How to treat Spider Veins
Spider veins, especially, are a common appearance as we age. It’s not a huge cause for concern, and spider veins aren’t necessarily painful, but they can be unsightly confidence killers.
The good news is that you can do something about your spider veins, and it doesn’t have to be a big deal!
What causes spider veins?
There are a number of things that can cause spider veins. Common causes include:
- Pregnancy – when you’re pregnant, the amount of blood in your body increases and causes the veins to enlarge.
- Age – as we age, so our valves in the veins weaken.
- Hormones – hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy, puberty, and menopause, as well as taking certain progesterone or estrogen medications and birth control pills can result in spider veins.
- A sedentary lifestyle.
- A family history of spider veins.
- Sun exposure –too much time in the sun can lead to spider veins on the nose or cheeks, especially if you’re fair-skinned.
- Obesity puts extra pressure on your veins.
- Standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time or sitting with your legs crossed too often.
Spider veins are an inflammatory process, so they can be painful. The veins get stretched out and dilated, and that means they send local inflammatory messages to your brain, resulting in pain and swollen legs.
Thanks to laser therapy, you can minimize the appearance of your spider veins.
How laser therapy at Envy Skin Clinic can helps with spider veins
When spider veins are still superficial and relatively small, lasers can be set to precisely target the pigment in your veins. This causes the blood to coagulate, destroying the veins.
It’s a quick and fairly painless movement that feels a little like a rubber band snapping against your skin. Depending on how many veins must be treated and the density of each vein, a session can take anywhere from just 15 minutes up to an hour.
Preventing spider veins
Of course, once you get rid of your spider veins, you’ll want to prevent more developing.
Here’s what you can do:
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Get regular exercise
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Avoid sitting or standing for longer periods
- Elevate your legs when you’re resting
- Avoid crossing your legs when you’re sitting
- Avoid tight-fitting clothing around your legs and waist