How Can I Get Rid of Tiny Veins on the Face?
Spider veins on the face have multiple causes. For some patients, spider veins result from sun damage. For others, exposure to extreme temperatures produces spider veins. Patients also develop facial spider veins from injuries, like squeezing a pimple or using a harsh exfoliant. And for certain patients, a disease, health condition, or medication generates facial spider veins.
But for many patients, the cause is valve failure in a deeper vein. When a valve fails, blood pressure builds in the vein, generating tiny new branches of spider veins. Book an appointment to determine the cause of your facial spider veins and erase them within minutes! The impetus for all spider veins is excess pressure. With facial veins, the pressure might come from outside or inside the body.
Facial vein damage is more common as people age. Skin thins with age, so veins in the face also become more visible over time. Treating spider veins on the face is quick and gentle when you choose a qualified vein doctor. Lasers, intense pulsed light therapy, or radiofrequency can remove most facial vein damage. But these require a skilled physician to protect the skin and eyes from heat.
Sclerotherapy can also treat certain spider veins in the face. But again, a trained vein doctor is required, to prevent sclerosants from traveling into the wrong vein. Facial skin is more prone to damage and scarring, so choose a board certified vein doctor to prevent these complications.
How Can I Remove Spidery Lines on Legs?
When spider veins develop in the legs, the cause often differs from the cause of facial spider veins. Leg veins pump blood from the feet to the heart. They’re lined with valves that close after blood passes through, to keep blood flowing upward. But these valves are prone to failure, which allows blood to flow in reverse, building pressure inside the vein. Tiny blood vessels branch out from that overburdened vein, creating spider veins in the legs.
This is called Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). It’s more common in leg veins than in other parts of the body, due to the gravitational pull and the burden of body weight on leg veins. So, for spider veins in the legs, the doctor must check for CVI before selecting your spider vein treatment.
Some leg veins respond to the same treatments used on facial veins, like lasers and sclerotherapy. But if the leg vein is caused by CVI, it requires an approach that treats both the spider vein and the CVI. Otherwise, more vein damage will likely develop. These treatment options include endovenous laser ablation, radiofrequency ablation, vein adhesives, mechanochemical ablation, and ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy.
Why Do You Treat Veins on the Body and Face Differently?
Facial veins have less fat and skin protecting them, so they may need a surface method, rather than an endovenous treatment. Facial skin is more delicate, making it more sensitive to heat and more prone to scarring or discoloration. In addition, facial veins run close to arteries, nerves, and the sinus and ophthalmic veins, so special care must be taken with any treatments that penetrate the facial skin.
Veins on the body require precision and expertise as well, and they sometimes require a more in-depth approach. A spider vein at the surface of the leg might stem from valve failure much deeper in the body. So, vein doctors often use ultrasound guidance to locate these valves and treat damage in deeper leg veins.
What Are the Laser, EVLA, RFA, and Sclerotherapy Meanings?
Spider veins don’t require surgery unless there’s another vascular problem. Spider vein treatments are non-invasive or minimally invasive. Here’s what common treatments entail.
- Laser Treatment: Doctors send light through the skin to heat the blood and cauterize the vein.
- Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA): Vein doctors insert a laser fiber into the vein and heat the vein walls, causing scar tissue that closes the vein.
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): Doctors heat the vein walls directly, rather than through the skin. But they use sound waves rather than lasers for RFA.
- Sclerotherapy: Vein specialists inject a sclerosing solution into the vein that irritates it, prompting its closure.
- Vein Adhesives: Vein doctors inject cyanoacrylate glue into the vein to seal it.
- Mechanochemical Ablation: Doctors insert a catheter that spins to weaken vein walls and releases a sclerosant that collapses the vein.
What’s the Best Sclerotherapy Solution?
There are three concentrations for sclerotherapy and several sclerosing solutions. The options are liquid, foam, and pre-mixed foam, and the most common solutions include polidocanol, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, chromated glycerin, and hypertonic saline. The right one depends on the size and location of your vein, as well as any allergies or sensitivities you have.
Allergic reactions to sclerotherapy are rare and typically mild (ie: redness that resolves on its own). Your doctor will discuss this with you to determine the best sclerotherapy solution. In general, foam sclerosants are used for larger veins, while liquid sclerosants are used for smaller veins.
Spider and Varicose Veins vs Stretch Marks: Same Lasers?
Stretch marks, spider veins, and varicose veins can occur simultaneously, but they aren’t treated the same way. For instance, pregnancy can cause stretch marks as well as heightened blood pressure that causes spider veins and varicose veins. But endovenous lasers to treat varicose veins heat the vein’s walls. Surface lasers to treat spider veins heat the blood. And fractional lasers to treat stretch marks heat the skin. Stretch marks might respond to things like moisturizers, and they may improve over time. But veins can’t be treated with moisturizers, and they tend to worsen over time.
Do All Dead Veins Require Collapsed Vein Treatment?
Spider veins and varicose veins aren’t technically dead. But spider veins are essentially dead ends. They don’t carry blood back to the heart. Varicose veins attempt to pump blood to the heart, but they’re inefficient because of venous reflux. Collapsing damaged veins lets doctors reroute blood into healthy veins that pump it to the heart.
Vein treatment isn’t always required. Some people feel better if they wear compression stockings or try natural remedies for spider veins like improving their sedentary lifestyle. Some patients also feel better when they don’t sit or stand for long periods. But these are symptom management tactics, not treatments, and they don’t work for everyone. For most patients, treatment is the best way to create healthy blood circulation.
How Much Is a Varicose Vein Treatment in California?
Spider and varicose vein treatments are routinely covered by insurance if you choose a qualified vein doctor. These physicians can prove the medical necessity of your treatment because they have the diagnostic ultrasound technology to produce images of damaged veins.
They can also prove issues exist in deeper veins, including Chronic Venous Insufficiency. In addition, they use FDA-approved vein treatments that insurance companies recognize. If you choose a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon, your vein treatment might be deemed elective. But with our vein doctors, most patients achieve full coverage, and our treatments take 15 to 30 minutes.
Where Is the Best Leg and Vein Clinic Near Me in CA?
If you’re wondering how to get rid of spider veins, visit the Harvard-trained doctors at our award-winning California vein centers. Our centers are located at 5330 Carroll Canyon Rd. in San Diego, and at 1270 S. Winchester Blvd. in San José.
How Do I Book Leg Vein Removal Near Me in California?
To book a vein appointment, call our San José office at (858) 251-9530, or call our San Diego office at (858) 461-7886. You can also book an appointment online by clicking here. We look forward to restoring your healthy blood circulation.