Veins are compressible structures that return your deoxygenated blood to your heart.
On the bottom of your legs, there are a number of ways your veins can appear atypical – spider veins being one example. These veins are somewhere in between spider and varicose veins in size.
While spider veins are mostly a cosmetic concern, they can cause uncomfortable symptoms. Keep reading to learn why reticular veins form and how doctors treat them.
Varicose veins are visible veins that appear under your skin, but usually do not protrude from your skin. Some of the more common features of reticular veins include:
- Colour. Reticular veins are usually blue or purple in appearance.
- Location. Reticular veins usually appear on the back of your knees, on your inner thighs, or near your ankles.
- Symptoms. Varicose veins can cause pain or other discomfort in your lower legs.
While spider veins don’t always cause symptoms, their appearance can be a cosmetic concern for some people. As a result, they may seek treatment so the spider veins are less noticeable.
Reticular veins result from a condition called vascular or venous insufficiency. Your veins have little “valves” that prevent blood from flowing backwards as your blood returns to your heart.
However, with vascular insufficiency, your blood leaks backwards due to concern about your valve function. Vascular insufficiency can create several types of veins, including:
Some risk factors for venous insufficiency include:
- Family history. If you have a family history of vein concerns, you are more likely to develop spider veins and other vein concerns.
- Occupations. Those who stand frequently for work may develop varicose veins at higher rates, such as teachers, nurses or factory workers. Prolonged sitting at a computer can also increase your risks for varicose veins behind your knees.
- Portliness. Obesity can increase abdominal pressure. This puts extra pressure on your veins, affecting circulation.
- Pregnancy. A vagina owner’s growing uterus can affect blood flow, increasing the pressure in your veins.
- Aging. People are more likely to develop venous insufficiency as they age.
Sometimes, you may have spider veins for no known reason.
Varicose veins can be uncomfortable or painful, but they are usually not dangerous. However, they indicate that blood is not flowing through your veins as well as it could.
If you have spider veins, you may want to take steps to improve blood flow to your lower legs. These steps include:
- elevating your legs, which encourages blood to flow back to your heart
- don’t cross your legs when sitting, which can affect blood flow
- wearing compression stockings (especially if you stand a lot for your job), which helps reduce lower leg swelling and improve circulation
- regular exercise, which helps you manage your weight and encourages blood flow
If you start to develop severe chronic venous insufficiency with many varicose veins and circulation concerns, this can be dangerous.
Isolated areas of reticular veins are usually not a health concern, they are mostly cosmetic. If your varicose veins become particularly painful, call your doctor.
Sclerotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for enlarged or painful reticular veins, according to Research Review 2015.
This treatment involves injecting material that destroys your reticular veins by destroying the lining of your veins. This causes your veins to collapse and become blocked.
A doctor will use an imaging tool called an ultrasound to determine which vein to inject into. Other treatment options include:
- Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. Also known as IPL, this treatment is usually most effective on spider veins, but can help reticular veins. The treatment emits light to destroy your affected veins in a way similar to laser treatment.
- Laser treatment. Doctors use laser therapy in a way similar to sclerotherapy. Laser treatment may be less painful than sclerotherapy. However, according to a
Research review 2017 , laser treatment can cause more side effects, such as skin spots. The same research review showed that both IPL and laser therapy are usually more expensive than sclerotherapy. - Microphlebectomy. This treatment involves using medical instruments to extract your reticular veins in a minimally invasive way. This approach is most often used to remove varicose veins.
- Thermocoagulation. This treatment involves using radio frequency energy to damage and destroy your affected veins. A doctor will insert a small, thin needle that emits radio frequency that causes thermal damage to your reticular veins.
Sometimes, a doctor may recommend a combination of treatments for maximum effectiveness. It is important for your doctor to completely destroy your affected veins. Otherwise, you may be at risk for blood clots.
The most immediately noticeable difference between reticular veins and spider veins is their sizes.
Reticular veins are larger (about 3 millimeters or less) than spider veins (usually 1 millimeter or less), according to
You can have both reticular veins and spider veins. Reticular veins can sometimes serve as “feeder” veins to spider veins.
You may see your reticular vein and many small spider vein patterns extending from your reticular vein.
Reticular veins are smaller than varicose veins. Reticular veins also appear flatter and less twisted than varicose veins.
Another easy way to tell the difference between varicose veins and reticular veins is that you usually can’t feel reticular veins. However, varicose veins usually bulge above your skin and you can feel them.
Here is a gallery of images showing the difference between reticular veins, spider veins and varicose veins.
Varicose veins are visible veins in your lower legs that you can’t feel. They can cause pain and other discomfort.
Various treatment approaches are available depending on the size and location of your veins. If your veins are uncomfortable or make you feel self-conscious, talk to your doctor about diagnosis and treatment.
