[valalltogether]

i think thats what these are called. i have two patches on both my inner calves. it really sucks because i didn't think i'd have to deal with this for another 10 years or so..


any tips on how to treat it? i have a feeling its due to my line of work. i do a lot of standing/walking. :\

[Brandis]

There really is nothing you can do to get rid of them besides vein treatments. I have had laser vein removal for some really bad spider veins, and boy does it work! Now that being said: it cost me 400$ for one treatment, and it hurts like ****!!!!! It is recommended to have several treatments before they are all gone, but I got really good results from one treatment, and I did not want to repeat the pain. If you were to go about this, I would recommend doing it when you want to wear pants for about two months, because the veins look really gnarly when they've been treated, as they take time to die off and break down. But the end result was sooo worth it for the ones that were really big. To prevent yourself from getting any more, get some compression stockings and wear them at work. Massage your legs, and prop them up whenever you can. Spider veins or bigger varicose veins are due to blood pooling and damaging the valve-like structures in the vein. They stay dilated from not being able to do their job of getting blood back to the heart. Elevation and compression-repeat.

[Vex]

Here's a repost of something I said previously somewhere else:

I've had both done and here's what I know:

Varicose veins and spider veins are essentially 2 different things in the medical world so it helps to think of them differently. Spider veins are the small purplish veins just below the surface of the skin. They usually aren't bumpy. Varicose veins are larger, usually deeper veins that can be bumpy.

Varicose veins are usually treated by stripping (how I had mine 5 yrs ago) and laser. Sometimes you can get it covered by insurance. Mine was, just talk to the doctor about it. It was odd though, that my insurance would only cover the old style stripping and not the laser. It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be but you'll have to wear compression stockings for awhile. So far, my varicose veins have not reappeared.

Spider veins are usually treated with something called sclerotherapy. That involves having a solution injected into the vein which causes it to collapse and thus disappear. This is usually cosmetic surgery and costs a few hundred dollars. (mine was $200). Call a couple of places as the price varies. It also really isn't that painful and you will have to wear compression stockings.

One thing you don't read too often is that spider veins have a tendency to reappear after a few years. Mine did, so I had another sclero session. It's also highly dependent on the skill of the person doing it and their ability to get the needle into small veins. They sometimes takes up to 4 weeks to fade as well.

I'd definitely do it again, and probably will in another two years, although I'm hoping by losing weight the spiders don't make such a common reappearance.

You can get both procedures done at the same time.

.

[valalltogether]

definitely spider veins..they aren't raised. euugh...the procedure sounds painful and gross. luckily, they aren't very dark or super noticeable, but perhaps i will look into the compression socks?

thanks for all the info

[Vex]

It's really not bad..if you're ok with needles and have a reasonable threshold for pain. Afterwards, they're just itchy.

Make sure the compression stockings you choose are heavyweight medical grade. If you do decide to go ahead with it, I'm sure where ever you get it done can recommend some.

.

[fitness4life]

The only bad thing about treating spider veins is the cost. What a rip off. I'm sure they make 1200% profit.

But it works.

The veins do come back. It's likely genetic.


Hey - anyone know anything about vericose vein treatment? I had that scleroderma (?) treatment years ago - totally successful - but was told that my (sorry if TMI) groin vein could not be treated.

IDK why. Maybe it's proximity to the major artery in the leg? Or that it's literally on my hoochie?

Any ideas?

LOL
I can't believe I just posted that Q.

[Natasha22]

A friend of mine had vericose veins, she had to get surgery. I'm not sure what that implies, but she had to plan it all in advance because I guess the recovery was kind of slow. I do believe is genetic, I know she inherited the condition from her grandmother.