There are lots of problems encountered by pregnant women during pregnancy. Morning sickness, hemorrhoids, fatigue, leg cramps, urinary frequency, and constipation are few of them. But what are more devastating are those that alter their physical appearance.
Yes, women are more concerned with how they look even during pregnancy. One of the dreaded problems is the appearance of those small, non-palpable, fine lines, ‘starburst’ clusters like a web-like maze called spider veins.
Spider veins are small dilated blood vessels near the surface of the skin or mucous membranes, measuring between 0.5 and 1 millimeter in diameter. They can develop anywhere on the body but are commonly seen on the face around the nose, cheeks, and chin.
They can also develop on the legs, specifically on the upper thigh, below the knee joint, and around the ankles. During pregnancy, there is a surge of hormones especially estrogen which weakens the elasticity of the veins therefore increasing the risk of developing spider veins.
But here’s the good news: it is preventable. Here are five simple strategies to prevent spider veins.
First, change position during sleep; sleep on the body’s left side. This prevents the compression of major veins supplying the lower extremity which could engorge and become telangiectasia or spider veins. Another way is to stop smoking; women who smoke are actually at a higher risk. Another alternative is to use compression stockings or support hoses which promote venous return. Avoiding frequent hot tub baths; heat increases venous distention.
Lastly, don’t forget to exercise daily. Keeps your blood circulating.
However, here’s the catch. Even if you do all those prevention measures, there are some risk factors you can never avoid-your age, gender, and heredity. Good thing a lot of treatment options are available. There is one in which a solution is injected into the vein causing it to collapse and become less visible, called sclerotherapy.
Laser therapy has also been a promising method as laser heat seals off the veins, making them instantly invisible. Sclerotherapy have been the treatment of choice for spider veins on the legs, while the latter is for those spider veins on the face. Many commercial topical creams are also available for spider vein treatment; just cosmetically covering the veins and not really treating them.