Spider veins. Ugh.
Now that we’ve finally put an end to the year that was 2020, let’s resolve to have a better 2021. Why not start that plan by clearing up those obnoxious spider veins, getting you ready for the warm spring and summer months? Dr. Jensen uses both laser energy and sclerotherapy to make them go the way of the passenger pigeon.
What causes spider veins?
Veins are the highways for the blood to return to the heart. And sometimes they have a real fight with gravity. This is especially true in the legs, where the blood needs to go directly up the leg. As we age, the strength of the support tissues and even of the veins themselves can diminish. This can cause the blood to back up and pool in spots. This shows itself in spider and varicose veins. Because spider veins are just below the surface of the skin, they are very visible.
How does Dr. Jensen get rid of them?
Sclerotherapy is nothing new. It was first used in the 1930s to make unwanted veins close up and go away. In sclerotherapy, Dr. Jensen injects a special saline solution directly into the vein in question. This solution irritates the vein (much like that uncle who visits every year during the holidays irritates you!) and causes the walls to shrink up and the vein to close off. Over the next two to three months, the body gradually absorbs the unused vein, making it disappear or become dramatically less visible. Any blood that ran through the vein is routed to an adjacent vein.
When using laser therapy, the laser energy is directed down onto the spider vein cluster. The laser wavelength was set to match the color of the vein, and the hemoglobin absorbs the light energy. This instantly converts to heat, which causes the vein walls to collapse, closing off the veins in the same way that sclerotherapy does. The body then scavenges and removes the cluster.
What happens afterward?
After your treatment, we put you in compression stockings that you’ll wear for two weeks during your waking hours. This compression improves your results, so most veins need only one sclerotherapy or laser session to go away.
Winter is the time to get rid of your spider veins. Call us at (385) 424-4567 to schedule your appointment.