Dr. McPherson is board certified in general and cardiothoracic surgery and performs all aspects of adult cardiac, general thoracic and peripheral vascular surgery to treat Spider Veins.
Spider veins are small dilated vessels on the skin that are blue, purple, or red in color. They appear in the form of thin lines, branches, or webs, especially on the legs and face. Though spider veins are not painful, they can make a person’s skin look aesthetically unpleasing and are typically treated for cosmetic purposes.
Spider veins are caused by venous insufficiency. Your veins are responsible for carrying the blood from the heart throughout the body and back to your heart to be replenished with oxygen and recirculated. They contain valves that prevent the blood from flowing backward. These one-way valves close once the blood passes through them.
Sometimes, these valves can be weakened or damaged, causing your blood to struggle to flow in the right direction. The blood begins to pool inside the vein where the valve is damaged and cause a bulge, leading to spider veins. When spider veins appear on the face, it is caused by sun damage or is a result of tiny blood vessels bursting.
Spider veins affect men and women over the age of thirty, and they affect women more often than men. People at risk include those who suffer from obesity or are overweight, those with a history of deep vein thrombosis, those who sit or stand for long periods, and pregnant women.
You may also be at risk if you are a smoker or if you are exposed to heat often, including the heat created in saunas and hot tubs.
One of the contributing factors of spider veins is heredity, so if your parents have spider veins, you may have a higher risk of developing them.
The risk factors include:
Spider veins appear most often on the legs because the veins in your legs must carry blood to your heart, which is a longer distance compared to the veins in most other areas of the body. They must also fight against gravity to carry blood to the heart.
An important part of the examination is a vascular ultrasound.
At Southern California Vein Center we offer a number of procedures to treat spider veins. Most patients benefit from sclerotherapy which involves injecting a liquid (sclerosing agent) directly into the vein causing it to close.
The treated veins may not cause problems again depending on the severity of the problem and the type of treatment. You may develop new spider veins based on your age, gender, and family history.
Dr. McPherson is considered by his patients to offer the best spider vein treatment Ventura and Los Angeles residents can depend on. Dr. McPherson’s patients range from all over Los Angeles and Ventura county. Your treatment will be performed in Dr. McPherson’s surgery center located in Oxnard, CA, just outside of Ventura.
Self-verified patient of James G. McPherson, III, MD, MPH, FACS
This is not someone you want to give less than 5 stars to. It may seem too embellishing to say "this person gave me a new life", but in fact that's exactly what he did! There are no words to describe the total care he showed to me. I thank him every day.
I absolutely admire Dr Mc ! He is an outstanding Heart surgeon with hands of gold.
Dr McPherson is unlike any other physcision I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Not only is he professional in every way, but extremely caring, knowledgable and experienced in his field. I have such trust in him, I wish he were my family physician.