<p>I’m hoping to get some help from those of you on this forum. I have a few spider veins on my legs. 
Has anyone had them removed? How much does it cost? Any recommendations? Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I have a few spider veins but am hesitant to have them treated for several reasons. One is that I don’t like my legs in general so, other than at the beach, they are covered and it seems like a waste of time and money to worry about a few spider veins.</p>
<p>A friend of mine has lovely legs but has a lot of spider veins. She has had them treated twice. The first time worked pretty well but the veins just reappear in other areas. She recently paid for a double session (600 dollars I think) and wasn’t happy with the results. Mainly because, even with the double session, she still has many visible veins. She had to pay 60 dollars for special support hose to wear for two weeks after and can’t exercise.</p>
<p>I think she has decided to invest in Dermablend as a reasonable alternative. It is a makeup for legs that is made for this purpose. I might check it out too.</p>
<p>EPTR,</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your friend’s experience. I like to wear shorts and skirts during warm weather months, as well as a swimsuit at the beach and pool. I’m becoming self-conscious about the appearance of my legs. If I chose to wear long pants all year round, this probably wouldn’t be an issue for me.</p>
<p>aquamarinesea – I recommend sclerotherapy for spider veins. I tried 3 different types of laser treatments, with two different dermatologists, and was extremely disappointed. Then I tried the sclero (injections), and – voila! I now go annually, because yes, new ones will pop up. My cost is $200 per session, and I’m supposed to wear the compression hose for 36 hours after treatment, but I can’t sleep in the dang things so I wear them all of the first day, and then take them off and wrap my shins in ace bandages for the night and the next day.</p>
<p>Are my legs gorgeous? Heavens, no. But it’s better than looking like I’ve been kicked repeatedly by angry gnomes… ;)</p>
<p>Afew years ago I had some spider veins on my legs zapped with a laser. I cost a couple hundred dollars. It wasn’t pleasant , sort of painful but they are gone and have not returned. I have had a couple more show up in a different area. I plan on haing those zapped also. The main thing was that I had to stay out of the sun for couple of weeks before they were done.</p>
<p>I have terrible spider veins, but I really don’t care what people think. If they have time to wonder about my spider veins, they have too much time on their hands ;-)</p>
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<p>I don’t agree. If you are self conscious about something and you can afford to take care of it then you should do what works for you.</p>
<p>OP, I understand that the reason that you want to take care of it is because you want to wear skirts and shorts. I was sharing my friends experience because I thought it might be helpful.</p>
<p>In my case, even if I got rid of the spider veins, I would be self conscious of my legs so having them teated would be a waste of money.</p>
<p>I would suggest going for a consult with a reputable dermatologist. He/ she can give you some options and tell you the chances of success.</p>
<p>I got my zapped as well, loved it. Will prob do again for new viens. It’s been several years, but soooo worth it. Also had vericose veins removed with laser. Wore the stockings. My husband thought they were sexy, as they jsut went to the thigh. After treatment walking was necessary.</p>
<p>It’s amazing how much difference it made for me. My legs aged me. I saw women ten years older with much fewer spider veins, and I decided to go for it.</p>
<p>Worth every penny.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great responses. Much appreciated!</p>
<p>Oh and the shots for the spider veins, what I called zapped, sting just a bit, I guide of imagined it was what getting a tattoo might be like. Depending on where the shot goes in, like the ankle skin as thinner. But having nice clear skin was great. It was like I wanted to work out more. I proudly wear shorts and skirts now with no hose, something I hadn’t done for decades.</p>
<p>seahorsesrock,</p>
<p>I’m glad you clarified what you meant by “zapped” because I assumed you meant laser treatment not sclerotherapy.</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>I had sclerotherapy done couple of years ago. It’s a bit painful and not inexpensive, but worth every penny. I think I am due for a maintenance session, but my legs are still presentable without stockings.</p>
<p>My legs were terrible, absolutely covered. I had several sessions and now they are presentable enough that noone cringes when I wear a bathing suit. They will never be model legs and will always have some veins, but they are no longer a true eyesore!</p>
<p>I’m right now in the process of having this done. I had a couple of varicose veins, but really it was the spider veins that I couldn’t stand. I had one very large one behind one knee and then another big area on the shin of my other leg, along with lots of smaller ones. I had gotten to the point where I was so self-conscious about it that I just wouldn’t wear shorts or skirts anymore.</p>
<p>For me, the jury is still out on whether it has been a success or not; but at the very least there is improvement if not total success. If you do decide to do it, make sure that you do it at a time of year where you will not be showing your legs - I started the process in December and because I have had so many sessions I still have bruises from all of the injections for the spider veins. The injections felt like bee stings, but the pain goes away very quickly. The varicose veins were a piece of cake to treat compared to the spider ones - those were treated by a laser threaded into the vein, not by injections. Insurance covered a lot of the cost, btw.</p>
<p>So, what causes this?</p>
<p>I don’t know if I am too young still ( 55), or if I am just too nearsighted to see anything.
I am a redhead, so you can see all my veins if you look hard enough, especially if I have been exercising recently.
( when I was pregnant, I looked like an anatomical model!)</p>
<p>If you aren’t especially clumsy and it isnt caused by bruising, Id be concerned about the strenght of capillary walls elsewhere in your body.</p>
<p>For instance my eyes were often red and I had very poor night vision.
Steroid eye drops helped to reduce the inflammation and improve sight, but that isn’t a long term solution.
Improving vision with diet & supplements had been pretty successful, so I tried both.
[Eyesight</a> and food. Improve your eyesight health with food or supplements.](<a href=“http://www.eyerobics.com.au/eyesight_food.html]Eyesight”>Eyesight and food. Improve your eyesight health with food or supplements.)
My vision is much, much better, and an added benefit seems to be that my skin looks better too.</p>
<p>I am still very fair, but not ghostly pale, although I do use ( a tiny bit)self tanner if I am going bare legged. There is a tradeoff at least, for being so fair, my body hair is also very pale, so if I am sloppy shaving my legs, it doesn’t show so bad! 
Treating it cosmetically might be all you are interested in, but it doesn’t seem to get at the cause.</p>
<p>emerald - from my research and what the doctors have told me, these types of veins are superficial and there’s not an issue in “closing them down.” One cause of this condition - at least in my case - is that this type of thing tends to run in families. I don’t think there is anything that can be done to change it (though if others know a way to improve this problem, I’d love to know!)</p>
<p>My H has spider veins all over his feet and ankles. The skin has almost taken on a purple hue. In his case, I suspect it’s due to numerous ankle injuries over the years from playing sports.</p>