The techniques most used to treat spider veins are sclerotherapy and/or laser surgery. Both are relatively simple procedures that have great success in removing spider veins.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is the procedure most often used for removing spider veins. This treatment is almost always done on an outpatient basis in a doctor’s office or hospital.
The process is fairly simple: The skin around the spider veins is cleaned with an antiseptic solution. Then the doctor pulls the skin tight around the spider vein area while injecting a saltwater or a chemical solution called a sclerosing agent into the vein. The injected solution causes inflammation, which stops the blood flow within the veins. When blood stops flowing, the veins collapse. The collapsed vein wall seals itself and the vein is absorbed back into the surrounding tissue.
Sclerotherapy requires no anesthetic; pain is minimal due to the thin needle used and the mild sclerosing solution. The procedure takes fifteen minutes to an hour or more, depending on the number and size of the spider veins being treated. Anywhere from five to forty injections are given per treatment session, and it may take two to four sessions to rid the area of spider veins—especially for patients with more extensive spider vein conditions.
Following the injections, the treated area is wrapped in a compressed bandage or stocking, and the patient is sent home. The bandage can be removed after five days. There may be slight itching for a day or two after the treatment owing to a mild release of histamine from the treated blood vessels.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy is fast becoming the preferred treatment for spider veins on the face or spider veins on the legs too small to warrant sclerotherapy. Laser treatments are constantly evolving with faster and safer results. Lasers now being used on spider veins include argon lasers, pulsed-dye lasers, and filtered flash lamp systems. All send a high-intensity laser beam or rapidly pulsating light beam to the spider vein with great accuracy—-destroying the vein--without damaging the surrounding skin. Your cosmetic surgeon will choose which laser is best for your situation.
During the treatment, you will feel a slight pinching or burning sensation as the light energy touches your skin. The blood vessels in the spider vein absorb the light energy, which causes the vein to coagulate, collapse, and in time disappear.
Laser procedures are typically performed in the doctor's office or an outpatient facility or clinic. No anesthesia or bandages are needed.
After surgery, the area is covered with an antibiotic ointment. The doctor may also recommend an ice pack on the treated area to reduce swelling.
The standard laser procedure can take fifteen minutes to an hour, depending on the extent of spider veins being treated. The severity of spider veins also determines how many laser treatments you will need. Laser therapy can also be used in conjuction with sclerotherapy to treat larger spider veins.
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