Spider veins, sounds something fascinating, no? Probably, it is the veins Spider-man had in Marvel movies. Spider veins that came along with many superpowers and completely changed Peter Parker’s life, from a geek to a superhero. Superpowers like genius intellect, superhuman strength, ability to sense dangers, and whatnot. Maybe it develops the ability to shoot spiderwebs from wrists too?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but none of this is true. All these fascinating and amaze-balls things can happen only in Marvel movies. You have to be either Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield for that. Marvel movies have created quite an impact on people’s minds and all the prestigious awards and accolades justify that.
Unfortunately, coming out of the reel life to the real one, Spider vein is a medical condition, not a superpower. Spider Veins is scientifically as Telangiectasis. It is popularly called Spider Veins because of its resemblance to spider webs. Other than that, in some places, it is also called Marble veins, due to its texture.
Spider veins are weeny and extremely thin, thread-like, veins that vary in colors like red, blue, or purple. These appear right beneath the surface of the skin and can easily be seen with naked eyes. Generally, spider veins appear on the face or legs.
Instant glam to glum
Just like Peter Parker, having these Spider veins will takeover your life completely too. Sadly, in the downward direction in this case. Spider veins can cause severe discomfort in the body. Albeit, the severity of pain may differ from person to person.
Causes of Spider Veins
Usually, in the legs, spider veins can occur due to some dysfunction in the valves present inside the veins. Technically, veins maintain the blood flow by carrying blood back to the heart. To prevent blood from flowing in a backward direction, veins contain a one-way valve. This valve closes itself, once the blood passes through it.
If in any case, this valve weakens or is damaged for some reason, the blood may flounder to flow in the right direction. This dysfunctional condition can cause in pooling of the blood inside the veins. Over time, this can cause a protrusion in the veins that later branch out eventually. This is how basically spider veins occur.
On the face, spider veins generally occur due to the bursting of tiny blood vessels. This sudden burst happens due to increased pressure or sun damage.
Causes of Spider Veins On Face
Studies show Spider veins causes vary from person to person. This condition is mainly found among women. Spider veins affect twice the rate it affects men. The factors which cause this medical condition are quite a few.
1. Genetic: People who are a victim to these Spider veins have it as heredity. More than 90% of people having this condition have a genetic history of it in the family.
2. Pregnancy: A pregnant woman has to bear her body weight as well as the fetus growing inside. Due to constant changes in blood flow and hormones, the movement of blood also changes consequently. These rapid changes tend to put a lot of heavyweight or pressure on the legs.
This often results in the occurrence of Spider veins on the legs. Albeit, many women say that these veins disappear after pregnancy, but in some cases, it can have lasting effects.
3. Senility Brings Sensitivity: As human grows older, the brain surely might become wiser but the rest of the body becomes more fragile and sensitive to the slightest of changes.
Over some time, the valves present inside the veins become weak and fragile. The calf muscles in the legs which support veins by enabling them to pump blood upward tend to lose its strength with time.
4. Overweight body: Being overweight results in putting a lot of extra pressure on the legs. This pressure hampers the blood flow and can cause dysfunction and gradually result in Spider veins.
5. Hormones: Oestrogen can cause severe harm to the valves which can lead to the development of Spider veins. Consuming Hormonal birth control tablets or hormonal treatments for menopause can accelerate this growth or development.
6. Sitting Or Standing For Long Hours: Since legs are the most distant body parts from the heart, they require more effort than the rest of the body to maintain proper blood flow. Sitting or standing in the same position for long hours can cause hindrance in continuous blood flow. This can eventually cause the formation of Spider veins in the legs.
7. Previous Blood Clot Or Vein Damage: Damage caused in valves due to a previous blood clot or vein damage can also be a major cause of Spider veins formation.
8. Excess Pressure On Facial Muscles: Pressure on facial muscles that generally occurs from incessant coughing, sneezing, or vomiting can result in Spider veins in the face.
9. Sun Exposure: Not applying sunscreen and exposing the skin to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can be damaging. This skin damage can cause blood vessels to break and consequently cause spider veins in the face.
Spider Veins Treatment
There are various medical and surgical methods for Spider veins treatment. Some are as follows:
1. Compression stockings or socks: A variety of compression stockings or socks are available in the market. These stockings or socks helps in maintaining the blood flow from the legs by compressing or maintaining a firm grip over the area. This also helps with the swelling and prevents the Spider veins to grow further.
2. Sclerotherapy and closure system: Both these therapies for Spider veins treatments involve injecting an irritant directly into the affected veins. Veins, when irritated, tend to stick together and thus prohibits the blood from flowing into the affected area. With time, these spider veins gradually shrink or vanishes completely from the body.
These Spider veins treatments require a lot of sessions and should only be done under an expert’s guidance. Many dermatologists, surgeons, and other certified experts offer these treatments.
3. Laser treatments: Spider veins can be easily treated with less invasive methods like laser treatments. With the advancement in the healthcare system, getting rid of Spider veins painlessly has become possible. The strong and focused laser beam can cause the spider vein to clot and dry.
However, Spider veins have become a common problem, mostly among women which can cause a lot of problems. Besides affecting the health of the patient, it also impacts the lifestyle of the person immensely.