Spider Veins

It can be difficult to feel comfortable and confident in certain clothing if you are constantly worried about the appearance of visible veins on your legs. Spider veins are common problems faced by both men and women. Fortunately, spider veins respond well to a variety of treatment options.

At Capital Laser & Skin Care, we perform sclerotherapy and laser vein treatment to improve your skin’s physical appearance and give you the confidence boost you deserve–no matter what you’re wearing.

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Learn More About Spider Veins

Spider veins are capillaries that are easily visible beneath the skin and look similar to a spider web, usually colored red, purple, or blue. These blood vessels may be flat or may bulge slightly under the skin. They can develop anywhere in the body but most often appear on the legs. 

Spider veins are a milder form of varicose veins. Superficial veins close to the skin’s surface become varicose when they twist and swell as a result of weakened or damaged valves. Though these visible veins are usually only a cosmetic concern, sometimes people experience pain or throbbing in the veins. Varicose veins may also increase the risk of blood clots.

Women are more prone to spider veins than men, and they’re more likely to occur with age. However, they are a common concern that can affect almost anyone, and approximately 30% to 60% of adults have varicose or spider veins.

Spider veins develop when your body’s smallest blood vessels, capillaries, become weakened and don’t work properly. If the valves inside the veins are damaged, they may no longer correctly regulate blood flow, and blood can pool inside the vein. This causes the vein to swell and branch out, creating spider veins.

A primary contributor to spider veins is genetics, as most people who have them have a family history of the condition. Other risk factors include:

  • Age
  • Obesity
  • Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause
  • Birth control pills
  • Sitting or standing for extended periods
  • A history of blood clots

During your vein treatment consultation, our board-certified dermatologists will evaluate the size, shape, color, and location of the leg veins to develop a treatment plan that is specific to your needs. We offer sclerotherapy and laser vein treatments as simple in-office procedures to improve spider veins.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is performed using a dilute solution gently injected into the leg veins to shrink and close them over time. Most people see their spider veins fade gradually over several weeks. A series of treatments may be required for the best response.

Vbeam Vascular Laser

We may also suggest laser vein treatment to treat very small spider veins, also called telangiectasia. For some patients, the best results are obtained from a combination of laser therapy and sclerotherapy. The Vbeam device is a pulsed-dye laser that can target pigmented lesions and veins, breaking them down with pulses of energy.

Although many patients see an immediate difference, it can take several weeks to see the final results of your vein treatment. Larger or more resistant veins may require additional sessions for the best outcome. The experienced physicians at Capital Laser & Skin Care are experts in both sclerotherapy and laser vein removal and can address a variety of vein concerns in a single visit.

Nd:YAG Laser

This type of laser can be used effectively to treat spider veins on the face and body. It uses laser energy that is absorbed by the targeted veins, causing them to collapse. Results will appear over the following weeks, and multiple treatments may be needed. It can often treat deeper spider veins that are hard to treat with other lasers.

DermaV™

Using IntelliTone™ technology to precisely target the visible pigmentation in spider veins, this non-invasive treatments works in as little as one session and requires little to no downtime. While small veins will fade rapidly, larger or more pigmented ones can take several weeks to gradually disappear.

Take the First Step

Interested in learning more about our spider vein solutions? We would love to speak with you. Please fill out the form on this page to request a consultation or call our Chevy Chase, MD office today at (301) 798-9699 to schedule your private consultation at our laser and cosmetic dermatology center, located just blocks away from Washington, D.C.

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