Spider veins affect half of all women in the United States (and they do affect men in smaller numbers), making them a fairly common problem. And that’s what most spider veins are — a problem and not necessarily a serious medical concern. Still, when spider veins pop to the surface of your skin, they can create unsightly, web-like lines that mar your otherwise great-looking skin.
At Dadeland Dermatology Group, under the experienced guidance of Dr. David Rodriguez, our team handles skin problems of all kinds, from psoriasis to spider veins. We offer the latest, cutting-edge treatments that help clear your skin, leaving you with a smooth, unblemished surface you’re proud to show off.
Here’s a look at what causes spider veins and what we can do about them.
Spider veins are red, spindly veins that appear near the surface of your skin. Unlike varicose veins, spider veins aren’t raised, but their location near the skin’s surface makes them readily apparent.
Spider veins most commonly develop in your legs, and one of the reasons they develop there is because of a malfunction in your veins. Your veins have the all-important task of delivering blood back to your heart — and to do this from places where gravity and distance are hurdles, your veins rely on tiny valves that shut off as the blood courses through to keep it from pooling backward. If these valves fail to close properly, blood can spill backwards, enlarging small capillaries and forcing them to the surface.
Certain factors put you more at risk of developing spider veins, including:
Spider veins can also develop on your face, which is largely due to sun damage. The sun heats up your veins, causing them to burst and rise to the surface.
If you’d like to get rid of unsightly spider veins in your legs, we offer sclerotherapy. During this minimally invasive in-office procedure, Dr. Rodriguez injects a special solution directly into the offending veins, causing them to collapse. Rest assured, your blood redirects itself to healthier vessels below the surface.
After your procedure, we may place you in compression socks to keep your blood moving. And while we do encourage you to move after your sclerotherapy, you may need to steer clear of rigorous exercise for a couple of weeks afterward.
For spider veins that develop on your face, we offer microneedling and TempSure™ treatments. In the first, we run tiny needles over the surface of your skin to break up surface concerns, allowing healthier, more even skin to develop. With TempSure, we deliver radiofrequency energy into your skin, which heats up your tissue to encourage collagen production and cell renewal.
If you want to do away with unsightly spider veins, please contact Dadeland Dermatology Group to explore your treatment options. You can call our office in Kendall, Florida, or request an appointment online.
