Superficial blood vessels can appear, for example, on the face and legs. They are easy to remove with IPL and other treatment methods. The process is painless and takes just a few hours.
Superficial blood vessels on the legs are called spider veins. They should not be confused with varicose veins, as they are not the same thing, although they may look similar. Spider veins, unlike varicose veins, do not cause discomfort other than being unsightly to look at. Many people are bothered by having spider veins, i.e., superficial blood vessels on the legs, because they do not look attractive, and therefore want to remove them. This is possible. There are effective treatments that remove superficial blood vessels on the legs.
What are spider veins?
Spider veins, visible blood vessels, or, as the medical term goes, telangiectasias. A beloved child has many names, as the saying goes. They are small but visible capillaries that are shaped a bit like a spider's web in shades of purple. They are harmless. It is believed that they occur because the blood vessels have found a route that does not require much resistance, and that it is then close to the skin surface. This has happened due to increased pressure, for example, if one has been pregnant, overweight, or if one has a job that involves sitting or standing a lot. If one has visible blood vessels on the face, it can be due to large temperature differences, high alcohol consumption, or a lot of sunlight exposure. But all this can also just have to do with genetics; some people are prone to get visible blood vessels while others are not. On the legs, the spider veins often appear behind the knees or on the thighs. For many, it is a problem because they are not comfortable with how their legs look when there are visible blood vessels on them.
Before and after:
Treating Spider Veins
When treating visible blood vessels, so-called varicose veins, they will not reappear in that area, although they may appear in other areas. The treatment addresses all problems point by point, and thus the actual cause of the occurrence is not treated. Therefore, it might be wise to then adopt a lifestyle that reduces the risk of new spider veins appearing. For example, by maintaining a steady weight and another tip is not to sit or stand for too long in the same position. For example, it is better to sit with both legs on the floor when sitting on a chair rather than sitting with them crossed.
It is most common for women in upper middle age to be affected, but at the same time, it can affect anyone. Even young people have spider veins on their legs.
Treatment Methods
There are various types of treatment to remove spider veins. The type of treatment chosen depends on where the spider veins are and to what extent. In larger areas with spider veins, sclerotherapy is often used, where a medication is injected into the vein, after which it closes and the vein disappears. In smaller areas with spider veins, such as on the face, laser treatment, IPL treatment is often used. In this type of treatment, the veins are closed with laser light, causing the spider veins to disappear.
At UK Vein Care, sclerotherapy is used to treat spider veins.
Things to Consider If Treating Spider Veins with IPL
The skin to be treated should ideally be as light as possible. Dark skin contains pigment and thus also gets heated by the treatment, and not just the problem area. Therefore, it is important to avoid sun exposure for a while before undergoing treatment. For this reason, it can be more difficult to treat dark-skinned individuals, on the other hand, superficial blood vessels are not as visible on that skin type either. The lighter the skin type, the more clearly the spider-web-like spider veins are visible.
How many treatments are required?
A couple of treatments are required, and it is important that the skin has time to recover between them, therefore it is recommended that six to eight weeks pass between treatments.
