But heres the honest truth: Thats all B.S.
Visible veins arent something you might fix at home.
What actually are spider veins?
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There are two common types of visible veins: spider veins and varicose veins.
If you live long enough, most people are going to get them.
These veins get their name because they look like thin, weblike, blue-and-purple lines on the legs.
Varicose veins, on the other hand, are larger veins that are deeper in the body.
Because these two issues are triggered by similar blood-flow situations, varicose and spider veins commonly occur together.
That means that people who have varicose veins almost always have spider veins too.
However, some people get spider veins and never have a problem with varicose veins.
What causes spider veins and other visible veins?
To understand why these visible veins develop, youve got to understand how blood flows through the body.
Your heart pumps blood to your entire body through your blood vessels.
And theres a little valve.
When they work well, the blood shoots up and the valve closes.
When it doesnt work, the blood falls back down instead of moving north.
A similar situation happens duringpregnancywhen the added pressure in the abdomen squeezes the veins.
But the hormonal shifts that happen during pregnancy may also play a role.
After pregnancy, the veins generally go away and everything returns to normal.
This vein weakening can also happen if youre takinghormonal birth control.
Although visible veins may seem like a purely superficial issue, they can become painful when left untreated.
Spider and varicose veins make your legs sore because its an inflammatory process, Dr. Hollingsworth says.
Those veins are getting dilated and stretched out.
So preventing and treating spider veins can save you from a lot of discomfort.
Can you do anything to prevent spider veins?
However, these strategies cant treat any visible veins you already have.
Youll need to see a specialist to actually treat visible veins.
It might feel good, but there wont be a visible difference.
Creams, ointments, or rubbing arent going to make spider veins go away.
Sclerotherapy:This is one of the more popular options for spider veins and varicose veins.
This causes scar tissue to form, which leads the blood vessel to close.
If someone is allergic to the sclerotherapy solution, there are other treatment options.
Medical glue:For varicose veins, doctors might also use is the medical version of superglue.
Cyanoacrylate glue is a biologic glue thats very similar to Krazy Glue, Dr. Hollingsworth says.
Surgeons close off a varicose vein by gluing it shut from the inside.
Theres a central pipe in the leg called the saphenous vein; its the main superficial vein.
Coming off those veins are truncal varicose veins, Dr. Sadick says.
Plus, those pigmentation issues can be stubborn to treat.
Sometimes the pigmentation is a part of the healing process, Dr. Barba says.
If you want have anything done, go to whoever does a lot of it, Dr. Hollingsworth says.
The good news is that insurance will cover many vein treatments.
Without insurance, these treatments can cost $300 to $8,000.
How can you prevent spider veins from coming back?
Although effective, all of these surgical treatments are really temporary fixes, Dr. Hollingsworth says.
Spider and varicose veins can return in other nearby veins once the original veins are closed off or removed.
So, if you decide not to treat them at all, they can multiply, Dr. Hollingsworth says.
“Nobody likes wearing them, Dr. Hollingsworth says.
