Spider veins (telangiectasia)

Spi­der veins are fine, dila­ted veins just beneath the sur­face of the skin. They appear as red to bluish lines in a web or fan pat­tern, usual­ly on the thighs and lower legs. Medi­cal­ly, they are a form of telang­iec­ta­sia and are con­side­red the mil­dest form of vein disease.

Cau­ses

An inhe­ri­ted weak­ne­ss of the con­nec­ti­ve tis­sue plays a cen­tral role. Hor­mo­n­al influen­ces such as pregnan­cy or the con­tracep­ti­ve pill, pro­lon­ged stan­ding or sit­ting, excess weight and age all make them more likely. On the face, simi­lar dila­ted ves­sels are often lin­ked to rosacea or sun damage.

Sym­ptoms

Spi­der veins rare­ly cau­se sym­ptoms and are main­ly a cos­me­tic con­cern. If hea­vi­ness, swol­len ankles or visi­ble vari­co­se veins are also pre­sent, an under­ly­ing venous insuf­fi­ci­en­cy may be the cause.

Tre­at­ment

Dise­a­se of the lar­ger veins should be ruled out befo­re tre­at­ment. Scl­ero­the­ra­py, in which a scle­ro­sing agent is injec­ted into the small veins, is well estab­lished. Very fine ves­sels can also be trea­ted with laser. Seve­ral ses­si­ons are usual­ly nee­ded, and new spi­der veins may deve­lop over time. Com­pres­si­on sto­ckings and exer­cise help pre­vent them.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Spi­der veins treatment