Strong veins are crucial for a healthy body. There are around 1,00,000 miles of blood vessels in your body, which include arteries, capillaries, and veins. The veins are responsible for transporting blood from the various parts of the body back to the heart. Sometimes the veins of your body might suffer from conditions like vascular veins or spider veins.
According to the American Society for Vascular Surgery, around 20 to 25 million people in America have varicose veins. The incidence among men is 17%, while among women it is 33%. Varicose veins and spider veins are similar but not the same. Varicose veins are lumpy and dark blue or purple.
Spider veins are flat, with a web-like formation and reddish or blue in color. It has got its name from the fragile web-like structure, often isolated. Spider veins are common among women, especially post-pregnancy. It is generally not painful, but rather a cosmetic problem. A vascular surgeon treats the condition through sclerotherapy.
The treatment removes the existing spider veins but fails to prevent future ones. That means you have to resort to the doctor again. Thankfully, there are a few effective home remedies for spider veins that could help cure it naturally. Read on.
Home Remedies For Spider Veins
1. Epsom Salt
Epsom Salt is a quick and easy home remedy for spider veins. Epsom Salt or Magnesium Sulfate is an anti-inflammatory and detox agent. The salt contains a high amount of Magnesium, which helps to reduce inflammation in spider veins(1). It helps to reduce their appearance.
You will need only water and Epsom salt for these super effective home remedy for spider veins. Add Epsom Salt to your bathtub and soak in it for about 30-40 minutes. You could also use Epsom Salt in a bucket of water and soak your legs. Remember, Epsom salt is for external use only.
You could add 2 to 3 cups of the salt in your bathwater. For soaking your legs, a cup of the salt in the bucket water/tub is enough. Try these for 3 to 4 times weekly to get relief.
[Read: Natural Remedies for Spider Veins]
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the most common and trusted home remedies for many health conditions. You could benefit by using apple cider vinegar for spider veins. Apple Cider Vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties. Further, it improves blood circulation, which has a long term effect on spider veins.
Firstly, you should do a patch test to confirm allergies. Once sure that your skin does not react to its acidic nature, go ahead and try this home remedy for spider vein. You need to soak a piece of cloth in apple cider vinegar for treating spider veins. Now, wrap this soaked cloth around the affected area and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes.
You should use raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar for spider veins twice or thrice daily.
[Read: Apple Cider Vinegar for Varicose Veins]
3. Hot and Cold Compress
A hot or cold compress can be used according to the situation to treat spider veins at home. The warm temperature of a hot compress helps to remove clots and boosts blood circulation. The cold temperature of the cold compress helps to reduce bleeding from damaged veins.
If you notice blood clots, use a hot compress. Use cold compress when you see bruises. Remember to elevate your leg when using a compress to prevent the pooling of blood in the area.
This home remedy for spider veins should be used according to the severity of the symptoms. If you experience grave symptoms, increase the number of compresses.
[Read: Natural Ways to Treat Spider Veins]
4. Coconut Oil
Massage is one of the oldest home remedies for spider veins. It helps to improve blood circulation and reduce spider veins. Coconut oil(2) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. So, massaging with coconut oil gives a double benefit. However, you could try other beneficial oils if you are not comfortable with coconut oil.
Take some cold compressed coconut oil and rub it between your hands. The rubbing will make the oil warm — massage with this coconut oil on the affected area. Alternatively, you could use castor oil or olive oil for the massage. Choose extra virgin oil to get maximum benefit.
You could massage with coconut oil for 10 to 15 minutes every day. Further, you could add a few drops of the useful essential oils like tea tree oil to the coconut oil for enhanced benefits.
[Read: Benefits of Coconut Oil]
5. Baking Soda and Lemon Juice
Baking soda together with lemon juice could be used as a less known but useful home remedy for spider veins. Lemon is rich in Vitamin C and helps in purification of blood. Baking soda is alkaline and valuable for its neutralizing properties. The combination of these two is useful in curing spider veins.
Begin with adding freshly squeezed lemon juice to a glass of water. Then add baking soda. As soon as you do so, you will notice that the mix becomes fizzy. Wait for the fizz to reduce and then consume the drink.
You could consume 2 to 3 glasses of this drink every day. Use a half tablespoon of lemon juice with a one-eighth teaspoon of baking soda in the glass of water.
6. Turmeric
Turmeric is a famous magic herb with many curative properties. Its main constituent curcumin has excellent anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties. It can be used as a beneficial home remedy for spider veins due to these properties help in reducing its appearance. The best part about turmeric is that it is safe to be used both externally and can be consumed with food, with generally no side effects.
Add powdered turmeric to a glass of warm milk and drink it to enjoy the benefits. Alternatively, you could prepare a paste by mixing turmeric powder with water. Apply the turmeric paste directly on the affected area.
This home remedy can be used daily. You could use one teaspoon of powdered turmeric in a glass of warm milk. There is no recommended dose for preparing the paste.
These natural home remedies for spider veins work wonders and help heal faster. But it is essential to understand that to get rid of spider veins, ultimately, you need to change your lifestyle too. You should keep yourself hydrated, eat a balanced diet, manage your weight, exercise, quit smoking, reduce alcohol intake, and stay physically active. These small changes in your daily life could help you get rid of spider veins and lead a healthy life altogether.
FAQs
1. What Do Spider Veins Feel Like?
Spider veins generally might not cause pain. They are close to the surface of the skin and red or blue in color. They look similar to a spider’s web in structure and appear in various sizes. More commonly, spider veins appear on the legs but are rarely found on the face too.
2. Do Spider Veins Go Away Naturally?
Various simple solutions could help you deal with spider vein naturally:
- Elevate your legs
- Exercise
- Avoid hot water bath for long durations
- Take a break every 30 minutes from long-duration standing or sitting.
- Home Remedies For Spider Veins
3. Do Spider Veins Go Away with Exercise?
Exercise could be beneficial for people with spider veins as it helps to improve blood circulation. Running and even walking leads to calf muscle pumping and increased flow of blood to the heart. That is why it reduces the appearance of spider veins. After exercise, you could also try hot or cold compression and some other useful home remedies for spider veins.
