Spider Veins Specialist

What are spider veins?

Spider veins are the thin bluish visible veins that appear under your skin. Many people consider their spider veins a cosmetic concern, but these visible veins are also a sign of an underlying vein disorder.

Even small spider veins, also known as telangiectasia, are symptoms of an underlying circulation problem in your veins. In fact, the medium visible veins that criss-cross your legs, known as reticular vein disease, may feed the overlying spider veins. 

However, unlike the medium and large veins (varicose veins), spider veins may appear anywhere on your body, including your face, arms, and legs. 

The team at STL Vein & Cosmetics specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vein and vascular conditions. If you have spider veins, they can help you understand the underlying cause of the visible veins and provide treatments to get rid of them. 

What are the symptoms of spider veins?

In addition to affecting the look of your skin, spider veins may cause physical symptoms. Common symptoms of spider veins include:

• Leg pain
• Heaviness or aching in your legs
• Leg cramping
• Restlessness 
• Itchy skin

Vein disease progresses slowly, and the physical symptoms may go unnoticed or be dismissed as a normal part of the aging process.

Spider veins, however, are signs of a circulation problem that may lead to more serious health issues such as leg ulcers or stasis dermatitis. 

What happens during an evaluation for spider veins?

The STL Vein & Cosmetics team conducts a comprehensive evaluation when you come in looking for help for your spider veins. They review your medical and family history and perform a physical exam.

They closely examine your spider veins and run a vascular ultrasound to assess your circulation to look for signs of vein disease, if needed. 

How are spider veins treated?

Sclerotherapy is the treatment of choice for spider veins and reticular veins. It involves an injection of a chemical sclerosant into the vein, which causes the vein to close and disappear over time. Your body then reroutes blood circulation through healthy veins. 

The vein and vascular experts at STL Vein & Cosmetics offer visual sclerotherapy to treat spider veins. During visual sclerotherapy, your provider injects the medication into the visible veins they can see at the surface of your skin. 

For the best results, the team at STL Vein & Cosmetics recommends a series of sclerotherapy treatments over a 2-3 month period. 

Call STL Vein & Cosmetics for expert care of your spider veins, or book an appointment online today.