15 Common Causes of Spider Veins You Shouldn’t Ignore

Spider veins, also referred to as telangiectasia, are small red or blue veins on the skin’s surface. They can be a source of embarrassment because they can cause a blotchy appearance in these areas. Spider veins differ from varicose veins because they are not deep-seated and do not cause pain.

The biggest reason for the development of spider veins is damage to the walls of the blood vessels. This damage can be caused by diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, and smoking, among other factors. When blood vessels become damaged, blood leaks into the surrounding tissue, which causes spider veins.

The use of birth control pills may also be a factor in the development of spider veins because birth control pills contain estrogen, which can increase estrogen levels in your body and make your blood vessels weak and more vulnerable to damage.

However, that’s not the only reason why spider veins can develop. Let us explore other reasons why spider veins can form.

Heredity

Heredity can be a cause of spider veins in your family’s history. There are three types of spider veins – telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans (TMEP), varicose, and thread veins. TMEP is the most common of the three, occurring in 66% of all people with the condition.

Different kinds of heredity can cause spider veins: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked recessive.

These conditions occur due to a missing or faulty gene in one’s DNA makeup that causes the vein to expand abnormally when blood flows through it under pressure (known as high venous pressure).

In the case of TMEP, it’s thought that repeated trauma to the skin from constant pressure and rubbing over time leads to the development of these fragile blood vessels. The same thing can happen if you have an abnormally large number of tiny blood vessels on your face as a result of your family’s history, as this can lead to frequent ruptures and injuries to them.