Veins are something that bother people both young and old and come in many shapes and sizes. Some Blue, Some Red we just want to get rid of them. Lets say, whiten them out.
A big misconception with Veins is what causes them. And when we speak of them, we are talking of two main types of veins, spider veins and varicose veins. We all have heard the stories about spider veins being caused by high heel shoes and crossing your legs. Well, none of these things have been established as the etiology of spider veins. For that matter, their really hasn't been any real evidence to suggest what causes them. On the other hand, varicose veins have been studied thoroughly and a cause for them has been well established.
Varicose veins occur when the valves inside the veins break and backward flow occurs. Thus, instead of allowing the blood to flow back to the heart, the blood stagnates in the legs and causes a constellation of symptoms from leg swelling, pain, heaviness, and restless leg syndrome to discoloration of the ankle and even ulcerations.
Varicose veins are the large bulging veins that can occur on your legs. Most people don't realize that they can cause serious medical issues and that most insurance companies cover the treatment of them. While others just don't understand the difference between varicose veins and spider veins. Spider veins are typically flat and have a color to them that is either blueish purple or red while varicosities appear more as green veins that bulge upon standing.
We are more technologically savvy these days with an array of minimally invasive techniques to treat these problems. Ten years ago we were doing vein stripping which involved being in the hospital for surgery and a lengthy recovery including weeks of healing. Whereas we can now accomplish a better and safer result with a 20-30 minute minimally invasive in-office procedure using either a laser or a Radiofrequency ablation device. Post-procedure, patients are able to get back to their normal activities the evening of the procedure.
Spider veins are also being treated more effectively with less side effects and more safety. We have two agents at our disposal to treat them now, both FDA approved. Sotradecol and asclera, both work very well at eradicating spider veins.