Spider veins aren’t usually dangerous to your health, but they certainly can cause cosmetic problems. If you have spider veins on your face or legs that make you feel self-conscious and seriously interfere with your self-esteem, we can help.
At Plastic Surgery Arts Center in Webster, Texas, we offer state-of-the-art laser treatments that fade spider veins without any surgery or long recovery.
In this post, Dr. Jan Garcia, Jr. answers your questions about spider veins and noninvasive laser services.
You recognize spider veins as the red, blue, or purple tangles of small blood vessels that appear on your legs, feet, and face. They look, as the name suggests, like strands of a spider web.
Although generally considered harmless to your health, they can cause your feet and legs to ache and burn if you stand for long periods of time.
Spider veins form due to faulty mechanics in your circulatory system. Veins return blood to your heart using a one-way valve. If this valve malfunctions, blood pools in the vein, making it visible on the surface of your skin.
You may develop spider veins due to genetics, age, disease, or a sedentary lifestyle.
Spider veins and varicose veins have the same underlying cause, but varicose veins have a greater impact on your health.
Spider veins are superficial veins that sit between the two outermost layers of skin. Because they’re so close to the skin’s surface, you can see them. As you age, spider veins tend to become more apparent as skin thins and becomes more translucent.
Varicose veins are larger, deeper veins that become swollen from pressure and begin to bulge. They can cause serious leg fatigue and heaviness. Some varicose veins can also become inflamed and start to bleed, taking months to heal. Varicose veins tend to require more invasive treatments than spider veins.
The laser treatments we use at Plastic Surgery Arts Center cause spider veins to fade and eventually disappear. When used on your face, laser treatments also add a bonus of undoing sun damage and minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
To begin the procedure, Dr. Garcia or a certified technician holds the handheld laser device to the site of a spider vein, and the energy causes the vein to contract and scar over.
Depending on the extent of your veins, you may need 2-4 treatments to greatly reduce the appearance of spider veins on your face. Your legs may need closer to four treatments total.
You may have slight redness, bruising, itching, and swelling – like a cat scratch – in the first day or two following treatment.
Treated facial veins may even turn slightly more purple for a few days before completely disappearing. Laser treatment on your legs can leave a residual reddish shadow where the vein once was. This shadow fades within 8-12 weeks.
Spider veins are a serious cosmetic concern. Consult Dr. Garcia and our team at the Plastic Surgery Arts Center to learn how simple laser treatments can restore an evenly pigmented complexion and clear up the skin on your legs. Call our office today or use the online tool to schedule.
