How Not to Treat Spider Veins – Home vs. Professional Solutions

Telangiectasias or spider veins, as they are also called, represent dilations that affect the small vessels (0.5-1 mm) of the superficial venous system. They are dark blue or purple in color, with a tendency to conglomeration, having the characteristic appearance of a spider web. They can be found at the level of the face (chin, cheeks, nose), but also at the level of the lower limbs, in the upper region of the thighs, at the level of the calves, behind the knee, or around the ankles.

The localization in the lower limbs may suggest a weakened vascular suffering that associates venous hypertension and venous reflux which, over time, can cause the appearance of varicose dilations.

The treatment for spider veins is done only for aesthetic reasons with the help of sclerotherapy (sclerotherapy is a procedure considered a “gold standard” method in treating this condition), minimally invasive intervention performed under local anesthesia in which a very fine needle is inserted into the dilated vein injecting a sclerosing agent that will “close” the vein. Laser therapy can also be used, being more common in addressing the dilations occurring at the face level.

There are also homemade remedies, which many people use, such as washing their feet with cold water, using apple cider vinegar compresses, or eating antioxidants, which improve blood circulation and muscle tone and oxygenate the blood. But like any homemade treatments, they too should be taken into consideration with a certain dose of circumspection and must not replace medical treatment from a Fort Collins interventional radiologist near me.