage. Additionally, substantial weight gain and obesity can create added pressure and strain on your blood vessels, directly causing the formation of new spider veins.
Other factors are more difficult to avoid. It is possible to be genetically predisposed to developing spider veins, so your family history may increase the likelihood of developing spider veins at some point during your life.
Over time, you may begin to notice spider veins appear on your legs or face. Although spider veins are harmless, many types of spider vein treatments are available to help reduce their appearance.
How Are Spider Veins Treated?
We offer a variety of spider vein treatments to help you feel more positive about your skin. Depending on your specific spider veins, how extensive they are, and where they are located, we may recommend compression stockings, sclerotherapy, or our external laser treatment.
External Laser Treatment for Spider Veins
Our external laser treatment can be used to reduce the appearance of spider veins on your legs, face, and chest. This treatment is a great alternative to sclerotherapy and VeinGogh for patients who are allergic to sclerosing agents, who avoid needles, or who have spider veins that are extremely small and haven’t responded well to sclerotherapy.
How Does It Work?
External laser treatment works to eliminate your spider veins using targeted laser energy. The device we use during the procedure precisely delivers the laser energy to your veins, damaging them and causing the formation of scar tissue. This closes the vein and stops any blood flow, which eventually causes the vein to die.
Without any continued blood supply, your body will reabsorb your spider veins, and they will eventually fade.
What Can I Expect from the Procedure?
Our external laser treatment for spider veins is a short and simple outpatient procedure.
Before we begin your treatment, we will give you protective goggles to wear to protect your eyes from the laser light. Then, we will trace your spider veins with a handpiece to deliver tiny pulses of laser energy all along your veins. Once we complete the procedure, we will place compression stockings on your legs.
Since there is no downtime, you’ll be able to resume your daily activities immediately following your treatment. Over the next few weeks, your spider veins will gradually begin to disappear.
Although just one treatment is effective, most patients require a series of treatment sessions to achieve their desired results and completely clear away their spider veins.
During your consultation, we will review your medical history and examine your spider veins to create a personalized treatment plan that will help you maximize your results.
Learn More About Our Spider Vein Treatments
Don’t waste another second worrying about how your spider veins look or how they make you feel. If you think our laser treatment for spider veins may be right for you, visit us at Beach Cities Vein and Laser Center in El Segundo, CA.
Our team will take care of you throughout the entire process, from your initial consultation until your spider veins are a thing of the past!
Call to schedule your consultation and see the difference our spider vein treatments can make today.