*#!@!!#! Spider Veins Grrrrr

[lorax]

My legs are in good shape and very toned (thanks to Cathe!) but these (insert curse word of choice) spider veins keep appearing. :-mad I have fair skin and avoid tanning so they're very noticeable. I live in FL and used to wear a lot of shorts but lately have been wearing more pants to hide my legs because the stupid veins are embarrassing (thank God capris have been in style lately!) I had one small patch of spiders since my early 20s that was barely noticeable but now they seem to be taking over. Has anyone had the laser vein surgery? Or any alternate treatments that have diminished the appearance? Call me a cynic, but I'm skeptical of any of those creams that are supposed to fade them. I'm assuming it's genetic cause my mom's got them (and hates them) too. My brother is a doctor (his wife has them too!) and he doen't recommend the surgery but he is usually against any sort of cosmetic surgery. Does anyone have any suggestions (besides just dealing with it ;-) ? It sucks to have to hide my legs when I've worked so hard to get them in good shape! Thanks in advance, guys!

Lorrie

 

[annie2867]

I started treatment with spider veins a few months ago. My plastic surgeon is using sclerotherapy as he has not seen good results with laser. So far I've had 3 treatments, and they are fading but I would think it is going to take one or two more. The initial cost was $250 and the last two were $75 per session which takes about 15 minutes. You just feel little prick like sensations, they put some numbing cream on first. I like to wear short skirts so it is a must for me. I thought that they would be gone in 2 sessions but it all depends on the person, so I will continue until the pesky things are gone as I can't stand them. They say that laser is good for spider veins on the face, but it doesn't seem to work as well for the legs.

 

[kathryn]

Another alternative (or something to use while you are waiting for the treatment to take shape) is some kind of cover up, the kind of makeup that is used on burn patients, etc. I've seen some advertised on QVC, but I can't remember the name of the product. You can search at qvc.com

 

[val92083]

Self tanners

Glad to hear you are avoiding suntanning! I use sunless tanners and boy, they sure make my legs look good! Cellulite and spider veins don't look nearly as bad on a sunless-tanned leg as they do on my very white ones!

If your only experience with sunless tanners was the old QT that turned everyone orange, you'll be pleased to know that there are a whole bunch of them out there that produce great results. Sure, the feet are a tricky area, but there are tips and techniques to help you. There is a website, www.sunless.com which is entirely devoted to sunless tanning product reviews, tips/techniques, and they have a very active forum.

Just my two cents.

Veronica

 

[Marlene123]

RE: Spider veins

I too was plagued by a patch of these ugly critters on the outside of my upper thighs. Yech.

I went to a plastic surgeon who removed them with a machine that generated a heat pulse. It felt like a rubber band was snapping on your leg but it was bearable. The heat pulse destroys the vein. First he would find the main feeder vein and blast that. Generally a lot of little ones died too because the blood supply was cut off.

It was enormously expensive.

However, I was one of the first patients that tried this new technology and the surgeon asked if I would permit a local television crew from one of the news stations to film it as it was being done to me and interview me too. The surgeon said he would provide me with the rest of the treatments for free. He wanted the publicity. I had about 8 treatments in all. I paid only for the first two (I think it was $500 apiece....yikes) and the next six were free.

The only downside to this deal was everyone at work saw it on television as well as friends and family so I guess I have no secrets anymore.

Since this has been around for awhile I am sure the price has come down considerably. Call a plastic surgeon and see if he has this machine or one of the new generations of this species.

It was not surgery, you have no downtime and can continue with your ordinary activities as soon as you leave the doctor's office.

And it is definitely not a laser. It is a heat pulse.

 

[Miss Mare]

RE: Spider veins

Hi
Let me tell you my story. I have maps of veins on my left shin and my right thigh the size of Texas. And of course the back of my knees.
I've had sclerotherapy and yes it does work the only draw back is that it may leave little purple marks at the injection sites for six months or so or possibly permentatly.
The doctor told me that I need 5 treatments @ 225.00 a pop. I could only afford to do 3 at the time.
But let me tell you what happened before I had these treatments done. I had heard about lazor treatments for spider veins but I had found out that they are very pricey.
So what I did was I found a place that seemed "professional" in nearby Tijuana (I live in San Diego CA) and they specialized in Lazor for the veins of the face and legs.
I consulted with the doctor and he convinced me to do a test spot on my right thigh("Texas") before I treated all my veins.
He explained to me that fair skin is the ideal skin for lazor treatment. I was border line and had a 50-50 chance of scaring.
What they do is catorgorize a persons skin pigment from a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the fairest and 10 being the darkest) They will not treat 6 and up with lazor because they will scar.
I was considered 4-5. So it was a gamble.
The whole advantage of Lazor is that its not suppose to leave any pigmentation on the skin like sclerotherapy can.
Well needless to say, it turned out for the worst!
The treatment was alot like what the person that posted before me had said, it feels like rubber bands snapping on your legs at very high speed and it burns at the same time.
Right when I was done I had big red water blisters on my leg.
The doctor said this was normal.
Well eight months have past and now I have brownish yellowish hyperpignented spots where the the lazor hit with the little purpleish and greenish veins peeking through the spots.
So you ask, what are you going to do now? Well I found a doctor here in San Diego that knows my whole story and he's just got a new lazor in and he thinks he can help me with the spots and the other spider veins that I have.
He already has done a TINY test spot and I'm watching it.
The doctor told me that the other doctor in Tijuana used to high of a freqency that is why it hyperpigmented.
This lazor is suppose to take care of veins and unwanted moles and birthmarks. The brochures that they have in the office show people with big red or brown birthmarks on there face before and after the lazor treatments. The after pictures show no sign of the birthmarks.
This doctor is pretty repitable doctor in the area so I trust him. Now I'm really going to pay the price for not doing it right the first time. He told me 5 treatments of the lazor should take care of everything. But meanwhile I 'm applying perscription bleaching cream on my leg to see if this helps lighten the spots before I actually get the treatments. So I'm very cautious this time. I'm watching the little test spot on my leg and it only lighted up a little. The doctor told me he was going to use the lowest freqency to be on the safe side.
Well once I have this treatment and IF it works then I'll give you the details. My E mail is [email protected].
If your legs aren't that bad then maybe sclerotherapy treatment may work for you.
Oh by the way the lazor treatments are going to be 225.00 a piece.But if I pay in full the first time he'll give me 20 percent off the total.
I'll keep you up dated if you would like. Thanks, Miss Mare
P.S. I love Cathe's workouts, I just got the 12 pk DVD's.

 

[Marlene123]

RE: Spider veins

After reading Miss Mare's horror story I feel compelled to fill in a few things about my treatment that I left out.

First of all, the results were awesome. No scars, no hyper pigmentation occurred at all. I must repeat that it was not a laser, but a pulse of heat and light. We all had to wear big fat dark protective glasses during the procedure (we all meaning the doctor, the nurse, myself and the entire news crew. I felt as if I had landed on some alien planet where the life forms had eye trouble).

Also, before treating each area he would spread some kind of clear jell over the spot, explaining it was to protect my skin from burns. It looked suspiciously like KY jelly.

But I digress.

Immediately after the treatment the areas worked on had slight red marks, like welts. These disappeared by the time I drove home, about 20 minutes. The doctor did have me use a bleaching cream just in case the welts faded to brown stubborn marks. But it did not happen. The red welts just went away.

The reason I needed so many treatments is that my spiders were not starbursts in a few spots...I had the kind that were scattered hither, thither and yon. Makes for longer treatment.

Anyway, after all the work was done I did not have one single spider vein on my thighs. The doctor warned me that although the veins he worked on were destroyed forever, it is probable that others will appear on different spots. A few have cropped up in the six years since my treatment but not enough yet to do anything about it.

So, unlike Miss Mare's unfortunate experience, mine was rather good, particularly because I did not pay for most of it and the results were immediate and wonderful.

I am sure there are other doctors out there familiar with this form of vein removal.

 

[lorax]

Wow - one extreme to the other for you ladies. Miss Mare, I'm sorry you've had such a traumatic experience and I sure hope your new doc can correct things for you! Marlene, thanks for the info, I'm glad you had such a positive experience - maybe I should go hunt up a news crew!

The sclerotherapy sounds the best to me. My right leg is o.k. but my left outer thigh has a few patches that drive me batty - not Texas size, more like West Virginia and Vermont ;-) but they're soooo purple. I wonder how long the sclerotherapy treatment lasts since it seems pricey. But since it's fall and long pants weather I may just wait until spring to decide. I want to research and interview doctors before deciding. In the meantime I think I'll try Veronica's self-tanner suggestion.

Thanks so much for relaying your experiences ladies - I appreciate it!

Lorrie