The picture to the right shows a typical before-after for spider veins.
The treatment of spider veins typically requires anywhere from 1-10 office visits.
The "primary" spider veins, shown in the "before" photo, are the easiest to treat. Afterwards, "secondary vessels" may appear (see the
"Advanced Discussion" for more information about this). The "secondary vessels" require considerable expertise to inject, and the services of an experienced specialist are absolutely necessary to bring the case to a successful conclusion.After the injections, most patients are put into a special stocking, usually only for a day or two.
The treated spiders take 3-6 weeks to shrink. Afterwards, there is often a lingering discoloration in the skin where the veins used to be. These discolorations fade gradually over a period of months. "Permanent" discoloration is almost unheard of.
The "cure rate" is at least 90%, meaning that 90% of the time, all the areas afflicted with spider veins can be made to look normal. Anyone who says otherwise is misinformed! In 10% of cases, the result is less-than-perfect, but even in those, there is invariably significant improvement.
Patients should beware of vein "clinics", whose operators are typically inexperienced, and lack the critical ability to deal with "secondary vessels". Also to be avoided is "laser".
