Spider vein treatment

The treatment of spider veins always requires an individually tailored approach. In some cases, the so-called "internal varicose veins" must be treated first before spider vein therapy; laser procedures such as ELVeS™, VNUS Closure^® Fast, Clarivein^®, stripping, the hook method or foam sclerotherapy are used here. The spider veins themselves are only treated in a second step.

Generally, spider veins are treated using foam sclerotherapy and/or laser. Further developments in these procedures over the course of two decades have improved the procedures to such an extent that the usual unpleasant follow-up treatments such as thick bandages, wearing compression stockings for weeks or squeezing out stagnant blood can be dispensed with. Sports, solarium etc. are permitted immediately after the treatment.

During foam sclerotherapy, the foam destroys the inner lining of the spider vein vessel. This creates an artificial inflammation with a small blood clot, which causes the vein walls to stick together – the vessel is closed.

Ideally, the body breaks down this structure; unfortunately, in reality it often happens that the body only breaks down the blood clot and not the closed vessel, which means that the vessel looks untreated and does not disappear. For this reason, foam often has to be injected into the same spider vein several times before it finally disappears.

With LASER (IPL system, pulsed YAG), the laser pulse heats the blood in the vessel within milliseconds and causes it to "boil". This heat then causes the vein wall to contract (just as a steak contracts on the grill due to heat), which ultimately makes the vessel disappear. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to get enough heat into the vessel without damaging the skin. This is why lasers are often not a good solution for treating spider veins.

Our specially developed treatment for spider veins, known as SSVT (Smart Spider Vein Therapy), combines foam sclerotherapy and laser. Both treatments are somewhat unpleasant, but painless.

Whether and when the use of the laser makes sense at all and to what extent it can be used depends on the findings, the skin type and the color of the vessels. In almost all cases, the laser must be combined with foam sclerotherapy, as only sclerotherapy penetrates deep enough under the skin and can eliminate the connecting vessels between the arteries and veins. In many cases, however, treatment with laser or foam sclerotherapy is not enough to make the spider veins disappear completely. For this reason, spider veins usually require several treatments before they are no longer visible.

It is important to know that a spider vein consists of many more vessels than are visible to the eye. A spider vein is an intricately branched structure that runs several centimetres deep under the skin. This is what makes it so difficult to treat in individual cases. To be successful, the side branches must also be closed if possible, only then will it disappear completely. The redder the spider vein, the more difficult the treatment and the more sessions it takes to close the arterial and venous connections.

Both foam sclerotherapy and laser treatment take just a few minutes and do not require any special aftercare. Immediately after the treatment, a small bandage is applied for a short time, which can be removed after a maximum of one hour. Its purpose is to protect clothing from soiling due to possible post-treatment bleeding.

There are no rules of conduct that must be observed after treatment. It is not necessary to wear bandages or rubber stockings, quite the opposite: Putting on tight rubber stockings or bandages squeezes and pulls the skin to such an extent that new spider veins may even appear.

Typically, treated leg areas look as if they have been bumped (bruises). Sometimes the whole area swells a little or a palpable hardened cord forms, which may even hurt a little. All these phenomena are harmless, normal and will pass; such events often only occur days after treatment. The heparin ointment LYMAN 200'000 that you receive will help the discoloration to heal more quickly. It is best to apply this ointment to the treated areas in the evening.

Results of the spider vein treatment

The success of the treatment can be assessed after just a few days:

If the spider veins appear rather blurred or more visible, they have been hit and this blurred pattern is a sign that they are beginning to break down. A green-brownish discoloration is also an indication of stagnant blood in the vessel, which leads to the veins breaking down.

However, it is not uncommon for patience to be required until the final result is achieved, which on average takes several appointments. As a rule, 2-6 appointments at intervals of 2-3 weeks are sufficient, but sometimes more. In rare cases, it may even take 10 plus sessions. With special skin types (dark skin (III-VI), but also with pale white skin), hyperpigmentation can occur, i.e. the skin in the treated area turns dark brown. This is also a sign of the degradation process of the vessel. In some cases, it takes 6 months or longer (up to 2 years) until the leg is beautiful and flawless.

You can return to the sun just a few days after the treatment; the discoloration (hyperpigmentation) described depends on the skin type and not on external factors such as sun exposure. On the contrary: sometimes it is even advisable to apply a little "color" to the skin of the leg through sun, solarium or self-tanning, so that the discolorations and spider vein residues are less noticeable.