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HEALTH
Your Bod
Getting rid of spider veins
I have ugly legs.
At 14, I have spider veins. Is this unusual?
How can I get rid of them?
Half of all girls will get spider veins at some point and, yes, they can crop up during puberty. Veins act like one-way valves so blood doesn’t flow in the wrong direction. When that valve weakens, blood collects there—you can see it through your skin in red or blue tree-branch stripes. Even the healthiest girls and women get them (big sigh).
Make sure you exercise, eat lots of fiber, avoid crossing your legs and stay at a healthy weight, says Dr. Ariel Ostad, dermatologist and assistant professor, New York University Medical School. Unless the veins cause soreness, they’re not harmful. While they’re not easy to hide, you can try cover-up makeup or self-tanners. A more permanent treatment? Sclerotherapy—your doc squirts a solution into spider veins that fades them. Pricey, but problem solved.
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