If you suffer from varicose veins and spider veins, you are not alone. It is estimated that nearly one in four people in this country experience some form of leg vein disorder during their lifetime. While vein problems such as varicose veins and spider veins are not related to artery problems such as those that cause heart disease, abnormal leg veins can affect your health and self-image.

For many people, varicose veins and spider veins are simply a cosmetic concern. For others, varicose veins can cause aching pain and discomfort. Sometimes the condition leads to more serious problems, such as skin ulcers and blood clots. Varicose veins may also signal a higher risk of other disorders of the circulatory system.

Anyone, male or female, can develop spider veins or varicose veins. There are however certain risk factors that can make varicose and spider veins more likely to form.

• The tendency toward vein problems can run in families.
• Women often develop varicose and spider veins during pregnancy.
• Those with jobs that keep one on your feet or sitting at a desk all day can contribute as well.
• Other factors include lack of exercise, injury, and hormonal changes.

Understanding the roles of exercise, diet, and hormones can minimize your risk and control progression; but if varicose and spider veins are already a problem, modern techniques have made treatment of this common condition more effective and safer than ever before.

• Microphlebectomy Vein Treatment
• Sclerotherapy Vein Treatment
• Endovenous Laser Vein Therapy (ELVeS™)
• Radiofrequency Vein Closure
• Surgical Stripping & Vein Ligation

Whether you desire cosmetic improvement or relief of symptoms, the information contained in this site should give you a better sense of your condition and the current treatments available but is no substitute for a consultation.

Download a PDF brochure:
Vein Treatments for Varicose and Spider Veins (English)
Vein Treatments for Varicose and Spider Veins (Spanish)

HOW DO VEINS WORK?

Blood flows through a system of blood vessels – veins, which carry blood from the organs and limbs to the heart, and arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

To get from the feet and legs to the heart, blood has to flow upward. The action of the calf and thigh muscles helps pump blood upward against gravity. Valves (small flaps inside the veins) open to let the blood through then close to hold it in place. When these valves fail to work properly varicose and spider veins occur.

Most varicose veins are due to elevated pressure within the vein, causing veins to widen and stretch, ultimately affecting valve function. In some cases there can be an inborn weakness of vein walls and varicose veins can develop even in the absence of elevated venous pressure. For the majority, if you have varicose or spider veins, chances are your mother or father probably had them too.

Spider Veins: When tiny blood vessels just below the skin’s surface dilate, they can be seen easily. Clusters of spider veins can even look like a bruise. Spider vein can form due to heredity, injury, pregnancy, or hormonal changes. These veins are generally not harmful, but their appearance can make you self-conscious. In rare cases, these vessels can bleed, causing more serious problems.

Varicose Veins: When a vein is dilated or its valves are damaged, blood moves in the wrong direction, causing the leg to ache and swell, feel tired, heavy, or full. Problems with the saphenous veins can harm the side veins that drain into them causing the smaller veins to dilate and become varicose too. Varicose veins can cause bleeding, changes in skin color, and ulcers. If blood clots in a varicose vein, the vein walls can become inflamed (also known as superificial thrombophlebitis). Sudden pain, redness, or swelling in the affected area may result.