With summer here, do you feel embarrassed to show your legs? If you suffer from spider or varicose veins, you might be dreading the coming warmer weather. You might also be afraid that if you allow your legs to see more sun, you’ll make these vein problems even worse. However, is there a link between summer sun and vein problems? And what can you do to minimize these potential problems and, most importantly, enjoy the time of the year made for going out and having fun?
Spider veins, varicose veins and the summer heat — is there a connection?
Yes, this is a real issue — too much summer sun can cause spider veins or make spider veins and varicose veins worse. Excessive sun exposure — without the proper protection — can damage skin, and this can lead to many problems and one of those problems is spider veins. Sun exposure dries and weakens the skin, and this makes the conditions right for spider vein issues. Damaged skin allows the small capillaries responsible for spider veins to come to the skin’s surface where they break.
The damage caused by the sun prevents your skin and body from adequately repairing these vein issues, so, without any other type of intervention, these problems will persist. If you already have spiders veins, excessive sun exposure will make these problems worse. Sun exposure can also worsen the appearance of varicose veins, which naturally expand to help cool your body in hotter weather. Spider veins, varicose veins and excessive sun exposure is a combination you will want to avoid at all costs. However, this doesn’t mean you have to avoid the sun or cover up your legs all summer. Here’s what you can do.
What’s the best way to keep my legs healthy during summer?
Sun exposure needn’t be avoided if you take the right precautions. The first solution is the most obvious — wear sunscreen. But putting on sunscreen right before you go out into the summer heat won’t protect you. You need to apply your sunscreen to clean skin at least 15 minutes before you see the sun. You also need to reapply it often, especially if you get wet or perspire a lot.
Also, if you can, avoid the hottest parts of the day or seek shade when the sun is most intense. Even with these precautions, you might “feel the burn”; if you do, get out of the sun for a while. You will have many more summer days to enjoy. Additionally, when you buy sunblock, also buy the highest SPF you can find. You can’t have too much sun protection, and while you’re out having fun, it’s easy to lose sight of when you need to reapply sunblock.
While you can’t undo the damage to your skin which the sun has already caused, you can prevent further skin damage from occurring — and prevent more spider veins from erupting — by taking the necessary precautions now. It is never too late for prevention, especially when it comes to sun damage, which can lead to even more serious and life-threatening dangers, such as melanoma.
But what about the spider veins I already have?
The spider or varicose veins you already have can be treated. Sclerotherapy is useful in the treatment of spider veins and can help close off spider veins which then diminish and fade over time. The treatment — administered by an injection of a clinically safe and proven solution into the affected veins — is minimally-invasive and highly-effective. Laser treatments, another minimally-invasive option, can also effectively treat varicose veins. Using laser energy, Dr. Jimenez at The Vein Center can close of varicose veins at their source; these veins will naturally and gradually atrophy over time, and your body will absorb them, eliminating the problem for good. These treatment solutions don’t give you a license to have all the sun you want, however; you will still need to take all the necessary precautions to protect your skin — and your health!
The Vein Center of Florida Can Treat All Your Vein Care Needs
Whether you wish to discuss prevention or treat the spider or varicose veins you have, The Vein Center of Florida can help. Dr. James Jimenez is one of the preeminent experts on vein care and is certified to provide effective vein care treatments including the latest, accepted medical technologies, such as Endovenous Laser Treatments (EVLT™) and Varithena Microfoam Therapy. If you have aesthetic or debilitating vein issues, Dr. Jimenez can help you select the most appropriate treatment so that you can live worry-free again.
If you want to take the next step and discuss your spider or varicose vein issues, you can call The Vein Center of Florida today at 1-800-910-VEIN and schedule a complimentary, full consultation. We have offices conveniently located in Pensacola and Destin, Florida as well as Foley, Alabama to serve you. Don’t miss the summer or hide in embarrassment. The Vein Center can confidently help your legs see the light again!