Carr Dermatology: How to Kiss Spider Leg Veins Goodbye!

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Are you bothered by unsightly “spider veins” on your legs? Are you self-conscious about wearing outfits that show your legs? Well fortunately, there is a solution to these spider leg veins that can help you feel comfortable wearing whatever you want to show off your legs! It’s a procedure called sclerotherapy that we can perform for you right here at Advanced Skin Care and Dermatology Physicians.

Sclerotherapy is a means of obliterating those tiny, pesky blue veins that cover your legs. Spider veins come in a range of shapes and colors. They may show up as red, matted-looking string-like vessels or blue, lumpy-looking vessels.

There are a number of factors that contribute to the development of spider veins. Here are some of the most common associations:

Having a job where you have to stand on your feet a lot
Hormonal changes such as pregnancy, oral contraceptives or menopause
Obesity
Genetics – if people in your family have them, you are at higher risk of getting them!

As obnoxious as these veins are, I have good news for you! We are able to treat these unsightly veins by injecting a substance into the vein and causing it to collapse upon itself. Here’s how:

Once you book your appointment for sclerotherapy, you will change into a gown so we can get to all of the areas we need to inject. We then cleanse the area with rubbing alcohol and inject the veins until they blanch. The treatment goal is to inject the solution directly into the spider vein and irritate the vein wall so that the sides stick together. This causes the vein to shrivel up, and in short, your body’s immune cells chew up the dead vein over about 6 weeks or so. It sounds painful but it’s actually very well-tolerated.

When having the procedure done, some people may experience some cramping and a stinging sensation that will go away within a few minutes. Once the procedure is done, it’s very important to wear compression stockings for at least a week to make sure the walls of the veins stick together and don’t open up again.

For more information on sclerotherapy, call our office today and learn more about how we can help you kiss those spider leg veins goodbye!

Dr. Hayes completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA where she majored in Spanish Literature and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She went on to medical school at UCLA and then to a combined Dermatology and Internal Medicine residency at the University of Minnesota where she served as Chief Resident too. After years of schooling, she’s come back to Sonoma County to work with Advanced Skin Care Dermatology Physicians, Inc. as a Board Certified Dermatologist. When not “doctoring,” Dr. Hayes can be found with her three pets or the many Sonoma County friends and family that are happy that she has returned home.