How to Prevent and Treat Spider Veins

While we may all be affected at some point by spider veins, the good news is that they're not permanent.

If you ask me, spider veins wouldn't sound so bad if they didn't take on an arachnid appearance. I could deal with veins that took on any other critter's appearance, such as a butterfly or a ladybug. I wouldn't even be mad about them, I'd consider them built-in tattoos. When I first discovered spider veins crawling across my own tender haunches, I immediately wondered what it was I did to deserve them. Was it my skinny jeans? Was it my diet? What happened, dagnabit?!

As it turns out, there are plenty of ways one becomes bequeathed with this unwanted leg graffiti. Factors such as age, hormones, genetics, excessive standing, and too much sitting with one's legs crossed all contribute to the presence of spider veins. To prevent spider veins or to stop new ones from forming, taking charge of leg health is the best course of action. Luckily, you have choices in how you prevent and treat spider veins and all are relatively simple.

Preventing Spider Veins

While these methods below may not erase existing spider veins, it can help stave off new ones:

Invest in compression stockings
Exercise more
Keep legs elevated when resting
Maintain a healthy weight

woman walking to prevent spider veins

Treating Spider Veins

If you're looking to banish spider veins altogether, the best course of action is visiting a vein specialist who can perform a procedure called sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy constricts the veins so that no blood can flow through. After a few injections into the problem areas, the legs are then massaged and compression stockings are applied. The compression stockings will need to be worn for up to three weeks and daily walks are required to encourage circulation. After this treatment, spider veins will disappear between three to six weeks. Laser treatments are another method of banishing spider veins, but the downside is that it requires more than one visit and you have to stay out of the sun—not easy to do when you live in a state with over 300 days of sunshine. Compression stockings are also required post-treatment.

There's no need to feel like spider veins are a permanent fixture in your life. It's your body and you have every right to take charge to look and feel your best. That being said, you can erase the issue but you still need to make leg health a priority.

For more information on how you can improve the look and feel of your legs, visit the American Vein & Vascular Institute at americanvein.com.