I Wake Up With My Heart Racing — Should I Be Worried?
Fortunately, the primary concern with the appearance of a spider vein is usually not a health issue. However, these blood vessels are cosmetic problems that undermine self-confidence for many patients. Understanding sclerotherapy, the so-called gold standard of spider vein treatment, can help reduce anxiety linked to these unsightly veins.
What Exactly Are Spider Veins?
While some healthcare professionals consider these abnormal blood vessels a mild type of varicose veins, others differentiate between the two types of blood vessels. According to UCLA Health, these vessels are small, thin clusters of veins resembling a spider’s web. Red, blue, or purple, they most often appear on an individual’s legs, ankles, or calves.
Officially known as telangiectasias, these vessels lie close to the skin’s surface. While they have a connection to the venous system, they are not an important component of it.
How Sclerotherapy Works
Sclerotherapy is the oldest and most commonly used treatment for spider veins. The Cleveland Clinic says the procedure has been in use since the 1930s. It is also sometimes utilized for small varicose veins. Physicians typically perform this outpatient treatment in a vein clinic or vein center. Most procedures take an hour or less.
This is a non-invasive treatment in which the physician uses a very fine needle to inject a special solution known as a sclerosant or sclerosing agent into targeted blood vessels. The solution, which might be either a liquid or a foam, irritates the walls of the vein, causing it to scar.
According to the Mayo Clinic, neighboring healthy vessels take over transporting blood. Eventually, the treated spider vein collapses and is resorbed by the body. The number of required treatments varies with the number and the size of targeted vessels.
Doctors consider this procedure safe, with potential side effects such as bruising only temporary. Conditions that might contraindicate sclerotherapy include being pregnant or having given birth recently, breastfeeding, being bedridden, or having experienced one or more blood clots.
After the Treatment
Walking and other movement of the legs after sclerotherapy helps prevent blood clots and is an important step in recovery. Patients typically wear compression stockings or bandages for around two weeks after the procedure. They require a second adult to drive or accompany them home.
Most individuals are able to return to their normal routine the same day as their treatment, absent any strenuous activities. Since sun exposure can cause dark spots on the skin, physicians caution patients for avoid it for a specified period.
Sclerotherapy has a success rate of between 60 and 80 percent as far as getting rid of targeted veins. After the procedure, treated vessels usually fade over the course of a few weeks. Sometimes elimination requires several treatments, however.
No procedure can prevent the formation of new spider veins. For this reason, some patients return periodically for treatment.
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