Spider veins are tiny veins that lie directly under the skin’s surface and are bluish or reddish in color. The medical term for spider veins is telangiectasias. Spider veins branch out from a central location, looking like a spider’s web. They usually occur on the upper and lower legs and are common among all age groups, appearing more frequently in women than in men. Spider veins can be the first visible sign of a chronic venous disease. This is defined as stage 1 according to an internationally accepted standard for describing patients with chronic venous disease (CEAP classification system).
What are spider veins?
What spider veins look like
Spider veins have a characteristic appearance:
- Visibly small and thin lines on the surface of the skin
- Red, blue, or purple in color
- Sightly raised, but not protruding from the skin
- May cause some discomfort, but rarely cause significant pain
Varicose veins versus spider veins:
Varicose veins and spider veins mainly differ in their outer appearance, whereas the underlying cause is the same. In contrast to spider veins varicose veins appear as large, twisting veins that protrude from the skin.
What is the cause of spider veins?
Spider veins are often harmless and are mainly a cosmetic problem. However, spider veins, as well as varicose veins, result from an insufficiency of the vein valves. Venous blood accumulates in the legs and increases the pressure inside the veins (venous hypertension). As a result of this high pressure, the vein walls become stretched and dilate.
Many women notice spider veins during pregnancy. Besides a pooling of blood in the legs and an increase of the blood volume in general, hormones further weaken the vein walls during pregnancy.
Treatment options for spider veins
As mentioned before, spider veins are mainly a cosmetic problem. Therefore, wearing medical compression stockings is a good and well-tolerated way to relieve the venous system and to treat the underlying cause of spider veins. Our range of JOBST® compression stockings is ideal for this purpose, improving the venous return and thus supporting relief of your signs and symptoms.
Varicose veins can also be removed if their appearance bothers you:
- Sclerotherapy: This involves the injection of agents, such as hypertonic saline or local anesthetics, into the vein. The injection destroys the inner wall of the spider veins, causing occlusion and scarring
- Laser therapy: Vascular lasers (also called endovenous lasers) use focused light beams that destroy the affected veins
Be aware that spider veins and varicose veins can reappear after surgery.
How to prevent spider veins
As with all venous diseases, spider veins occur due to factors that can only be partially influenced. Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding long periods of standing or sitting, consuming little or no alcohol, and not smoking are among the things you can do to reduce your risk of spider veins. However, there are also age-related, genetic and hormonal causes are known to be risk factors that can cause spider veins.
Spider and varicose veins during pregnancy
Both spider and varicose veins can develop at any time during pregnancy. They are usually painless and harmless. Spider and varicose veins can develop for several reasons, including the increased blood volume, the increased pressure on the veins due to the growing womb, and the vessel-relaxing effect of hormones such as progesterone.
Although spider and varicose veins often become more prominent during the course of the pregnancy, they usually recede after birth.
