Over time, as you’ve gradually and naturally aged, or perhaps have changed your employment, lifestyle, or self-care routines, you have likely noticed a spattering of tiny veins appearing on the surface of your legs and thighs and perhaps even on the soft tissue portions of your face.
These typically harmless but often undesirable or unattractive veins are damaged veins through which blood can no longer easily traverse. Unable to pass through, that blood pools in certain places, causing the red, blue, or purple fine lines you now see weaving across your legs, thighs, or face. These are spider veins and they can be easily treated.
SPIDER VEINS
Spider veins are tiny varicose veins that appear on the surface of the skin as red, blue, or purple squiggly lines. These most commonly appear on the legs and face.
VARICOSE VEINS
Varicose veins are large, twisting, swollen blood vessels raised above the surface of the skin, most often on the lower extremities. While spider veins are a form of very small varicose veins, they rarely develop into the larger and more prominent veins we refer to as “varicose.”
A variety of factors contribute to the presence of spider and varicose veins, including one’s weight, genetics, hereditary factors, and hormonal fluctuations. Spider veins appear when the walls and valves of the veins become weak and faulty, allowing blood to pool up inside. From the exterior of the skin, this pooled blood is what appears as red, blue, and purple lines.
Varicose veins and spider veins are typically treated using either one or two procedures:
SCLEROTHERAPY
Sclerotherapy uses an injectable salt solution that causes the affected veins to shrink and collapse in on themselves, thus resolving the unsightly vein. The procedure is simple to perform and requires no anesthesia or post-procedural recovery downtime, though some patients may need to wear a compression garment after treatment.
Patients can expect sclerotherapy to be a rapid procedure that is mildly uncomfortable, causing a stinging or burning sensation as the injected solution works to clear up the varicose or spider vein. Results of sclerotherapy are permanent and you will never again experience a varicose or spider vein in that particular vein, as blood can no longer pass through it.
Sclerotherapy is safe and effective as spider veins are already typically not transferring blood to and from the heart.
LASER LEG VEIN THERAPY
Laser leg vein therapy is another effective treatment for varicose and spider veins. The laser used generates heat which damages the vein and causes it to scar and close, thus reducing the appearance of red, blue, or purple blood visible from the surface of the skin. Eventually, the vein will disappear altogether.
Simple laser treatment can be done for most varicose and spider veins, using an externally focused laser. More than one treatment session may be needed depending on the extent and severity of what you are experiencing.
Endovenous laser treatment can be done for larger varicose veins. In this treatment, instead of focusing the laser from outside of the body, the laser is placed inside the affected vein through a catheter, with visual guidance aid provided by an external monitor. Endovenous laser treatment is less invasive than the surgical approach to treating affected leg veins. Ninety-four percent of treated veins will close, and the remaining four percent can be addressed in subsequent treatment sessions.
Recovery from both forms of laser leg vein therapy tends to be shorter than that required by other treatments, and patients can walk immediately after treatment. Only a light or local anesthesia is required. Patients will usually be required to wear a compression garment after the procedure.
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On behalf of the entire team at Fechner MD Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa, we would like to take a moment to say thank you again for your loyalty and support during this unprecedented time. The past several months have been unlike anything we've ever experienced, and we're working hard to evolve so that we can continue to provide you with the patient experience you have come to expect from our practice.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, Fechner MD Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa has taken extreme precautionary measures, in addition to following the most up to date CDC recommendations and state guidelines to maximize the health and safety of our patients, staff and facility. Our surgical center and medical spa remain committed to providing the best patient care, and we are actively working to take all necessary precautions as we plan to safely re-open our practice. Please help us continue to protect the health and well-being of our patients and workplace by cooperating with all of our precautionary measures and protocols against COVID-19 at your next appointment, or as you plan for your surgery.
As a fully accredited surgical facility, Fechner MD has always observed the highest level of safety and sanitation. In fact, as a surgeon, Dr. Fechner is an expert in infection control. We want to ensure that we are doing everything possible for our patients to safely return for surgical and medical spa treatments alike.
The upgraded work flow and safety protocols we have implemented at Fechner MD far exceed those being recommended by any government agency.
Fechner MD will adhere to all local, state, and government mandates. We expect to cautiously resume medical spa and injectable treatments during Phase 2 of the Massachusetts phased reopening. We are awaiting a definitive date from Governor Baker. Cosmetic surgery is expected to resume during Phase 3 of Governor Baker’s plan. We ask for your patience and understanding as our staff is working diligently to reschedule all surgeries and procedures affected by our closure. Please understand that in order to open and adhere to Massachusetts guidelines, we will need to limit the number of staff and patients we have in our building and extend the time between patient appointments in order to sanitize rooms. This means we will have fewer available openings for procedures. In order to maximize our provider appointments, we will continue to hold consultations virtually rather than in person, with a few exceptions (body contouring, Instalift, vein treatments).
We thank you in advance for your patience throughout this time, and we look forward to seeing you here again as we begin to resume business operations. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Fechner MD Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa at (508) 754-4000 and our team will gladly assist you. Thank you!