Spider Veins, Thread Veins and Sclerotherapy

Dr KubickaSpider veins… the name gets you before you even know what they are, doesn’t it?

Spider veins are essentially small blood vessels that have become enlarged.  When the veins become engorged or swollen, they can appear more visibly on the surface of the skin.

Prominent veins or varicose veins can appear in the thighs, calves and buttocks.  Spider veins only differ in appearance, for rather than being long and trailing, they look like little webs. These can surface on the face as well as the body, causing great embarrassment and distress.

So how do they get there? Well, we all have valves throughout our veins, so that when the heart pumps blood to the lower half of our body through the arteries, the veins can pump it back again without the blood flowing backwards. When these valves are damaged, blood can leak back into the veins and collect there: this is called venuous insufficiency. When the blood starts to pile up, that’s when veins can become enlarged and appear nearer the surface of the skin.

Over half of us will experience spider veins, thread veins or varicose veins.  The likelihood to suffer increases with pregnancy, age, sun exposure and lack of movement.

Spider Vein Treatment

The good news is, there are a few ways to treat these unsightly traces.

One of the most successful procedures is sclerotherapy. This treatment involves using a needle to inject a liquid chemical into the vein; a simple reactor, which causes the vein walls to swell, stick together and remain shut. Of course, if the flow of blood is stopped, then spider and varicose veins are stopped.

Some veins will need more treatment than others, but most patients will need just one session that may last no longer than 15 minutes.

It may sound like a procedure to be squeamish about, but the majority of patients report only a little discomfort, and the treatment has been going strong since the early 1930s.

So don’t let spider veins bother you any more. Find the right practitioner, and you’ll be rid of them in no time.

Dr Barbara Kubicka offers micro-sclerotherapy for effective spider vein and thread vein treatment in her Belgravia clinic, London.