What You Can Do About Leg Veins
Have you started to notice more visible leg veins on your body? You might be struggling with spider veins, which is a common occurrence. Here’s some more information about leg veins and a few treatment options to consider.
How to Identify and Treat Leg Veins
The Difference Between Varicose Veins and Spider Veins
If you’re seeing leg veins, you could be seeing spider veins or varicose veins. Far from being the same thing, it’s important to understand some of the key differences between them to ensure you receive the most effective treatment. Varicose veins are large, swollen blood vessels that can become raised. They twist and turn, and are most often seen on the legs. Spider veins, on the other hand, are still blood vessels that are visible beneath the skin, but they’re much smaller and not typically raised. These veins can commonly be seen in the face and legs, as well. The treatment options below are designed more for spider veins.
Compression Stockings
Compression is a common form of spider vein treatment. The purpose of compression stockings is to apply steady pressure to your legs and help move blood back to the heart. In short, their purpose is to help improve your blood circulation. The reason spider veins form is weakened valves within blood vessels. In healthy veins, blood flows only one way. With weakened valves, some blood can accumulate in the vein and put extra pressure on its walls. Thus, the vein wall weakens and veins become overfilled and visible through the skin. While compression stockings can help with your blood circulation and blood vessel function, they don’t do much in the way of concealing visible leg veins.Though as an added bonus, compression stockings can help reduce leg swelling and the risk of getting a blood clot.
Sclerotherapy
If you have severe spider veins on your legs, sclerotherapy is one of the most common treatment options. This treatment involves injecting a chemical into the leg veins that you want to be concealed. The chemical that’s injected irritates the vein walls and causes them to stick together, limiting blood flow. After a quick massage of the treated area, you’ll be instructed to put on a pair of compression stockings, be observed by your doctor for a little while, and then you’ll get to go home. For most patients, it’s easy to return to normal daily activities the next day. If you’re dealing with spider veins, this treatment can make them disappear in about six weeks or so. It’s important to note that multiple treatments may be required for optimal results, though. As long as you’re willing to dedicate the time to your treatment, you’ll see great results.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy is used to help treat a number of skin conditions, including leg veins. During this leg vein treatment, your dermatologist will direct a specialized laser at your leg veins. One of the benefits of this spider vein treatment is that laser light has the ability to destroy your spider veins without damaging your skin. It should be noted that after laser therapy, you need to avoid sun exposure at the treatment area for at least three to four weeks. Compression stockings are also recommended.
If you’re struggling with leg veins and you need to find a treatment fast, contact SE Dermatology Specialists today.