The Doctors: Polidocanol Spider Vein Injection Treatment

Does Crossing Your Legs Cause Varicose Veins

A marathon running grandmother named Susan said she’s proud of her fit legs, but is dismayed by her spider veins and wants to know what can be done about them. She also wondered if crossing her legs could be causing this problem.

Dr. Andrew Ordon and Dr. Sandra Lee invited Susan to the procedure room to help her clear up her Varicose Veins. “The problem depends on the size of the veins,” Dr. Andrew said, adding that they are hereditary and not related to crossing your legs.

In addition to heredity, added stresses such as obesity, pregnancy and exertion can be culprits when it comes to Varicose Veins.

What Causes Spider Veins

Smaller Veins have more of a tendency to flare into Spider Veins or Reticular Veins. Dr. Andrew said this problem actually can be caused by crossing your legs. It turns out that being ladylike could be the cause of your Spider Veins.

Polidocanol Spider Vein Treatments

Sclerotherapy is the gold standard of treatment, according to Dr. Lee. She said she would take another approach with Susan.

She used a detergent called Polidocanol, foaming it to encourage it to stick to the veins. Using a small needle, Dr. Lee injected the mixture. She said the effects are permanent and can react instantly.

It seems to be true, because as she did the injections, you could see Susan’s Spider Veins slowly disappearing as they reacted to the foam.

Summer Vs Winter Spider Vein Treatments

Dr. Lee recommended getting this treatment in the winter, because there can be some recovery time during which your legs “look worse before they look better.” You may also need a second or third treatment, and compression hose is recommended to accelerate absorption.

She added that any skin tone would respond to this treatment. Of course, The Doctors recommend avoiding crossing your legs to prevent future Spider Veins, but that sounds like a tall order.

This seems like a non-invasive solution to a common problem, though I don’t think any amount of medical advice will stem the tide of a hundred years of etiquette classes telling women to be proper and cross their legs.