Spider Veins
Spider Veins Overview
Telangiectasias, or spider veins, are small enlarged blood vessels near the surface of the skin; usually they measure only a few millimeters. They can develop anywhere on the body but commonly on the face around the nose, cheeks, and chin. They can also develop on the legs, specifically on the upper thigh, below the knee joint, and around the ankles.These are actually developmental abnormalities but can closely mimic the behavior of benign vascular neoplasms. They may be composed of abnormal aggregations of arterioles, capillaries, or venules.
Symptoms of spider veins
- May resemble a spider shape with a group of veins spreading outward from a discolored central point.
- May appear in branch-like shapes.
- May appear as thin separate lines.
Treatments offered for spider veins
Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat blood vessels or blood vessel malformations (vascular malformations) and also those of the lymphatic system, which are vessels involved in the immune system providing protection against infection. A medicine is injected into the vessels, which makes them shrink. It is suitable for most children and young adults with vascular or lymphatic malformations. In adults, sclerotherapy is often used to treat varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
While much has been written about lasers for the treatment of varicose and spider veins, sclerotherapy (vein injections) continues to remain the gold standard for eliminating spider veins (telangiectasiae) and smaller varicose leg veins.
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