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Lower extremity venous distortions are very common. In fact, most people develop some degree of visible vein damage on their legs as time goes by: Over one in three adults (35%) have bulging, twisted varicose veins, and four in five adults (80%) have sprawling, web-like networks of spider veins.
Often, varicose veins and spider veins appear together.
From six office locations across Central Florida, Vascular Vein Centers offers a full scope of minimally invasive treatment solutions for unwanted varicose veins and spider veins. Here, our board-certified vascular specialists explore how these common varicosities are similar — and how they differ.
Varicose veins and spider veins are two of the most common forms of visible venous damage. These vascular distortions share several key characteristics, including:
Most varicose veins and spider veins emerge somewhere on the lower extremities, such as across the back of your thigh, behind the knee, along your calf, down your ankle, or on a foot. Each of these vascular distortions affects subcutaneous vessels that are situated just below the skin surface and are highly visible.
The reason most varicose veins and spider veins develop in the lower extremities has to do with how they form. To carry deoxygenated blood from your lower extremities back to your heart, leg veins have one-way valves that keep blood flowing in the right direction.
Because these valves frequently work against gravity, they’re more susceptible to damage (especially when certain risk factors are present). When leg vein valves are weak, blood flow becomes chronically sluggish. When blood is constantly pooling behind vein valves, it exerts pressure on the surrounding vessel wall.
This dilation can cause the affected surface vein to swell, bulge, and twist — or become varicose. It can also extend into the finer, web-like capillary networks, causing them to swell, contort, and in some cases, burst.
Several external factors can weaken vein valves and/or their elastic walls, making them less functional and more vulnerable to damage. Most lower extremity varicose veins and spider veins can be linked to one or more of the following risk factors:
An occupation that keeps you on your feet — especially if you’re frequently standing still — can also contribute to the development of varicose veins and spider veins.
Despite their fundamental similarities, varicose veins and spider veins also differ in several important ways:
Perhaps the most noticeable difference between these two forms of surface vein damage is appearance, which is determined by vessel type and size. Sprawling spider veins — which are really capillaries — are less than 1 millimeter (mm) in diameter, while rope-like varicose veins measure 3 mm or larger. Reticular veins, another type of varicose vessel, are 1-3 mm large.
A large surface vein that becomes varicose looks like a dark, twisted vein that bulges and swells against the skin. Spider veins appear as blue, red, or purple scraggly, web-like marks when surface capillaries dilate and swell at the end of a damaged vein.
It’s possible to have both varicose veins and spider veins that don’t cause any symptoms, but when symptoms do appear, they nearly always occur with larger varicose veins. Spider veins can cause lower extremity discomfort, but it’s rare and unlikely.
Varicose veins, on the other hand, are likely to cause symptoms like leg pain, cramping, and heaviness, itchy skin, and localized inflammation the longer they persist — especially if they worsen over time.
At any given time, about 75% of your body’s blood supply is in your veins. Their thin, elastic walls and one-way valves help them handle high-volume, low-pressure blood flow (arteries handle low-volume, high-pressure blood flow). There’s very little blood flowing through your capillaries at any given time.
In terms of health effects, this means that spider veins are usually nothing more than a cosmetic concern — but having large, worsening, or multiple varicose veins can take a real toll on your lower extremity circulation, leading to skin changes, slow-healing ulcers, and chronic leg swelling (edema).
Another thing that varicose veins and spider veins have in common? They’re highly responsive to treatment, and most can be completely cleared away with a minimally invasive vein ablation treatment. Options include:
Treatment recommendations are determined by the extent and type of vein damage and whether it’s causing symptoms: Sclerotherapy is the gold-standard treatment for spider veins and small to mid-sized varicose veins, while large or bothersome varicose veins may respond best to laser ablation.
Do you have varicose veins or spider veins you’d like to eradicate? Vascular Vein Centers can help. Schedule a visit at your nearest office in College Park of Orlando, Kissimmee, Waterford Lakes of East Orlando, Lake Mary, Davenport/Haines City, or The Villages, Florida, anytime.
