Halloween is the time to let your imagination run wild. Little ghouls and goblins roam freely through neighborhoods, while scary movies and haunted houses provide lots of screams. Once trick-or-treating passes, things generally return to normal. Unfortunately, there is one lingering horror that may remain once all the costumes and Halloween decorations are put away: those thin blue, purple, and red lines that appear like spider webs running across your legs and feet. Spider veins can be terrifying, but Advanced Vein Therapy offers treatment options to help eliminate them.
Fun Facts About Spider Veins
Spider veins are not quite as scary as they sound, but they can make you want to hide areas where they appear. Generally affecting the legs and feet, they may prevent you from wearing skirts, shorts, sandals, bathing suits, and other revealing attire.
Spider veins get their name from their web-like appearance. Like some creature straight out of a horror movie, they slowly surface below the skin and spread until they cover ample portions of flesh. There is nothing supernatural about spider veins, though. They occur due to damage within the veins that block blood flow and impact circulation. Blood then pools within the veins, causing a blue, red, or purple appearance.
Clients at Advanced Vein Therapy often seek treatment for spider veins for cosmetic reasons. They are unsightly and can make you feel very self-conscious. While they are generally painless and cause no major symptoms, there are cases where complications can arise.
Am I At Risk for Spider Veins?
One of the scariest aspects of Halloween is the fear of the unknown. With spider veins, some factors can put you at a greater risk. These include:
- Your gender: Women are more likely to suffer spider veins than men;
- Your age: Spider veins become more common the older you get;
- Your weight: Being overweight tends to increase your risk of spider veins;
- Your lifestyle: Standing or sitting for long periods of time increases your risks;
- Going through a pregnancy: Spider veins often appear during pregnancy;
- Your family history: If others in your family suffer spider veins, you are generally more likely to experience them as well.
Regardless of factors that may contribute to your spider veins, there is no reason to let these little monsters haunt you or make you feel self-conscious. For clients at AVT, their fears often vanish into thin air once they hear about the fast, relatively painless, highly effective, and proven procedures we offer to treat spider veins.
Getting Help For Spider Veins
At AVT, we rely on sclerotherapy in treating clients with spider veins. It is a safe, minimally invasive procedure that has proven to be one of the most effective treatments for eliminating spider veins and leaving clients with smoother, healthier skin. It involves injecting a foamy, sterile solution into the spider vein, which causes it to shrink. Once it closes, the blood passing through the vein will then be rerouted to other areas, causing the spider vein to disappear.
Our team of trained and highly skilled providers at AVT can generally perform sclerotherapy in as little as 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of veins treated. Here is what to expect after the procedure:
- You will be able to walk out of our office and resume your normal activities immediately. However, you will want to avoid anything overly strenuous;
- You may experience some minor bumps on your legs due to the injections, but these should clear up within two to four hours.
- You will want to wear compression stockings for two weeks after the procedure to promote healing.
- Some clients experience redness in the affected area but provided you follow all instructions; this should disappear within several days.
Depending on the number of spider veins you have and their size, you may need to undergo several treatments before your spider veins are gone.
Banish Spider Veins At AVT
This Halloween, make it your goal to finally face your fears and take the steps needed to banish your spider veins. At AVT, our team of spider vein specialist is here to answer your questions and guide you through the process. To schedule a consultation, contact our Boise office today.