What causes spider veins?
Spider veins develop due to faulty valves in tiny capillaries close to the skin’s surface. Though they take on a deep bluish color and become very visible, spider veins don’t bulge and they seldom cause symptoms.
What causes varicose veins?
The veins in your legs carry blood toward your heart, using one-way valves to keep the blood flowing up your legs. When a valve is weak or damaged, it lets blood reflux back down the leg.
As the blood reaches the next healthy valve, it stops flowing backward and starts to accumulate in that area of the vein. This condition, called venous insufficiency, gradually leads to engorged varicose veins that become twisted and bulge above the surface of your skin.
Many factors can raise your risk for developing varicose veins, including family history, older age, female gender, pregnancy, obesity, prolonged standing or sitting, blood clots, and prior trauma.
What symptoms develop due to varicose veins?
People with varicose veins may experience:
- Leg pain and cramping
- Leg swelling
- Legs that feel heavy
- Restless legs
- Itchy, tingly legs
- A bumpy appearance of veins
- Skin irritation
Over time, increased venous pressure can lead to inflammation of the varicose veins, scaling of the skin and eczema, thickening of the skin, and can ultimately result in leg ulcers.
How are varicose veins treated?
As an interventional radiologist, Dr. Spearman specializes in minimally invasive procedures performed using real-time imaging to guide the treatment.
Your treatment options for varicose and spider veins include:
Endovenous laser ablation treatment (EVLT)
Using X-rays that show your veins and the thin laser fiber in real-time, Dr. Spearman makes a tiny incision and inserts the fiber into the vein, guiding it to the end of the targeted varicose vein.
After administering a local anesthetic to numb the vein, he slowly withdraws the catheter, sending laser energy into the vein. The heat from the laser makes the vein walls collapse and close.
Your body naturally reroutes your blood through a nearby healthy vein. As a result, you prevent or treat complications caused by venous insufficiency, and the treated varicose veins disappear as they’re gradually absorbed by your body.
Radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is performed using a catheter similar to endovenous laser ablation, but this catheter sends out radiofrequency energy to heat and close the vein.
Non-thermal treatments
VenaSeal® is an injection of medical glue into the vein to cause its closure. Varithena® is a foam material that is injected into a varicose vein to improve symptoms or appearance.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is the direct injection through a tiny needle of a chemical irritant into a vein to close the vessel. This technique is often used to treat smaller veins such as spider veins. Dr. Spearman uses a variety of materials that can irritate the vein lining, which causes them to shrink and close.
VeinGogh
VeinGogh is a medical device based on Ohmic Thermolysis for the removal of Telangiectasias and spider veins on the lower extremities using a unique, proprietary Microburst Technology. VeinGogh is minimally invasive and works with all skin types.
If you need to eliminate varicose veins or spider veins, call Central Coast Vein & Vascular or book an appointment online.
