Numerous representatives of both the weaker and stronger sexes, who survived to adulthood, often have such a disease as spider veins. They look unaesthetic, and in addition to this, they cause a person inconvenience. Most of the world's population has long been aware of this disease, and therefore it has long been established that such pathologies can manifest themselves in the upper layers of the skin due to malfunctions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. The causes of spider veins on the legs and throughout the body are varied.
What is it?
Spider veins, reticulum is a network of enlarged, swollen arterioles, venules and capillaries located on the surface layer of human tissue. Teleangiectasia is the scientific name for patterns appearing on the body. Usually spider veins and nets of various patterns may be able to appear on various parts of the body, right up to the face.
This process may have several reasons, but the main provoking factor is associated with circulatory failure in the human body or simply vascular wear. Due to a malfunction in the normal operation of the venous valves in which blood stagnates, pressure may increase. The walls of the vessels are very elastic, can be quite easily stretched. As a result, they increase and the appearance of various defects on the outer layer of the skin. The most common spider veins on the legs. There are many reasons for this. We will talk about them further.
Main reasons
Blood stasis creates increased pressure on the vascular walls, due to which the vessels are deformed and become visible on the surface of the skin. Red nets indicate damage to the arterioles, and a blue hue indicates an increase in venules. Vascular patterns can take linear, treelike and star-shaped forms. These stars appear on the stomach, back, chest, or neck. There are several reasons for this:
- liver disease
- genetic features;
- hormonal diseases;
- excessive physical activity;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- deficiency of vitamins P and C;
- age-related changes leading to a gradual thinning of the walls of blood vessels;
- alcohol abuse;
- smoking;
- diseases of the vascular system;
- frequent visits to the bath;
- sudden changes in temperature;
- high blood pressure.
The appearance of spider veins on the skin is not only an aesthetic problem. In some cases, burning and itching are added to the external symptoms. Pain occurs quite rarely, most often painful telangiectasias appear not on the body, but on the legs.
Reasons for the appearance of women
Telangiectasias of the lower extremities of cyanotic or red in women often appear due to hormonal changes in the body. This is possible in the following cases:
- pregnancy;
- the onset of menopause;
- abortion;
- diseases of the uterus and ovaries.
Spider veins during pregnancy most often disappear on their own within a month after giving birth. Another common cause of blood vessel damage is oral contraceptives and hormonal intrauterine devices. Therefore, it is worth choosing such contraceptives only under the supervision of a doctor after passing all the necessary tests for hormones.
Important! The appearance of a capillary mesh on the chest may indicate cancer. This is an occasion to contact a mammologist for an examination.
Telangiectasia and Obesity
With obesity, the vascular system experiences an increased load, to nourish a large body with blood requires much more effort. Stretched and lost elasticity vessels are not able to cope with this task, which is why small capillaries begin to appear under the skin and burst. A sedentary lifestyle only exacerbates the situation, leading to stagnation of blood and, as a result, blockage of blood vessels.
Other reasons
The appearance of telangiectasias on the body may indicate the onset of connective tissue damage. In medicine, this phenomenon is called scleroderma and manifests itself in the form of seals on the skin, leading to a violation of normal blood circulation. Vascular asterisks on the abdomen in the liver region may indicate the presence of a cancerous tumor.
In most cases, the appearance of spider veins on the body does not cause any inconvenience other than aesthetic. The defect is easily fixed with the help of modern hardware techniques. But nevertheless, in addition to the cosmetologist’s office, it is advisable to visit a therapist, who, if necessary, will refer you to specialized specialists for examination.
What are asterisks?
Spider veins on the body are the branching of capillaries that can form in almost every person. They are not inflammatory or chronic in nature, so no one attaches special importance to them. This is wrong, because the detection of spider veins is a sign that the body has a malfunction in the metabolic processes or a lack of vitamins, which can be the cause of the disease.
Spider veins on the body shine through the skin in red, blue, or purple. Many argue that this is a cosmetic whim of nature and do not pay attention. However, in fact, spider veins speak of a number of diseases, including varicose veins. And even if everything is in order with large veins, the loss of elasticity of small vessels is the first stage of varicose veins.
Most often they can be found in women who have just given birth. This is due to the fact that hormonal restructuring occurs in their body, which the vessels cannot cope with. However, if they do not disappear, but on the contrary, become darker - this is the reason you will see a doctor.
This defect does not lead to death, however, in those parts of the epidermis where inflamed capillaries are present, pain and itching are felt. Before the appearance of stars, people feel considerable fatigue in the lower extremities. Then these same stars appear in scarlet or blue colors. If you press on the affected area of such a shade, then it will turn pale, and then again return to its previous form.
Spider veins need to be treated. They are often accompanied by pain and swelling in the place where they are located. If you see such a pathology in yourself, you need a consultation with a phlebologist.
Kinds
Spider veins are divided according to several criteria. So, they can be arterial, venous and capillary. It depends on which vessel was branched. In their form, stars are divided into tree-shaped, dotted, linear and arachnids.
Spider veins can be formed on any part of the body, but most often they are noticed on the legs and arms. Only then they form on the neck, face and back, which indicates the late stages of varicose veins. Vascular asterisks with liver disease appear quite rarely.
On the legs are tree-like and linear spider veins. The former can be found on the outside of the thigh, while the latter are found only on the inside of the entire leg.
Arachnid stars are the branching of arterial vessels, which are barely visible on the skin. They are blue in color, a little dull due to the layer of epithelium, however, the basis of them is dark blue or even purple.
Only rosacea appears on the face, which is located on the nose and cheeks. It is accompanied by severe pain, which is why it is difficult to control facial expressions, and firmness of the skin. The manifestation of rosacea is the last stage of varicose veins, which can turn into a fatal disease due to the fact that the immune system is greatly weakened. Therefore, you should consult a doctor even if vascular asterisks are detected.
Diagnostics
Before a doctor prescribes a treatment method for his patient, you must first undergo an examination and establish the causes of this disease. There are cases when these formations appeared due to venous insufficiency. Most often, this disease is accompanied by the development of varicose veins of the legs.
Basically, for high-quality diagnostics, ultrasound dopplerography is used. However, this is not the only diagnostic method.
The quality of treatment of spider veins will depend on how accurately the cause of their occurrence was determined.
At an early stage of the disease, a conservative treatment method is mainly used. Its essence lies in the fact that in addition to using various kinds of ointments, drugs are also used that improve blood circulation.
Also, the use of physiotherapeutic procedures can be called prevention at an early stage. This method and treatment can help to eliminate small stars and prevent the formation of new ones.
Therefore, we can say that the sooner there will be a trip to the doctor, the more high-quality treatment will be prescribed. Do not forget that there can be many reasons for which these asterisks can form. And it will take the time that the diagnosis takes to accurately determine the cause of their occurrence and correctly prescribe treatment.
Treatment
The treatment of stars is based on the prerequisites for their occurrence, or rather, its elimination. You can’t eliminate the disease yourself - this is a waste of time. Consultation of a phlebologist in this case is necessary. The treatment should be carried out comprehensively: taking specially prescribed medications, a healthy diet, performing certain physical exercises. During the first stage of the disease, drugs applied to the skin through rubbing well help, as well as taking drugs that improve blood circulation. Widely used "Heparin ointment" from spider veins. With its help, defects disappear from the body quickly enough.
There are much more effective medical methods to combat the disease. These include:
- Microsclerotherapy - introducing a special drug under the skin.
- Electrocoagulation - "cauterization" of problem areas. After this procedure, burns may remain on adjacent soft areas of the skin. It is used to remove spider veins on the body. On the face is not used.
- Ozone therapy - a mixture of air with ozone is injected into the affected tissue. Used to process mesh data on the lower extremities.
- Laser photocoagulation - treatment with a laser beam. The procedure takes place in several sessions and leaves no consequences. This is the most aesthetic and ideal way to remove spider veins on the nose and face as a whole.
Venotonic effect
Provides the ability to combat the failure of the valve apparatus of blood vessels. Normally, blood moves along the vessels of the legs from the bottom up, despite the effects of gravity. This is due to a decrease in calf muscles during movement and physiological stresses, as well as due to the presence of specialized valves on the inner surface of the vein wall, which interfere with the return flow of blood.
But under the influence of various kinds of provoking conditions, the valves weaken and begin to pass blood in the opposite direction. As a result, an excessive volume of blood accumulates in the shallow veins, which leads to a gradual extension of their walls.
Antiaggregant action
It is focused on the fight against trophic disorders and on the resumption of blood rheological parameters (reduction of its viscosity and the risk of blood clots). Thus, thick blood is a very frequent companion of the disease, because it is not so much dangerous directly varicose veins as venous thrombosis that occurs against its background.
Violation of the blood flow promotes the accumulation of metabolic products in small blood vessels, this leads to the concentration of blood and causes the appearance of independent radicals and mediators of the inflammatory reaction. All these conditions in the complex exacerbate the fluidity of the blood and lead to its thickening.
Preventive actions
To avoid the appearance of stars, you need to carry out the following tips:
- Fight overweight if present.
- Wear loose clothing.
- Avoid prolonged sun exposure.
- Engage in any sport or regular walking.
- Know the measure in the use of alcoholic beverages, do not smoke, try not to spend a lot of time in hard work.