Spider Veins

What are Spider Veins?

Spider veins, also called “telangiectasia,” are clusters of small red, blue, or purple colored capillary veins on the surface of the legs. They can occur independently of varicose veins and other symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency.¹

What can Happen if Spider Veins are Left Untreated?

In the majority of cases, spider veins are not a serious health problem and are only a cause for cosmetic concern; some patients, however, report some pain, itching, cramping, or heaviness at the site. In very rare cases, spider veins may become so large that they cause bleeding.¹

How are Spider Veins Treated?

Sclerotherapy is the ‘gold standard’ treatment for spider veins and Texas Vascular Institute’s treatment of choice due to its efficiency and utility in all sizes of veins. Sclerotherapy involves the injection of a sclerosant agent into problem veins, which causes a chain of biological reactions that eliminate the unsightly veins.²

Laser treatment options are also available, but have been shown to require more treatment sessions than sclerotherapy injections and longer follow-up to achieve complete visual resolution. Laser treatments externally apply strong bursts of light to destroy small superficial veins without requiring needles or incisions, but typically aren’t able to treat larger “feeder” veins or deeper superficial veins that are still visible on the skin’s surface.²⁻³

While there are currently no clinically proven preventative treatments for spider vein recurrence, new spider veins can be treated with the same techniques used to treat the original spider veins.

Learn More

Laser treatment or vein injection treatment for spider veins?

Relationship between Spider Veins & More Serious Vein Problems

Lower extremity vein anatomy and associated venous diseases

References

​[1] Goldman  MPBennet  RG Treatment of telangiectasia: a review.  J Am Acad Dermatol. 1987;17167- 182

[2] Smith, P. C. (2015). Management of reticular veins and telangiectases. Phlebology: The Journal of Venous Disease, 30(2_suppl), 46–52.

[3] Parlar, B., Blazek, C., Cazzaniga, S., Naldi, L., Kloetgen, H. W., Borradori, L., & Buettiker, U. (2015). Treatment of lower extremity telangiectasias in women by foam sclerotherapy vs. Nd:YAG laser: A prospective, comparative, randomized, open-label trial. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 29(3), 549–554.