Spider Vein Treatment in Las Vegas: All You Need to Know
Spider veins are as disturbing as varicose veins. They are smaller and less harmful, yet not very easy to live with. They are not as big as varicose veins but the web-like lines are very visible. The red and blue lines that appear underneath the skin are often a cause for panic. But the good news is that spider vein treatment in Las Vegas is simple and effective.
What are spider veins?
Spider veins are also known as telangiectasias. They are accumulations of tiny blood vessels that develop close to the skin’s surface. They look like spiderwebs. They appear as red, blue or purple lines on the face, hands, and legs.
How can you differentiate between spider veins and varicose veins?
Spider veins appear as tiny red or blue lines. They are about 1 mm in size. Spider veins look a web just below the surface of your skin.
Varicose veins, on the other hand, are twisted and bulge under the skin. They can be seen and felt and are in color. Spider veins are mostly always painless. They do not cause leg swelling and do not lead to other health problems.
Varicose veins can cause a feeling of heaviness, discomfort or leg swelling. They can lead to more serious health conditions. Varicose veins are usually found in the legs while spider veins are common on both the legs and face.
What causes spider veins?
Veins take deoxygenated blood back to the heart. To stop blood from flowing back, veins have a one-way valve that closes once blood passes through it.
Weakened and damaged valves make it harder for blood flow in the right direction. Blood begins to pool inside the vein. Causing a protruding bulge in the vein over time. This is called spider veins.
Some conditions make it easier for spider veins to occur. These include:
- Pregnancy: This is caused by increased pressure on the legs from extra weight of fetus and increased blood circulation.
- Aging: Valves age as we grow old and become more likely to lose their strength.
- Obesity: Extra body weight puts the legs under pressure.
- Gender: Women are more likely to develop spider veins than men.
- Standing/sitting for long hours at work: It is harder to pump blood upwards when you stay in one position.
- Hereditary factors: If someone in the family has it, you are probably going to have it too.
- Hormones: Hormonal treatments and birth control increases chances of spider veins appearing
What causes spider veins on legs?
Unhealthy valves inside feeder veins in the leg cause spider veins. They allow blood to flow backward instead of upwards toward the heart. Some of this blood leads to non-functional veins that show below the surface of the skin as spider veins.
How does spider veins treatment work?
Spider vein treatment works in different ways. But the basic thing that happens in all spider veins treatment is closing off the vein causing it to collapse. After this, the scar tissue forms and stops the blood flow completely.
Blood flow is rerouted through healthy veins. All spider vein treatments are done through small micro punctures in the skin. They are semi-invasive procedures and require only a local anesthesia. You can get back to your normal activities after it is done.
Types of treatment options for spider veins
Spider veins can be treated in a number of ways. You might not get an effective spider vein treatment from home remedies. Creams and apple cider vinegar do not work as well as the following medical procedures:
- Sclerotherapy
- Radiofrequency ablation therapy (RFA)
- Clarivein (MOCA)
- Venaseal
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is a procedure in which the patient is injected with a solution. This solution irritates the lining of the blood vessel, making it collapse and stick together. The blood clots, making it close up. This causes blood to pass through healthier veins instead.
Safety
It is a safe procedure. Anesthesia is not required. It is a less invasive and risky option than surgery. The procedure has to be carried out several times before the spider veins disappear. It takes about 3-6 weeks for spider veins to fade away.
The possible side effects of Sclerotherapy include:
- Allergic reactions to the sclerosing agent.
- The skin around the injection site becomes ulcerated
- Treated veins form blood clots
- Discomfort from mild inflammation at the injection site
Cost
Sclerotherapy treatments for spider veins are not covered under medical insurance and are cash procedures. However if there are spider veins on the surface of the skin, there is usually an underlying issue. At Alpha Vein Clinic the underlying issue can be found and diagnosed and then be treated under your medical insurance. Which would in long term prevent the spider veins from appearing again. Those treatments include: RFA, MOCA and Venaseal.
Radiofrequency ablation therapy
Radiofrequency ablation therapy is basically the same procedure as the Endovenous laser ablation. Instead of lasers, radiofrequency is used to heat the veins causing scar tissue to form. The veins close up and blood flow moves in the right direction.
Radiofrequency ablation therapy is safe and takes about an hour. It requires local anesthesia.
Side effects may include:
- Redness
- Bruising
- Itching
- Swelling
- Permanent skin tone changes
Cost
Radiofrequency ablation therapy is covered with almost all NON-HMO insurances.
Clarivein (MOCA)
Mechanical Occlusion with Chemical Assistance also known as Clarivein is a procedure that treats spider veins by using a rotating fiber with a blunt end that gently and quickly spins in the interior of veins. This agitates the lining and then a chemical used to treat veins is then injected in to assist in the closure of the abnormal vein.
Clarivein is safe and does not require anesthesia. The procedure takes about 20 minutes.
The possible side effects of Clarivein (MOCA) are
- Burning sensation in calves/thighs
- Allergic reaction to sclerosant
- Soreness
- Skin discoloration around injection area
- Blood clot formation
Cost
Clarivein (MOCA) treatments for spider veins are covered by most non-HMO insurance.
Venaseal
Venaseal procedure for treating spider veins uses a medical adhesive to close up affected veins. The blood is then rerouted to healthy veins.
The Venaseal procedure last for only 30 minutes. It does not require anesthesia and is a safe procedure.
Possible side effects are
- Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot)
- Hematoma
- Hyperpigmentation
- Bleeding from the injection site
- Allergic reaction to the medical adhesive
- Sensations of numbness or tingling
- Ulceration at the injection site
- Blood clot formation
- Edema
- Visible scarring
How long does spider vein treatment last?
The length of a spider vein treatment depends on the severity of your spider veins as well as the number. Sclerotherapy itself takes a few minutes. Radiofrequency ablation therapy takes up to an hour.
You may need to have more than one treatment session. This depends on the number of spider veins you have and your response to treatment.
How long does it take to see the final results after spider vein treatment?
A sclerotherapy treatment takes about 3-6 weeks to become effective. It is much faster than Radiofrequency ablation therapy, MOCA and Venaseal, but the downside is that they will reoccur. That is why sclerotherapy treatment is not recommended. It is best to diagnose and fix the underlying problem.
Side effects and precautions
All procedures to treat spider veins have side effects. To avoid nasty side effects, take the following precautions. Go to a doctor that specializes in vein treatments.
Make sure you give your doctor your medical history. Also, make sure you provide a list of all the medication you are using.
What are the main side effects of spider vein treatment?
- Swelling: Wearing compression socks and taking anti-inflammatory drugs will take care of the swelling.
- Allergic reactions: Some patients may be allergic to the solution used during sclerotherapy. Inform your doctor of any allergic reaction you have had in the past.
- Skin discoloration: Some areas of skin will darken after the treatment. But this discoloration usually fades with time,
- Tender lumps and bumps: Use a warm compress on areas that are painful, hard, swollen, or warm to the touch.
- Pain: Needle pricks hurt so it is best that you go to an experienced doctor that can insert them without a lot of pain.
- Dizziness: In rare cases, air bubbles escape into the bloodstream from the needle. This causes dizziness, nausea, and headaches.
- Infection: An infection might occur from the needle if it is contaminated.
What should you look out for after undergoing spider vein treatment in Las Vegas?
Here are some things you need to keep a check on after undergoing spider vein procedure in Las Vegas
- Persistent dizziness and headache
- Problems with limb movement or sensation
- Inflammation or swelling
- Persistent bleeding from the injected site
If you notice any of these, go back to see your doctor.
Why is it important to wear compression stockings after spider vein treatment?
Most Spider vein treatments are successful. But that does not mean that the spider veins cannot resurface. This is why compression stockings are important.
Compression stockings are tight-fitting stretchy socks which cover the legs.Compression socks are tighter at the bottom than they are at the top, forcing the blood upwards and makes it harder for it to pool.
Here is why compression socks come in handy after procedures to remove spider veins.
- Compression stockings reduce pain and bruising
- Compression socks help push blood up through the veins.
- compression socks effectively limit the reversal of blood flow through the valves
- Compression socks stop the formation of dangerous blood clots.
After spider vein treatment, blood vessels fade over several months. But they may not disappear completely. Try to regularly use compression socks if your doctor prescribes them, to direct blood flow in the right direction. This will reduce the chances of spider veins appearing underneath your skin.
Final words
Spider veins are undoubtedly a very disturbing condition to live with. Sclerotheraphy has been used to treat spider veins for years. But we can advanced technology to treat the underlying causes of spider veins.
Make sure that you consult a reputed spider vein treatment specialist in Las Vegas regarding your conditions.
Here at the Alpha Vein Clinic, we want to make sure that you receive the treatment your condition calls for. For more information about the treatment or the condition, give us a call at (702) 233-6661 and we can help you set up an appointment.