Spider veins are small veins in the legs that become twisted and swollen. They’re quite common as people age, become pregnant, or gain weight, and especially among women. While spider veins are mostly harmless unless they develop into larger varicose veins, they aren’t the most desirable looking things to get on one’s legs, sticking out in colors of red, blue, and purple. They also get their name from the shapes they take on: forming into what looks like a spider-web. Even though they’re mostly harmless, they also can become quite itchy, which can disrupt every day life. Are spider veins preventable?
What Causes Spider Veins?
In order to prevent spider veins from occurring, it’s important to know what causes them in the first place. Spider veins are a result of decreased blood flow to your veins. It occurs because valves are damaged or blocked, preventing the proper blood flow to an area. This blood flow is required to carry blood down to the legs and then back up to the heart. When this is clogged, the blood leaks out to the vein, causing it to weaken and grow larger with blood.
The most common causes of spider veins are:
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sun exposure
- Leg injury
- Genetics
- Prolonged standing
If you know that you are genetically prone to spider veins, it’s especially important to learn ways that you can prevent them from occurring.
Are Spider Veins Preventable?
The most common and effective way to prevent spider veins is to maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine. Obesity is one of the leading causes of spider veins and varicose veins, but if a healthy diet and a regular amount of exercise are practiced, you can avoid this happenstance altogether.
Unfortunately, with pregnancy there isn’t much you can do but try to maintain a healthy weight for you and your baby and apply specialized lotion that helps build elasticity in the skin.
If you’re someone who likes to be out in the sun often, make sure you’re wearing proper clothing and sunscreen to prevent spider veins and other skin problems.
Some of us can’t help the fact that our jobs require us to stand for long periods of time, however, there are ways to help. Make sure you’re wearing proper footwear that gives you plenty of support to be on your feet all day. Another way to prevent spider veins is to make sure you’re stretching throughout the day.
Dr. Oz also suggests elevating your legs to prevent spider veins. This helps drain the blood back to your heart and takes a bit of pressure off your legs.
Spider Vein Treatment
If you do end up with spider veins there are ways to treat them and prevent further ones from occurring or your current ones from getting worse. Following the prevention list mentioned above is a good place to start, but you can also wear compression socks or seek out spider vein treatment from your Los Angeles cardiologist.
Beverly Hills Vein Center offers a specialized laser spider vein removal procedure to remove the veins and take care of any other problematic varicose veins. This process re-opens compressed veins by stunting them with either radio frequency ablations, laser vein removal, or foam ablation. Then either the process of sclerotherapy or microphlebectomy is used to remove the spider veins.
If you suffer from spider veins, there are options out there to get you back to your normal self. Don’t hesitate to call a professional, like BHVC, today to receive a consultation.