What Spider Veins Mean for Your Health

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What Spider Veins Mean for Your Health

For many people, spider veins are an embarrassment that often force men and women alike to go out of their way to hide and cover up these unsightly nuisances. Whether with makeup or garments that are not always weather-appropriate, having to worry about concealing your spider veins on top of dealing with the symptoms that accompany them is an inconvenience that you can definitely live without.

Seemingly benign and generally regarded as a mere cosmetic issue, spider veins are often overlooked as indicators of a more severe condition that may be affecting your venous system and taking a toll on your overall health.

The reality is, telangiectasias, commonly referred to as spider or thread veins, aren’t always just an unsightly nuisance. Even when they aren’t accompanied by a variety of painful or irritating symptoms, the presence of spider veins can signal the potential existence of an underlying venous complication called chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), that drastically worsens when left untreated.

What are spider veins?

Spider veins are the thin, red and blue veins that are visible just beneath the surface of the skin. Not to be mistaken for the larger more torturous varicose veins, spider veins are the result of damaged or weakened valves in your veins that are unable to work against gravity and transport blood up, towards the heart. When this happens, your blood begins to flow backwards and pool in your veins, creating extra pressure that your body works to dispel. As a response to the built up pressure in your veins, your body creates the superficial web-like spider veins that branch off the larger afflicted vein.

Although spider veins tend to develop more often in women over the age of 30, especially those who are experiencing pregnancy or menopause, it is a common ailment that affects people of all ages. Spider veins can develop anywhere on the body due to a number of internal and external factors. Lifestyle factors that contribute to the prevalence of spider veins include occupational sitting or standing for long periods of time, excessive sun exposure, heredity, and any sustained injuries.

How to treat spider veins

Fortunately, spider veins can be treated with a simple and straightforward procedure called sclerotherapy. This minimally invasive treatment involves using a very fine needle to inject a medical solution into the veins, causing them to collapse, adhere, and shut, right before your eyes! The blood is then automatically redirected to healthier blood vessels and the treated veins are gradually reabsorbed by the body over time. Patients who receive this quick and uncomplicated treatment happily report the relief of any burning or itching symptoms that accompanied their unsightly spider veins. To maintain optimal results, some patients may require more than one treatment. Ultimately, whether you’re bothered by the appearance of your spider veins or concerned you may have an underlying vein condition, it’s important to have regular physical assessments to detect vascular issues before they worsen and interfere with your everyday lifestyle.

Health implications

Even when spider veins are asymptomatic, they still have the ability to expose serious underlying health implications. Choosing to write-off spider veins as a simple inconvenience and neglecting to seek proper diagnosis or treatment for your veins means you won’t be able to intervene in the progression of CVI before your condition becomes severe or life-threatening. Symptoms that inhibit your quality of life associated with CVI include heaviness in the legs as well as, aching, itching, swelling, cramping, discoloration, restlessness, and cold or tingling sensations. As your condition advances, you may develop more complicated symptoms such as ulcerations, and blood clots, which pose the risk of becoming fatal.

Diagnostic evaluation from a vein specialist for your spider veins will allow you to address any underlying conditions that may exist deep within your venous system and give you a chance to prevent vein disease from impeding on your daily life.

Chuback Medical Group offers both comprehensive vascular exams and treatment for spider veins and more complicated venous insufficiency in our fully accredited, state-of-the-art facility. Our board certified medical professionals at the helm of Chuback Vein Center and Chuback Vascular Imaging work to eliminate years of discomfort and insecurities, and ultimately enable you to return to life without disruptions from your vein health. Stop letting spider veins and venous insufficiency rule your life with fast and accessible treatment at Chuback Medical Group.

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