Almost any man or woman who currently has small thin clusters of blue, red or purple veins on the face and legs has asked: what is the best procedure for spider veins?  Spider veins, also known as telangiectasias, are the small veins that reside close to the surface of the skin and can appear on both the legs and the face.  There are many causes of spider veins, the most common of which include heredity, hormones, weight gain, trauma, prolonged standing and certain medications.  There are several forms of spider veins: they can appear as tiny branch like shapes, as linear lines or as a true spider shape—dark in the center and surrounded by smaller vessels that radiate out from the center.  When spider veins appear, they are still connected to the deep venous system; however these surface veins are of no benefit, which is why so many individuals opt to remove them.

Because spider veins are so commonly experienced (it is estimated that close to 50% of females have some form of spider veins) several different treatments have been developed to combat them—but how are potential patients to know which is the best.  Spider vein removal is most commonly performed in one of three ways: sclerotherapy, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments or laser vein removal treatments.  There are also surgical vein procedures that can eliminate spider veins however spider vein removal is secondary to the removal of larger varicose or feeder veins and would not be performed to treat these tiny veins alone.

Sclerotherapy - Sclerotherapy is a popular method for the elimination of spider veins that involves a very small needle being injected superficially into the spider vein followed by a small amount of an irritant solution.  The solution is designed to create internal swelling of the vein, which causes it to shut itself down; once shut down the body will eliminate it naturally.  Several sclerotherapy treatments may be required to remove all present veins.  Side effects of this treatment can often include redness, swelling, bruising, scabs, scarring and skin ulcerations in the treatment area as well as allergic reaction to treatment solutions.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) – Intense pulsed light treatments for spider vein removal involves the use of pulsed laser light to reach and treat problem veins.  The laser energy penetrates though the outer layers of skin and targets the veins below at multiple levels; the heat from the light effectively cauterizes veins so that they may be cut off from the blood supply from the deeper venous system.  Once cut off, the treated veins will be naturally absorbed and eradicated by the body.

Laser Spider Vein Removal – Laser spider vein removal is similar to IPL treatments but differs in that true lasers utilize one continuous light wavelength as opposed to multiple wavelengths; this allows the light energy used by the laser to be accurately directed toward the problem veins.  The heat from the laser energy, like IPL, effectively cauterizes the vein which cuts off its blood supply.  With no blood to supply the vein, the body then breaks down the unwanted vein and eradicates it naturally through the lymphatic system.

Before undergoing telangiectasias or spider vein removal, be sure to do adequate research in order to determine what the best procedure for spider veins is.  Once you do, you’ll experience a smooth, clear complexion that lasts.