Spider Veins (Blue Veins)
Small broken blue blood vessels on the face or legs can be referred to as spider veins. These are slightly different to the red broken blood vessels that can be seen also on the face and legs, (telangiectasia veins). The treatment for these is normally ip/laser or diathermy. All of these treatments are available at the skin nurse clinic.
Spider veins are not varicose veins which are swollen and enlarged veins. They appear as small clusters of blue veins on the skin’s surface. These mostly strike on the face, body & legs & are very common, especially in ladies.
What can you do to reduce the appearance of them?
The first step in the right direction is to book in for a consultation with our dermatology nurse . We will carry out a full skin assessment using our state of the art Foto-finder skin assessment camera. Your pulses in your legs and feet will be checked. You may be referred to a vascular surgeon for some further tests if we feel that varicose veins are an issue. It is advised to treat these first as the blue veins can be a side effect of the varicose veins and will only return after treatment.
At the Skin Nurse Clinic we treat spider veins on the legs by a simple, effective procedure called sclerotherapy. A sclerosing agent, which is a medical solution, is injected directly into these broken veins using a very fine needle. The liquid irritates the lining of the thread vein, provoking the walls of the vein to attach together. Blood stops flowing through the leg veins, and they collapse. Then, over a period of 2-4 weeks, the residue is absorbed by the body’s natural defense mechanism. Over the course of 6 sclerotherapy treatments, unwanted leg veins will improve significantly.
It is recommended to wear compression stockings after the treatment for optimal results.
*DISCLAIMER Patient experience and results may vary. These are dependent on various factors such as lifestyle, age, and medical history.