Spider veins, or telangiectasia, are tiny capillaries close to the skin’s surface that become visible as they enlarge over the years. They look like red, purple, and blue spider webs or tree branches. Spider veins can develop anywhere on your body, but they’re most common on the face and legs.

Spider veins seldom cause health problems. They sometimes itch, and they may get so large and fragile that they bleed, but that’s rare. In some people, they look more like a rash than distinct veins; either way, they can be embarrassing.

The standard treatment for spider veins, sclerotherapy, consists of an injection directly into the veins. The injection contains a medicated solution that irritates vein walls and makes them collapse. The collapsed veins are absorbed into the surrounding tissues and eliminated by the body, so they fade away. Meanwhile, blood flow naturally reroutes through healthy veins.

Sclerotherapy usually takes about 15-60 minutes, depending on the number of veins being treated.

Absolutely. When lasers are set to a specific wavelength, they’re selectively absorbed by the dark pigments in the veins. This means the laser can treat tiny spider veins without harming the surrounding skin.

The laser’s energy heats the veins until they reach a temperature that makes them break down, then the waste is naturally absorbed and eliminated from the body. Laser treatments for spider veins may take 15-60 minutes, depending on the number of veins being treated.

During the treatment, you may experience a slight stinging that’s often described as feeling like a rubber band snap, but the procedure is tolerable.

The treated spider veins are gone for good, but new spider veins may eventually appear. There’s no way to know for sure whether you’ll develop new spider veins; however, they are more common among:

• Women (especially pregnant women)
• People who spend a lot of time standing (leads to spider veins in your legs)
• Those over 50 (anyone can get spider veins, but they’re more likely as you get older)