Spider veins are clumps of red, blue, or purple lines that look like spider webs on your legs that are formed when blood pools inside a vein and branches out to form tiny blood vessels.

Varicose veins are blue or purple in color and appear swollen and enlarged. Frequently, they can have a lumpy, bulging, or twisty appearance. Varicose veins are caused the same as spider veins, except they are more serious than spider veins.

Women are more likely to develop spider and varicose veins than men; similarly, they are more likely to appear if it runs in the family. While these factors cannot be controlled, other risk factors such as lifestyle and diet can be controlled. Obesity can also be a factor. If your work or lifestyle involves long hours or sitting or standing and if you don’t have sufficient exercise in your daily routine, you can fall at the risk of developing spider and varicose veins.

If spider veins and varicose veins appear alongside other symptoms such as heaviness or aching in the legs, cramping, worsening leg fatigue, swelling in the feet or ankles, and irritation, itching, or burning over areas of the veins, it could be because of Chronic Venous Insufficiency. Chronic Venous Insufficiency is a serious condition which prevents enough blood from flowing back to the heart. Chronic Venous Insufficiency can lead to blood clots and ulcers if not taken care of early enough. It is extremely important to screen for possible Chronic Venous Insufficiency if you notice spider and varicose veins. While most spider and varicose veins can be treated by minimally invasive techniques, in some extreme cases Chronic Venous Insufficiency requires vascular surgery if deeper veins are affected. A vascular surgeon will be able to perform this surgery.

Top Five Treatment options for spider and varicose veins

There are no universal treatment procedures that work for everyone; every human body is unique and has specific needs. Depending on how advanced your condition is and whether you have other underlying conditions, the treatment method that is best for you changes. Maybe you don’t have a significant amount of spider veins or varicose veins, you may simply not be happy with its appearance. Maybe spider veins and varicose veins cover more than 20% of your legs and are now also causing you pain and great discomfort. If caught early, spider and varicose veins can be easily treated by our team of expert vein specialist doctors. Our highly trained vein doctors will first listen to you and ask you about your experience with the condition. They will take your experience and feelings with your condition into account before going forward with the diagnosis and treatment.

To diagnose your condition, vein doctors will first perform a physical exam. This often involves observing the affected veins while you are standing. Doctors may also perform a duplex ultrasound to help with the diagnosis.

Innovation and massive advances in medical technology have meant that vein treatment procedures have become less and less invasive over the last decade. Most procedures now require only local anesthetic, and some don’t require anesthetics at all. The procedures are minimally invasive and take such a short time that you can be treated as an out-patient and be able to walk out of the vein treatment center within an hour of your procedure.

Here are five minimally invasive vein treatment procedures that are most frequently used:

1. Endovenous laser varicose surgery:

In this vein procedure, heat from a laser is applied to close or shrink the varicose veins. Endovenous laser surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that takes less than an hour and does not require hospital stay. You will be able to walk out of the hospital within an hour after the procedure is done.

2. Sclerotherapy:

Sclerotherapy is the most frequently used method of treatment of spider veins. An agent called sclerosant is injected into the diseased veins that causes the veins to stick to one another and close up. The veins are then absorbed by the body, clearing the skin.

3. VenaSeal:

VenaSeal is a minimally invasive medical procedure in which a bio-adhesive is applied on the diseased veins using a catheter, causing the veins to seal off. The vein procedure takes anywhere between 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Eventually, the veins are reabsorbed by the body.

4. Radiofrequency Ablation:

Similar to endovenous laser varicose surgery, this procedure applies heat on the diseased veins. Heat is produced using radiofrequency. The heat then stops blood flow in the diseased veins, and over time the veins disappear.

5. Varithena:

Varithena is a micro foam sclerosant that is injected into the diseased veins. This is a non-surgical procedure that takes less than 60 minutes in which the diseased veins are closed down and eventually disappear. The recovery period for this procedure is also very short; the patient will be able to move about freely within an hour of the vein procedure.

Keep in mind that the treatment method depends upon your condition, and your conversation with your doctor so you two can decide what is the best course of action for you. While the above-mentioned treatments are for when surface veins are affected, you may require vascular surgery if deeper veins are affected. To know which treatment method is best for you, book an appointment now with the best vein doctors and vascular surgeons in San Diego.

The Vein treatment center in San Diego, CA has a team of highly qualified vein doctors who are double board certified and extremely experienced at vein treatments. All our doctors have been trained at Ivy League universities. Our doctors use world-class medical infrastructure and cutting-edge technology that help them employ the most advanced procedures to treat their patients. But most important of all, all our doctors value patients’ comfort and treat them with friendliness, patience, and kindness. You can be certain that our highly trained doctors will look after you with utmost expertise, and that your concerns and queries will always be heard.

Our vein treatment center at San Diego is currently located near the Torrey Pine beach state park, close to the Westfield UTC Shopping Center. Our experienced Harvard-trained vein doctors can offer the best care possible to help you.