Spider veins are similar to varicose veins and yet also very different as well. These dilated veins are ones that appear much closer to the top of the skin and are usually red or blue in color rather than green or blue like that of varicose veins. Spider veins are also called such because of the branch like or tree like formation that they create on your legs, arms, face and stomach. Varicose veins primarily happen on your legs, but spider veins can appear just about anywhere on the body. Spider veins appear a lot on older folks, above the age of 50, but they appear on both men and women – just like varicose veins. Spider veins are usually less dangerous than varicose veins, but they can still cause problems that can be annoying like swelling, restlessness in the legs, and throbbing. In some rare cases these spider veins can become really painful and they can cause skin ulcers or blood clots. These ulcers and blood clots can become quite an issue health wise because they can cause other issues like embolism and stroke. Below, you will see a detailed section on symptoms of spider veins, causes, complications, and how to diagnose spider veins among others.
Symptoms Of Spider Veins
Obviously the most apparent sign of spider veins is their web like appearance. But, there are other signs you should also be looking out for when it comes to spider veins such as an uncomfortable feeling in your legs – one or both, swelling in the legs, throbbing, cramping or even aching in the legs, skin ulcers – open sores around the legs, and restless legs. In some instances you can also develop a rash or itching around the veins. Although these symptoms are very bad, there are also other symptoms which will require you to see a doctor as soon as possible and they include; spider veins that bleed, change of color or viscosity on the skin of your legs, leg pain and aching that doesn’t go away with in a days time, or if your veins are very warm or tender to the touch.
Causes Of Spider Veins
Causes of spider veins will vary, this isn’t just 1 or 2 causes, but rather there are many reasons why you might have them or you might get them, and they include; aging – people over the age of 50 tend to get these more. Family history, especially on your mothers’ side of the family. Hormonal changes and taking estrogen, for example if you are having hormonal changes due to pregnancy, puberty or you are taking a hormonal replacement therapy you have a better chance of getting spider veins. Other causes include; wearing girdles, wearing tight clothes all the time, wearing high heels, standing or sitting for too long of a time, obesity and of course exposure to the sun for too long of a time.
Complications Of Spider Veins
Some times when you have spider veins, they can just be unsightly and unattractive. Other times though, they can cause major issues health wise such as skin ulcers. These happen when the vein doesn’t drain the blood inside of them and your skin gets deprived of oxygen. These can become incredibly harmful, painful and difficult to treat. Another issue is phlebitis which is an inflammation of the vein which is usually caused by a blood clot. And if that wasn’t bad enough you can also get an embolism in which the blood clot breaks off and travels up to the heart and can cause stroke or death. The last complication is thrombosis or deep vein thrombosis which can also cause death if not taken care of.
Diagnosing Spider Veins
For tests regarding spider veins your doctor will most likely use one of two diagnostic tests to see how your blood flows and if you have blood clots. The first test is using an ultrasound which uses things like sound waves to create internal images of the structure of your legs. The second option is a venogram which actually use x-rays or radio frequencies as a way to create images of your veins to see how well the blood is flowing and the structure of the veins.
For the most part if you aren’t experiencing any of the symptoms above, you don’t really need to take any further steps to fixing them because they are not causing pain or are uncomfortable. However, if you are getting a lot of pain, aching, itchiness or other more severe issues, The problem will need to be taken care of. You have a few options available to you. The first one is compression stockings or compressions socks, these put pressure on your legs and ankles to help relieve discomfort and help the blood flow more evenly. The second option is Sclerotherapy; this uses a common treatment to remove troublesome veins like spider veins and varicose veins by essentially injecting a chemical compound into the veins. The veins then get sealed shut and over time they become scars and then scar tissue, and eventually fade away. Laser treatments are another option by which a laser sends bright bursts of light into the skin and the veins which make the veins fade away. Lastly, and the least common is surgery. Surgery is sort of a last ditch effort to remove unsightly and painful veins whereby all of the other options didn’t work or didn’t help.
Symptoms Of Spider Veins
Obviously the most apparent sign of spider veins is their web like appearance. But, there are other signs you should also be looking out for when it comes to spider veins such as an uncomfortable feeling in your legs – one or both, swelling in the legs, throbbing, cramping or even aching in the legs, skin ulcers – open sores around the legs, and restless legs. In some instances you can also develop a rash or itching around the veins. Although these symptoms are very bad, there are also other symptoms which will require you to see a doctor as soon as possible and they include; spider veins that bleed, change of color or viscosity on the skin of your legs, leg pain and aching that doesn’t go away with in a days time, or if your veins are very warm or tender to the touch.
Causes Of Spider Veins
Causes of spider veins will vary, this isn’t just 1 or 2 causes, but rather there are many reasons why you might have them or you might get them, and they include; aging – people over the age of 50 tend to get these more. Family history, especially on your mothers’ side of the family. Hormonal changes and taking estrogen, for example if you are having hormonal changes due to pregnancy, puberty or you are taking a hormonal replacement therapy you have a better chance of getting spider veins. Other causes include; wearing girdles, wearing tight clothes all the time, wearing high heels, standing or sitting for too long of a time, obesity and of course exposure to the sun for too long of a time.
Complications Of Spider Veins
Some times when you have spider veins, they can just be unsightly and unattractive. Other times though, they can cause major issues health wise such as skin ulcers. These happen when the vein doesn’t drain the blood inside of them and your skin gets deprived of oxygen. These can become incredibly harmful, painful and difficult to treat. Another issue is phlebitis which is an inflammation of the vein which is usually caused by a blood clot. And if that wasn’t bad enough you can also get an embolism in which the blood clot breaks off and travels up to the heart and can cause stroke or death. The last complication is thrombosis or deep vein thrombosis which can also cause death if not taken care of.
Diagnosing Spider Veins
For tests regarding spider veins your doctor will most likely use one of two diagnostic tests to see how your blood flows and if you have blood clots. The first test is using an ultrasound which uses things like sound waves to create internal images of the structure of your legs. The second option is a venogram which actually use x-rays or radio frequencies as a way to create images of your veins to see how well the blood is flowing and the structure of the veins.
For the most part if you aren’t experiencing any of the symptoms above, you don’t really need to take any further steps to fixing them because they are not causing pain or are uncomfortable. However, if you are getting a lot of pain, aching, itchiness or other more severe issues, The problem will need to be taken care of. You have a few options available to you. The first one is compression stockings or compressions socks, these put pressure on your legs and ankles to help relieve discomfort and help the blood flow more evenly. The second option is Sclerotherapy; this uses a common treatment to remove troublesome veins like spider veins and varicose veins by essentially injecting a chemical compound into the veins. The veins then get sealed shut and over time they become scars and then scar tissue, and eventually fade away. Laser treatments are another option by which a laser sends bright bursts of light into the skin and the veins which make the veins fade away. Lastly, and the least common is surgery. Surgery is sort of a last ditch effort to remove unsightly and painful veins whereby all of the other options didn’t work or didn’t help.