Summer Is No Time for Spiders
- Posted on: Jun 15 2021
With the summer heat in Dallas, the general rule is “the less clothing the better.” That means sundresses, shorts, and swimsuits are the preferred wardrobe choices. But you may keep your legs covered if you have purple, blue, and red clusters of squiggly lines coursing about on the surface.
Ugh. Spider veins.
Fortunately, Dr. Amirlak has two treatments to help rid your legs of these unsightly nuisances.
What are spider veins?
Spider veins are those squiggly little red, blue, or purple lines forming web-like formations on your legs. While they don’t hurt (unlike varicose veins), most women find spider veins to be unwelcome denizens on their legs.
The veins are responsible for returning deoxygenated blood back to the heart and lungs. Unfortunately for them, they often fight an uphill battle, especially in the legs. There they fight gravity all the way. When we are younger our muscles and supporting tissues in the legs help squeeze the blood through the veins. But as we age, our tissues become looser and don’t provide as much help. This can allow the blood to pool in spots, as the vein walls also become less rigid. When the blood pools, it causes bulges that push the skin upward in the case of varicose veins. In spider veins, which are small and near the skin surface, the extra blood simply makes the veins show through the surface skin.
How does Dr. Amirlak get rid of spider veins?
Dr. Amirlak uses sclerotherapy and endovenous laser treatment to remove spider veins. Sclerotherapy is usually the best option on the legs, but lasers can be used for larger spider veins.
Sclerotherapy was first developed in the 1930s but is still the best treatment for removing these pesky squiggly veins. Sclerotherapy involves using a tiny needle to inject a special saline solution directly into the spider vein. The vein doesn’t like the saline solution, and it causes the vein wall to collapse. This closes off the vein. Most of the visible vein disappears immediately, but the body then goes about the process of fully absorbing the now unused vein over the next couple of months.
Endovenous laser treatment can be used for larger spider veins on the legs. In this treatment, a catheter with a thin laser probe is inserted directly into the vein. The laser heat seals off the damaged vein and the body instantly diverts any blood to adjacent healthy veins.
After your treatment
Dr. Amirlak usually treats a series of spider veins in a single session. Afterwards, you’ll need to wear compression stockings for two weeks during your waking hours. This pressure improves the body’s absorption of the closed off veins. There isn’t any pain, but there may be some slight bruising for a week or two. From there, your veins will become less and less noticeable until they’re gone.
Ready to be rid of your spider veins for the rest of the summer? Call Dr. Amirlak at (972) 972-4708 to make an appointment.
Posted in: Spider Veins
