Spider Veins

Spider veins are those unsightly red tracks typically found on the legs and face, more likely to appear in women.

Unlike varicose veins, which go much deeper, spider veins are a skin issue. Spider veins are actually small capillaries that may burst from weight gain during pregnancy, during periods of prolonged standing, and trauma. Heavy activity may also cause spider veins to grow.

Spider veins can be treated relatively easily, either by injection of saline solution, or by use of a special skin laser. The injection treatment for spider veins takes just 5 minutes; the laser treatment for spider veins is 15 minutes per area.

Spider Veins of the Legs: Immediately following treatment, spider veins will be darker and more visible; over the next two to six weeks, the spider veins usually fade. An average of three treatments is required at three-month intervals. After each treatment, you will see a 30-40% improvement in leg spider veins.

Spider Veins of the Face: Spider veins on the nose or face, which typically appear as unsightly red or pink clusters, can often be caused by overexposure to the sun. Two to four treatments may be required to achieve your desired result. After each treatment, you will see a 70% to 80% improvement in facial spider veins.

You may experience some redness and swelling of the treated area, which should disappear within a few days. Generally, the veins will turn a purple color that resembles a small bruise, and then gradually fade within 5-10 days. Ice packs usually reduce the swelling as well as frozen aloe vera gel. The best candidates for laser spider vein treatment are physically healthy, have fair skin or the appropriate skin tone for the type of laser being used , are not taking Accutane and do not have unusual scar formations.

For spider veins of the legs, we encourage you to walk to prevent clots from forming in the deep veins of the legs. Prolonged sitting and standing should be avoided, as should squatting, heavy weight lifting and "pounding" type exercises, including jogging.