Spider Leg Veins

What are Spider Veins?

Spider veins are small red or bluish blood vessels found on the legs about the size of a strand of hair. They can be short, unconnected lines or connected in small clusters. Larger dilated purplish or bluish veins may be visible along the skin surface appearing with the spider veins.
Spider veins carry blood, but they are not necessary. If they are unwanted for cosmetic reasons they can be injected which can make them much smaller or disappear. There is a 50-90 % chance for improvement in appearance.

Which Veins Can be Treated?

The small spider veins can be treated with a sclerosing agent. Clients with large blood vessels should have those treated first before the spider veins. Ask us for an appropriate referral.

How are the Spider Veins Treated?

A sclerosing agent called Sclerodex is injected into the veins using a fine needle. The solution irritates the lining of the vessel causing it to stick together and the blood to clot. Over a period of 3-4 weeks, the treated vessels will slowly fade or disappear. Multiple blood vessels are treated in each session. A single blood vessel or cluster may need to be injected more than once a month apart, depending on its size and how easy it is to get into the vessel.
During the treatment you will feel mild stinging and pain at the sites of injection.

What to Expect after Treatment

All clients are asked to walk a good deal for the first few days after treatment so that blood will be pushed through other vessels. The vessels will be bandaged with cotton balls and tape which will be left on for 1-2 hours. For the next couple days the treated veins will be red, raised and tender.

What are the Possible Side effects?

• Brown lines or spots may develop in the skin surface. These darkened areas are a form of iron that escapes from the blood vessels during treatment. In most cases the brown areas will slowly disappear over several months.
• Groups of fine red blood vessels near the sites of injection may develop. Most will disappear by themselves or some may need injection treatment.
• Small painful ulcers (breakdown of the skin) at treatment sites may occur when solution escapes into surrounding skin. Please inform the physician and we will treat appropriately to reduce scarring.
• Bruises at the sites of injection are common and will disappear in a few days to weeks.
• Inflammation or infection of the treated blood vessels is unusual. Please inform the physician and they will be treated with anti-inflamatories and/or antibiotics.
• Lumps in the injected vessels may develop. This is clotted blood and will slowly disappear over weeks.

How Successful is Treatment?

Most patients will see 50-90 % reduction in spider veins. The process is gradual. New veins may appear in same or different areas over time needing treatment.