Vein Treatment
Spider veins, or telangiectasias, are the small thin clusters of blue, red or purple veins, close to the surface of the skin that commonly appear on the legs and face. Spider veins are connected to the deep venous system, however these surface veins are of no benefit. They can be caused by heredity, hormones, weight gain, trauma, prolonged standing or even certain medications. The veins can appear as a true spider shape, dark in the center surrounded by smaller vessels radiating out from it, tiny branch like shapes or simple linear lines. Symptoms associated with the veins range from aching and burning to swelling and cramping, often at night.
Varicose veins are larger than the spider veins, usually bluish in color and tend to protrude or bulge. The bulging occurs as a result of incompetent valves inside the veins. Inside each vein are valves that help to compartmentalize the blood in the extremities. Compartmentalizing the blood enables the body to be able to control the flow and as the heart pumps it pushes small amount through each compartment. This function is necessary to avoid the blood rushing to the lower extremities. When the valves become damaged they allow more blood into the next space, causing that area to expand. The expansion increases over time and begins to bulge, thus causing the vein to move closer to the surface. The causes of can be related to a venous disorder, heredity, hormones, trauma or prolonged standing.
It is estimated that over 50% of females have some type of spider or varicose vein dilemma. There is no cure for spider and varicose veins and there is no way to prevent new ones from appearing. Treatment modalities are designed to eliminate existing veins, assist with symptom relief and to keep new ones from progressing into the larger unsightly veins. Treatments for removing veins range from minor in office procedures such as sclerotherapy and lasers which range in cost from $200- $1000 per visit to surgical procedures that include vein stripping, ligations and phlebectomy. The cost of these surgical procedures will depend on the surgeon and facility.
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