Have you ever noticed those twisty blue veins, particularly on your legs? They’re called spider veins, and they can be damaging to your self-esteem.

Spider veins sometimes come with varicose veins, their larger and bulgier cousins. These can be even more unsightly, but, worse than that, these can even be painful.

What Causes These?

The short answer is that these prominent veins are caused by blood pooling.

The longer answer is that your veins can’t pump blood back to the heart quite as efficiently as they should. What causes that? A number of things actually.

Aging may simply have weakened the elasticity of your veins, thus inhibiting the ability of the valves to pump blood. A similar effect can be caused by hormonal changes in your body — in fact, often times these veins can be associated with pregnancy.

Varicose veins and spider veins have also been associated with being overweight. Increased pressure from visceral fat dilates the veins, obstructing blood flow back to your heart.

How to Treat Them?

If venous insufficiency are the reason behind your spider veins and varicose veins, there are some at home treatments you can do to mitigate them. Wearing compression garments or elevating your feet can help.

Compression socks improve circulation, while elevating your feet means the blood pooling in your feet doesn’t have to fight against gravity.

A more permanent option is sclerotherapy. Counterintuitively, the way these veins are treated is actually by… closing them off.

A saltwater solution is injected into the vein, leading to its scarring and eventual closure, which then leads to a rerouting of your blood through more efficient routes.

Interested in getting rid of your spider veins or varicose veins but not sure if sclerotherapy is the right treatment for you?

If you want to know more, call the Vein Center of Maryland to schedule an appointment. We are conveniently located in Westminster, Eldersburg, Baltimore, Hunt Valley and Bel Air.