Spider veins have a unique way of sapping our confidence. Thankfully, you don’t have to live with them! At Shaheen Vascular in Mountain View, CA, we can offer treatments that effectively get rid of spider veins, erasing every trace of them and restoring your confidence at the same time. While there are many options available, sclerotherapy is one of our favorites. If you find yourself looking at unsightly veins and wondering how to get rid of spider veins, contact us right away!
The main reason people worry about how to get rid of spider veins is because of the way they look. This treatment reduces the appearance of these veins or even eliminates them completely. By collapsing the veins, sclerotherapy can get rid of those blue, green, or purpose veins that are so visible to the naked eye. If you’ve ever been confused about the difference between spider veins and varicose veins, let us explain.
Spider veins have a web-like appearance and mostly affect smaller veins. They are highly unlikely to cause you any serious medical difficulties: their main issue is cosmetic. But if you have them, you know you’re not satisfied with the way you look. These veins can make you feel self-conscious about your appearance or even keep you from wearing the clothes you love. Varicose veins, on the other hand, are usually more twisted and knobby-looking.
Spider veins are usually a cosmetic issue, but in some cases, vein issues can cause pain and aches in the legs. If that’s something you are struggling with, then sclerotherapy can help. Even if you don’t have any pain yet, it’s possible for minor spider veins to get worse. They may progress to more serious varicose veins, and the result could be discomfort that even interferes with daily life.
Not everyone who has vein issues will experience pain. But for some people, inflammation of the vein can affect the tissues around it. Some people will only experience this discomfort at night.
Sclerotherapy is a non-surgical treatment. You don’t have to be sedated or jump through a lot of pre-treatment hoops. This treatment comes with far fewer risks than with some vein treatments.
During treatment, we inject a special chemical into the affected veins. This chemical irritates the damaged vein and causes the vein wall to collapse. Your body does the rest as it diverts blood flow to healthy nearby veins and then does away with the damaged veins completely.
Are you one of those people who avoid medical treatment in order to avoid wasting enormous amounts of time or suffering pain? You’re not alone! This treatment isn’t one that you need to worry about.
It doesn’t require any sedatives or anesthesia, and it doesn’t require a lot of downtime or preparation. This is a great option for those with busy lives or those who prefer not to undergo surgery or other more invasive and time-consuming treatment.
For most people, this treatment takes about 15 to 30 minutes. The total time needed for the treatment depends on how many veins are being treated, the precise condition of your veins, and the condition of your skin in general. Even if your situation is a little more complicated, it’s highly likely we can get everything taken care of in 60 minutes or less.
There’s no laundry list of things to do or avoid before treatment with sclerotherapy. When you come to see us for a consultation, we’ll let you know everything you need to do to prepare: but for the vast majority of people, there are just a few simple guidelines to follow. Before your treatment appointment, we will give you a list of pre-treatment instructions to follow for at least 24 hours.
These instructions may include:
The vast majority of people who have sclerotherapy see the results they are hoping for. The success rate for this treatment is between 80% and 90%, which is why this is one of the most preferred methods for treating vein issues.
Are you tired of a lack of confidence? Do you chafe at being unable to wear the clothes you love or worry that when you go out to enjoy some summer warmth your veins will be noticed? Once you’re rid of your spider veins, you will feel more confident in your own body. Many of our patients and clients return to wearing their favorite clothes without any self-consciousness.
People love that sclerotherapy is as easy to recover from as it is to prepare for. Most people–in fact, nearly all people–can go right back to their normal activities and routine right after treatment. This includes caring for kids, exercising, work, and even running errands.
There are just a few things you need to think about for about:
Spider veins are a little bit confusing, even to the medical community. No one is 100% sure what causes these veins to appear, but we do know that the main issue is damaged or weakened vein walls. When the vein wall weakens like this, it causes veins to swell, which results in varicose and spider veins. But what can cause this issue in the first place? There are correlations to consider, including:
Spider veins and varicose veins are common for people who are overweight. Although the precise connection isn’t fully understood, most professionals believe that the stress of extra weight puts pressure on the veins of the legs in particular. The result is the formation of spider veins and varicose veins.
If you have close blood relatives who suffer from varicose veins or spider veins, you are much more likely to suffer from them yourself. No one knows yet which genes are responsible for the issue, but there is no question that the problem does run in families.
Women tend to have spider vein issues much more often than men do. Some of this may be due to pregnancy issues, but even pregnancy can’t account for all of it.
Some professionals believe that hormones are a leading driver of varicose veins. While we don’t yet know exactly how it all works, it is common for women to report experiencing mild issues with spider veins and varicose veins during menstruation. This is an important clue that hormone variations are involved.
Frustratingly, the answer here is both yes and no. If you eat well, exercise sensibly, and keep yourself from becoming overweight, you can sometimes prevent the formation of spider and varicose veins. However, sometimes these veins appear without any clear reason for their formation. This is likely due to genetics. Your best shot at preventing these veins from forming, or from getting worse if you already have them, is to adopt certain habits:
Getting regular exercise will reduce your chances of having any vein problem in your legs. Exercise encourages good circulation, and the better your circulation, the healthier all your veins will be. Exercise also reduces swelling, which can make things worse when it comes to spider veins.
This shouldn’t be a surprise: by now, most of us know that eating well will preserve our health and allow us to live longer, healthier lives in every respect. What does this mean? We can tell you more about it when you see us, but in general, it means drinking plenty of water, eating lots of healthy meats, fats, and vegetables, and minimizing carbohydrates: especially those from processed foods.
If you have already noticed spider veins, you can improve them by elevating your legs whenever you sit down. The higher your legs are, the better the results will be. Elevation allows the blood to flow freely through your body instead of pooling in your legs as it does naturally when you sit down.
If you’re not able to elevate your legs, then be sure to switch between standing and sitting throughout the day.
Most people see results within two to eight weeks. If your vein issues are minor, you could see your issues resolve even faster! If you have very pronounced varicose vein issues, it could take the full eight weeks for you to see your final results.
Unfortunately, there is no 100% guaranteed prevention for spider veins, and they do not go away on their own. Once they present, they do not disappear unless you do something about them. The best you can without sclerotherapy or similar treatment is to keep them from getting worse. To get rid of them, you need treatment.
Nearly everyone who is interested in treatment is a good candidate for treatment. This is the ideal way to treat mild to moderate spider veins or varicose vein issues. We’ll talk with you in more detail when you come to see us.
There is no best time to seek treatment. Whatever the time of year, this treatment is appropriate. If you are particularly sensitive to heat, you might want to have the treatment during the cooler months. Likewise, if you hope to have clear skin in time for summer swimming, it’s wise to seek treatment six weeks or so in advance.
If you’re tired of the unsightly veins in your legs and elsewhere, contact us at Shaheen Vascular in Mountain View, CA today to learn more about how to get rid of spider veins. We can’t wait to help you get started!
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