Have you noticed a pattern of blue, purple, or red lines on your legs? These formations are called spider veins, and while they may bother you aesthetically, they are rarely painful or reason for concern.
We all have visible veins, whether on our hands or feet or legs or face, but if the spider veins on your legs are damaging your confidence, there are treatments available to make them less noticeable.
Dr. James McGuckin of Pennsylvania Vascular Institute in Stroudsburg, Bethlehem, Limerick, King Of Prussia, and Philadelphia, PA, can help you minimize the appearance of veins with at-home or in-office treatments.
What are spider veins?
These patterns develop when the veins are damaged. If the vein valve is weakened, the blood may not be able to properly flow to the heart. As the blood pools inside the vein, it becomes distended and spreads out into little branches. They are usually blue, purple, or red in color and flat or nearly flat.
What causes spider veins?
Some individuals are more susceptible to these formations, with chances increased if a person is overweight, pregnant, has a genetic predisposition, is female, has sun-damaged skin, or tends to stand or sit for long periods of time.
How can spider veins be treated?
At home, you can try wearing compression socks or stockings, especially during the night, to minimize the appearance of spider veins. Treatment for spider veins at our Stroudsburg, Bethlehem, Limerick, King Of Prussia, and Philadelphia, PA, offices include sclerotherapy, during which an irritant is injected into the vein, causing the veins to adhere to each other and stop blood flow so the vein shrinks and fades. The closure system uses injections of a sticky substance to close the vein off from blood flow.
Laser treatments or therapies can be used to make the vein either clot and dry out or collapse and gradually disappear.
Visit the offices of Dr. McGuckin in Stroudsburg, Bethlehem, Limerick, King Of Prussia, and Philadelphia, PA, to treat your spider veins. Call Pennsylvania Vascular Institute at 800-296-9294.