Spider Veins
Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC
Diego Hernandez, MD
Vascular Surgeon located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
There’s nothing like a great pair of new sandals and shorts – unless the skin on your feet and legs look like a strange road map. If ugly spider veins are keeping you covered up, contact Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
We are at 43700 Woodward Ave #207 Bloomfield Twp, MI 48302. Book online or you may call at (248) 481-2100 to schedule a consultation with a board-certified vascular surgeon in Metro Detroit.
Spider Veins
What are spider veins?
Spider veins are common and look like a spider web or road map pattern in red, blue or purple. Typically, spider veins develop on the legs and feet, although some patients get spider veins on their face or hands. They share some qualities with varicose veins; however, spider veins appear closer to the skin.
Unlike varicose veins, spider veins don’t usually make your skin swell or bulge out, and aside from appearance aren’t usually connected to symptoms like pain or discomfort.
When your blood vessels are functioning correctly, job one is carrying the blood to and from the heart and to all the organs in the body. The job for veins is to deliver blood back to the heart against gravity.
Inside the veins are one-way valves that keep the blood flowing forward in one direction. But if these valves become weak or fail, instead of moving forward, the flood flows backward, becomes trapped and pools.
Are Spider Veins Hereditary?
Yes. If one or both of your parents had spider veins, then you are more prone to develop them as well.
In fact, according to Medical New Today, up to 90% of people who suffer from spider veins can trace it back to other family members.
In addition to family history, other risk factors that can predispose you to develop spider veins, including:
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Being overweight/obese
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Pregnancy
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A history of blood clots
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Working in jobs where you are on your feet a lot
While several of these risk factors are within your control — you can minimize your risk by reducing your weight or trying to avoid standing for prolonged periods — heredity plays the most important role in the development of spider veins.
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Spider Veins
How are spider veins treated?
Treatment for spider veins depends on their location. Laser treatment using intense pulsed light is typically reserved for spider veins on the face and hands. A vast majority of the cases of spider veins are treated using sclerotherapy, a treatment method that dates back to the 1930s.
The medical staff at Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC performs sclerotherapy right in the office. During the procedure, the provider injects a chemical irritant or foam into the damaged vein to close it off. By blocking off the damaged vein, the blood has to reroute to healthy veins. Over the next several weeks, the unsightly vein will fade.
If spider veins are cramping your style, help is only a click or call away. Contact the Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC, and recapture a healthier you. Book online or call today.
