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Spider Vein Injections - (Sclerotherapy)
Recalling our human physiology, arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body and veins return blood to the heart. We have two main systems of veins in our legs. There are the deep veins located around the muscles in our legs, which we cannot see. And there are the superficial veins, which are the ones that can sometimes dilate into unsightly varicose veins. Spider veins represent very small offshoots of the superficial veins in our legs. They do not carry any appreciable volume of blood, and thus their ablation does not alter the circulation of blood in our legs.
The primary causes of spider veins are child bearing, where legs suffer from increased pressure within the veins, due to the weight of the developing fetus on major veins in our abdomen. Prolonged standing can cause eventual increase in venous pressure due to gravity and lead to spider vein formation. The last cause is heredity, and if your parents suffered from unsightly spider veins, then you probably will too.
Prevention of spider veins is difficult because it would involve spending less time on ones' feet, which is frequently impossible, or wearing compressive stockings, which are warm and uncomfortable.
There are two primary treatment modalities for the ablation of spider veins. One treatment is the use of a vascular laser to coagulate the underlying vessels without injuring the skin. The second method is to "sclerose" the vessel by injecting a caustic agent which will cause the vein to scar down and disappear. While laser technology is continually improving, the majority of surgeons still find it more effective to inject the larger spider veins. Following the initial injection session, a waiting period of four weeks is given until a second treatment is rendered. Two sessions are usually sufficient to greatly diminish the presence of the spider veins. The vein injections are administered in the office and are well tolerated without the need for anesthesia, but they do leave a small 'mosquito bite' appearance for a week or so where the injection was given. When vessels are too small to be treated by injection, or the vessels are located on the face, then laser ablation is the treatment of choice.