Spider veins are bluish, purple, or reddish veins that appear in dense clusters on the skin’s surface. They usually appear on the legs or face, but they can also appear on other parts of the body. Spider veins aren’t painful or harmful, but they can lead to self-consciousness and a loss of self-esteem. We treat spider veins using a minimally invasive sclerotherapy technique.
What causes spider veins?
Spider veins in the legs appear when your vein valves malfunction or collapse. Healthy leg veins contain valves that act as one-way doors, allowing blood to flow towards the heart but not backward. When your vein valves malfunction, blood may flow backward and accumulate in the leg veins, leading to vascular dilation. You may also develop spider veins if your tiny blood vessels and capillaries burst.
How do you treat spider veins?
Sclerotherapy is one of the simplest and most effective means of treating spider veins. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a sclerosant medicine into the unhealthy spider veins. The medicine irritates the spider veins’ walls to make them stick together and turn into scar tissues. The accumulated blood reroutes into healthier leg veins, and the spider veins are eventually metabolized by the body. The spider veins soon fade away from the skin.
What are the benefits of sclerotherapy?
- Minimally invasive spider vein treatment
- Causes little to no pain and discomfort
- Performed under topical anesthesia
- Only takes a few injections to eliminate spider veins
- No harsh side effects or complications
- No post-treatment downtime
What happens during sclerotherapy?
Your sclerotherapy session is fairly simple. The medical provider will carefully examine your legs to determine your candidacy for the treatment. After a thorough evaluation, the medical provider will mark the treatment areas on your skin and cleanse your legs. The appropriate units of sclerosant are delivered into the targeted regions using ultrafine needles. The entire treatment concludes within 30 minutes and causes little to no pain and discomfort.
What are the side effects of sclerotherapy?
The most common side effects of sclerotherapy include redness, swelling, tenderness, numbing, and bruising around the injection points. The side effects dissipate within a few days.
Is there any downtime after sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy doesn’t involve any downtime. You may resume your daily activities and work immediately after the treatment, but you should avoid heavy lifting, strenuous workouts, and saunas for a few days.
How many sclerotherapy sessions do I need?
Most patients need 2 to 4 sclerotherapy sessions for optimal results. Each sclerosant injection will effectively remove one spider vein, so the total number of sessions will depend on the number of spider veins on your legs.
Is sclerotherapy permanent?
Sclerotherapy is a permanent procedure. Once the spider veins harden into scar tissues and dissolve, they won’t return. But you can still develop new spider veins in the same area.
When will I see the sclerotherapy results?
You will notice the results of sclerotherapy after 3 to 6 weeks. Your spider veins may look darker and feel harder after the treatment, but that’s a part of the process. Since sclerotherapy turns the spider veins into hardened scar tissues, your spider veins may seem to worsen before getting better. Over time, as the spider veins get metabolized, they will fade away from your skin’s surface. Each sclerotherapy session will lead to better results.
Why choose Premier Aesthetic Dermatology?
Premier Aesthetic Dermatology is a luxurious dermatology practice specializing in cutting-edge cosmetic treatments that improve your aesthetic health. Our medical providers carefully examine your legs, discuss your goals, and curate a personalized treatment plan. We also use the safest, FDA-approved medicines for your sclerotherapy treatments, ensuring safe and reliable results. Please schedule an appointment to explore your spider vein treatments in San Carlos.
