Spider veins on your skin are annoying, but rarely dangerous. If they bother you enough, you can opt to have them removed by a specialist, such as Dr. Sergei Sobolevsky at the Downtown Vein & Vascular Center in Brooklyn. Spider veins may make you feel self-conscious about your appearance, but treatment is safe and effective. Call today to schedule a consultation.
What Are Spider Veins?
Spider veins are small clusters of discolored reticular veins which appear reddish, bluish or purplish and are visible through the skin. The twisted veins have a spider’s web or tree branch appearance and mostly affect your legs and face. While spider veins don’t hurt, the twisted appearance may affect your self-image and make you self-conscious.
These disfigured veins are believed to result from malfunctioning valves in feeder veins, resulting in a backward flow of blood. The backed-up blood causes these non-functional veins that appear through your skin. Spider vein treatment requires the best vein doctor.
Dr. Sergei Sobolevsky, an endovascular specialist at the Downtown Vein & Vascular Center in Brooklyn, has more than 24 years’ experience treating vein conditions including spider veins.
He and his team treat a range of vascular conditions, including:
What Causes Spider Veins?
Various factors contribute to the development of small, visible veins near the surface of the skin.
Doctors have identified risk factors for the venous condition including:
- Obesity or being overweight. Being overweight or experiencing weight fluctuation exerts excessive pressure on veins leading to damaged valves.
- Advancing age. With age, you experience greater wear and tear on vein valves, resulting in poor blood flow and pooling in feeder veins.
- The risk of spider veins is higher if you come from a family with a history of the vein condition.
- Specific types of jobs. Working in jobs that require long hours of standing or sitting.
- Hormonal changes. Hormonal influences in women during pregnancy and menopause.
- Birth control drugs. Use of birth control pills, which may affect hormonal levels.
- Hormone-based treatments. Hormone replacement after menopause may lead to a high risk of spider veins.
- Smoking cigarettes. Long-term use of tobacco increases the risk of vascular conditions.
- Local trauma. Injury to your body may lead to the development of spider veins.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE). A personal history of VTE.
At your initial visit to the clinic, the best vein doctor examines you, performing any necessary tests to reach a diagnosis. Once the cause of your visible surface veins has been identified, you’ll be presented with options for their removal. The top vein specialist at the Downtown Vein & Vascular Center is an endovascular expert with years of experience.
Dr. Sobolevsky was both friendly and professional during my vein treatment. He took the time to explain everything to me and answered all of my questions. I would highly recommend him for anyone seeking vein treatment.
Verified Tyler K.Should I Worry about Spider Veins?
Spider veins may not be a serious medical condition, but you can’t ignore it either. The best vein specialist in New York City offers effective treatment to address your venous issues, but even the best doctor can’t stop other spider veins from appearing in the future.
Reasons to worry about include:
- Spider vein appearance affects your self-image.
- Visible veins on legs, and especially spider veins on face areas, make you overly conscious and lead to low self-esteem.
- Spider veins may be associated with a more serious underlying dysfunction of superficial or deep veins. They may even signal the presence of dangerous blood clots. It’s especially concerning if pain, tenderness, swelling, sores and ulcers are also present in the affected area.
A doctor uses advanced diagnostics and treatment procedures for the treatment of vein conditions. The most appropriate treatment can successfully eliminate your veins.
“Spider veins are a common cosmetic problem but can also be a sign of underlying vein disease. If you have spider veins, seeing an experienced doctor for a diagnosis and discussing treatment options is important.” – Dr. Sergei Sobolevsky, MD, Leading Specialist in Endovascular Medicine
What’s the Best Treatment for Spider Veins in Brooklyn, New York?
Spider veins treatment has come a long way and vein specialists today use advanced techniques, such as sclerotherapy or laser treatment, to remove veins. Dr. Sobolevsky and his team knows how to get rid of spider veins.
The most common spider vein treatments include:
- Sclerotherapy for spider veins. The best vein specialist injects a solution into each affected vein. The vein collapses and clears over time.
- Laser spider vein removal. Special targeted laser treatments use laser energy to destroy your spider veins.
Additionally, removing spider veins is often combined with treatments for underlying varicose veins, including:
- Endovenous laser ablation. Using laser energy, your doctor closes dysfunctional varicose veins.
- Endovenous radiofrequency ablation. Using radiofrequency sound wave energy, your doctor targets and destroys the offending veins.
- Vascular embolization. For this procedure, an endovascular specialist blocks the blood supply to an affected vein to destroy it.
- Ambulatory phlebotomy. Your doctor uses this procedure to remove superficial bulging veins, but this procedure isn’t often used for spider veins.
Vein specialist always selects the most appropriate methodology for your particular case, based on your symptoms and their severity. An early diagnosis leads to more effective treatment for spider vein removal, so don’t wait to get treated.
How Can I Prevent Spider Veins?
To learn how to prevent the appearance of small, visible veins, visit a top vein specialist.
Most doctors recommend common-sense tips to prevent spider veins, especially if you tend to get them, such as:
- Get regular exercise to promote a healthy blood flow
- Change your diet to include more fiber and less salt, sugar and processed foods
- Avoid inactivity by taking breaks to stretch
- Elevate your legs to ease the strain on your veins
- Wear compression stockings as needed to support blood flow and decrease the pressure in your veins
- Avoid soaking in hot baths for long periods of time
Published Data
Spider Veins – Prevalence, Common Causes, Treatments
The table displays the prevalence of superficial vein conditions by age and gender. It also shows the most common causes and treatments.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Age | Most common in people between the ages of 30 and 70 |
| Sex | Women are more likely to develop spider veins than men |
| Causes | Spider veins can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, pregnancy, obesity, standing for long periods of time, and varicose veins |
| Types of treatments | Endovenous laser ablation (EVLT), Foam sclerotherapy, Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy, Microphlebectomy, Sclerotherapy |
Treatments – Satisfaction Rate
The table presents satisfaction rate of common spider vein treatments.
| Treatment | Success Rate (Percentage) |
|---|---|
| Endovenous laser ablation (EVLT) | 95-98% |
| Foam sclerotherapy | 85-95% |
| Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy | 70-80% |
| Microphlebectomy | 90-95% |
| Sclerotherapy | 70-90% |
* It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of treatments with your local specialist before you decide to have any procedures done.
References:
- Darren P. Sandean; Ryan Winters. Spider Veins.
PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563218/ - Mirsad Mujadzic, MD, Edmond F. Ritter, MD, and Kenna S. Given, MD, FACS. A Novel Approach for the Treatment of Spider Veins. Aesthet Surg J. 2015 Sep; 35(7): NP221–NP229.
Wikidoc: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4551823/ - Kathleen Gibson, Krissa Gunderson. Liquid and Foam Sclerotherapy for Spider and Varicose Veins. Surg Clin North Am. 2018 Apr;98(2):415-429.
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29502781/ - Rokea A El-Azhary, Jolleen A Weick. Sclerotherapy of spider veins using the accurate depth-gauge collagen needle. Int J Dermatol.
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18211501/
You’re a good candidate for spider vein treatment if they affect your body image, especially in public. To get the best treatment that leads to spider veins removal, contact Dr. Sobolevsky today. He and his team treat many vein conditions at their facility in Downtown Brooklyn, serving all Brooklyn and New York City.
Downtown Vein Treatment Center
480 Court Street, Ste 101
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 787-5559
