Length of Spider Vein Treatment Recovery

‌‌Spider veins are tiny, damaged blood vessels that look like spider webs or threads due to increased pressure on the veins. They can also appear on your face due to a variety of reasons, including sun exposure and damage. The veins aren’t painful or harmful, but you may wish to get rid of them for cosmetic reasons. ‌‌Three treatments can minimize or eliminate your spider veins.

• Sclerotherapy
• Laser treatment
• Ohmic thermolysis

‌‌Each of these treatments has a specific procedure and recovery time. ‌‌Sclerotherapy is the gold standard for spider vein treatment, but you may need more than one treatment. This can affect your recovery time. Laser treatment may be less effective than sclerotherapy for larger veins. Recovery time from laser spider vein treatment  also varies if further treatments are needed. ‌‌‌‌Understanding the procedures and recovery times can help you make an informed decision about your spider vein treatment. ‌

Sclerotherapy for Spider Veins

‌Sclerotherapy is the gold-standard of treatments for spider veins. Sclerotherapy is a non-surgical, low-risk procedure that doesn’t even require anesthesia. Your doctor injects a solution known as a sclerosant into the spider vein. The sclerosant causes the lining of the spider vein to collapse, closing the vein. The blood then reroutes into healthier veins. The treated spider veins fade over time.‌Sclerotherapy is an effective spider vein treatment. But if you have larger webs of spider veins, you may require multiple sclerotherapy treatments over several months to fade the veins. Your vein specialist will personalize the number of treatments you require depending on the severity of your spider veins. ‌

Sclerotherapy recovery time 

‌Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment that can easily be performed in your doctor’s office. After sclerotherapy, you can almost immediately resume normal activities. Your doctor will ask you to wait for a week before you can get back to more strenuous exercise. ‌Following your treatment, you  may have to  wear gradient compression stockings continuously for at least a week. The procedure may leave your spider veins looking darker and bruised for the first two weeks. But four to six weeks post sclerotherapy the treated spider veins will gradually disappear. ‌If you have large webs or clusters of spider veins, you may require additional treatment. The bruised veins may take a couple of months to fade completely.‌

Laser Therapy for Spider Veins

‌Laser therapy is another fast and non-invasive procedure. In laser therapy, your doctor uses laser or light energy to eliminate damaged veins. ‌Laser treatment can make small spider veins disappear without damaging your skin. Although laser treatment is as quick as sclerotherapy, it may be less effective to treat larger spider veins. Laser therapy may cause side effects like bruising, swelling, itching, and redness.‌

Laser spider vein treatment recovery time

‌A laser spider vein treatment lasts for about an hour. Afterward you can return home. The recovery time can vary depending on the severity of your spider veins and the extent of the treatment. Usually you can expect to recover within two weeks, then resume normal activities. However, unlike the outcomes of sclerotherapy, laser spider vein treatment results aren’t immediate. ‌The closed veins turn from blue to red. They then gradually disappear over two to six weeks. There is limited aftercare needed post laser treatment for spider veins. Over the next weeks your treated spider veins are reabsorbed by your body and fade away.‌

Veinwave Laser Treatment for Spider Veins

‌The Veinwave treatment is used to eliminate fine spider veins on the face. Doctors may also use Veinwave after treatment like sclerotherapy to completely remove finer spider veins that can’t be removed using other treatments. ‌Veinwave treatment uses ohmic thermolysis , which targets cells lining the vein and damages them using heat produced by microwaves. An extremely thin needle is used to release focused microwaves into the vein, which kill the lining cells. These dead cells are then reabsorbed by the body, causing the spider veins to disappear permanently. ‌Unlike the results of laser treatment, you will see immediate fading with Veinwave. The veins will fade even more over the next few weeks. ‌

Veinwave recovery time

‌The Veinwave procedure is an effective treatment that allows you to resume normal activities immediately after Veinwave treatment. If you have sensitive skin, you may experience redness around the treated spider vein. This flushed skin clears within hours.‌

Ohmic Thermolysis or VeinGogh

‌Ohmic thermolysis, or the VeinGogh treatment, also involves thermocoagulation. Instead of microwaves, it uses bursts of high-frequency heat energy to collapse spider veins. The VeinGogh treatment uses a stylus with an attached fiber probe. The probe is inserted into the vein to shut it using thermocoagulation. As with other treatments, spider veins are then reabsorbed by your body over time and the blood flows through healthy veins.‌

‌VeinGogh recovery time

‌‌The VeinGogh treatment takes only a few minutes to perform in your doctor’s office. The advantage of this process is that you can easily resume normal activities, as it requires no recovery time. You will immediately see the results, which will only improve over time.‌‌‌‌

What to Expect After Spider Vein Treatment

• As you recover from spider vein treatment, you may be instructed to wear a support hose or gradient compression stockings for a few days to a few weeks to heal your legs.
• Immediately after treatment, the treated area may appear to be bruised, red, or swollen, and you may experience cramps or temporary discomfort in your legs. 
• Recovery time can vary depending on the treatment procedure, but you will be able to resume normal activities almost immediately.
• ‌Your doctor may prescribe specific medications to take orally or apply to the treated area to recover faster.
• ‌If the treated area has a dressing, consult your doctor before removing it. 
• ‌Avoid strenuous activities like exercise and running for a week after treatment. 
• ‌You may be instructed to avoid sitting or standing in one place for too long. 
• ‌Your doctor will encourage you to walk, as it can help you recover faster.
• ‌Over four to six weeks, your bruised spider veins will start disappearing and fade away completely.  
• ‌You can resume exercise.
• ‌Within two months, your treated area will heal completely.
• ‌You may have to follow up with your vein specialist if additional treatment is required.
• Avoid hot tubs or saunas that will dilate the recently closed vein.

 Consult a Vein Specialist Today

If you have spider veins you wish to treat you should consult a professional. Find a vein specialist in your locality using My Vein Treatment’s  locator tool. Call today to explore available spider vein treatments and learn what treatment is best for you.  ‌